May, 2022
The stars aligned and I was finally able to stop by Ephemera in Paducah, Kentucky to take a workshop this month. It fit perfectly (kind of) into a road trip we decided to make for me to do a speaking engagement in Austin, Texas. And gave me a chance to bulk up my collage fodder stash in time for a visit back to Atlanta for a collage workshop in June and a new series I have in mind.
Kristin, who is the owner of Ephemera, is someone I have known for years since I crossed paths with her professionally in her earlier incarnation as an economic developer. She pivoted almost ten years ago to this successful life as a teacher and owner of one of the best known studios for visiting mixed media and other art teachers in the country.
Turns out, I got there just in time. Kristin has just announced that at the end of the year she will be taking a “gap year” and Ephemera as it is today will cease operations (at least with her at the helm), so I’m glad I got there when I did.
If you don’t know, Paducah is legendary among quilters – the center of the U.S. quilting universe – and years ago reated a program to provide artists with incentives to revitalize a section of the downtown area. It’s a riverfront city with beautiful parkland, and at this time of the year it’s a luscious green everywhere.
May, 2022
OK, I’m going to get just a little mystical again here, but maybe I can take the edge off it. You know how a lot of people think that there’s something lucky about a pair of socks, or a favorite hat, or some kind of ritual. Seems like a lot of times it is connected to sporting events of some kind. Well, for my, my lucky sign has always been butterflies. I like to think that when they show up, it is a sign that everything will be OK, or maybe even better than OK. I’ve had a pet in the past, but not often and not now, so I think the occasional butterfly showing up, and even giving me the feeling that they are following me around like a pet would, takes that place for me. And yes, there’s more, I’ve decided I’m even more special, because in my mind the only reason there would be butterflies outside my 33rd story downtown Chicago window is because they are visiting me, personally. There’s nothing like the feeling of opening your eyes after a sit and seeing a visitor like this outside your window.
April, 2022
Even up north in Chicago, where we ping-ponged between eighty degree days and snowfall in April, you can feel the energy stirring.
We had a great road trip this month down to Atlanta. Actually I was tagging along as the “trailing spouse”, a role that isn’t too familiar to me, while my boyfriend/husband taught some continuing education classes. A great chance to check in on some friends and do a little fabric shopping (I recommend Gail K on Cheshire Bridge for what can be a deeply rewarding experience in a super chaotic layout).
A fair bit of themonth was spent working with Impact Grants Chicago. This year I stepped up from a Financial Analyst for grant applicants to the head of one of the committees of financial analysts. Impact Grants Chicago is organized around the concept of one woman-one vote. Each one of us contributes $1,000, and we make as many $100,000 grants as that money will allow – usually four or five each year, It is an all volunteer organization, and it has given me great insight into a number of inspiring charitable and social service organizations that serve Chicago citizens. Each year as we hear the stories of our finalists during site visits I’m reminded of how truly priviledged I am, and how grateful we should all be to the people who work so hard and stay so faithful to the difficult and important work of these organizations. I truly have no problems.
April, 2022
One of my favorite things in my studio is this gallery wall. I don’t really frame very much, like I said in the last post, but this lets me clip works in process or recently finished (or not so recenty finished) pieces. It’s adjustable up and down and side to side, and was pretty easy to install. The idea was that I’l look at the works in process and get some fresh eyes from across the room, kind of like a design wall for quilters. Truth be told a lot of the pieces hanging there have been there for quite a while, and I’m hoping they will remind me I can make things I actually like if I just bust out all the mixed media supplies I have tucked away and play a little more often.
If this looks interesting to you, it’s the Clear Tape system from www.Gallerysystem.com (not an affiliate, just a fan)
April, 2022
It took me a while to understand why so many of the artists I follow always seem to post pictures of their work beautifully framed and hanging in well-curated rooms. I kept wondering how they afforded to frame everything, how they stored it all, and where the heck those rooms were. It was almost embarassing when I realized what I’m sure everyone else already knew – there’s an app for that. The picture here is my first try at using Canvy – I know there are others, but this seemed pretty painless and the free version had enought options for an experiment. This is an older mixed media piece, and no, it’s not really that big. I think this will be a nice new toy to play with.
