• Blog posts,  Older posts

    AAW 2017 Recap

    The visitors this year at the studio were amazing! We weren’t sure how the weather would impact things, and the downpour on Saturday was impressive to say the least. Still, thousands did brave the rain, traffic, and parking challenges to visit and we had so many wonderful conversations about our art with people. We encouraged people to return on First Thursdays or Saturday afternoons when we are also open but able to spend more time with them, and I hope they take us up on it! This year we had two new artists in the space, Joan Kloiber and Ellen Starr (guest through June 2017), and we had almost twice…

  • Blog posts,  Inspirations

    Jude Hill

      Where to start with how Jude’s stories, work, and process have impacted me? I think the hardest part for me is that much of her “technique” is not new to me since I was a quilter for many years in my 20s and early 30s, yet I now look at stitch and fiber work completely differently after following her for the last year plus. What makes it different? It’s not something I have a single or simple answer for, and it isn’t something that is “done” by a long shot. Some of it is the fabric. She has an astonishing collection of fiber from her years in the textile…

  • Blog posts

    Thoughts on the Sustainable Creative Community Hearing

    I wrote up my notes from the public hearing hosted by NEMAD on June 6 about Creative Sustainability in the Northeast Arts District (you can see the notes here or download a PDF version public-hearing-on-creative-sustainability-in-the-northeast-arts-district), but there were several observations, concerns, and other thoughts that I had personally that I would like to share on my own. As I look at the list, this is far more than one post, so I will likely be doing several and linking to them below as I get them done! Aspects of the solution, in my mind: “Sustainable” involves creating a system that will be self-nurturing and evolving over time, a “closed loop”…

  • Blog posts

    Creative Strength Training: Week 2 poetry

    Jane Dunnewold has a book on Creative Strength Training and there is a Facebook group doing exercises this summer as a “summer camp” based on their training classes. A friend pointed me in that direction and I am trying it for now to see how it fits with my other practices – it may stay, or it may fall by the side if it proves too distracting from my current work. The prompt for Week 2 was to write a poem based on words that you respond to from a dictionary page or newspaper, and optionally do a visual representation of the poem. Alas, we don’t get newspapers anymore and…

  • Blog posts,  Inspirations

    February already?

    I don’t know where January went! We had a few balmy days right at the end of January and then we have had a run of snowy days here in Minnesota, so now we are back to blindingly white snow cover. I have found a new inspiration-artist whose extensive blog and classes have kept me company as I fight a cold that has been going around. Her name is Jude Hill and she makes Spirit Cloths. Sounds exactly like where I am headed this year- exploring my Spirit work in fiber! I was already in progress with a piece I am calling Journeywoman (for now), and Jude’s thoughts on stitch…