Artistic A.D.D.

After I got my last group of jewelry out to Angelwood Gallery.  I've felt a bit lost. I'm bouncing from project to project, but I also have to keep up on my online marketing, and I want to move my focus to some new ideas.  I am a list person. However, I currently have lists upon lists and new opportunities are coming up all the time that I don't want to pass up. It's becoming overwhelming.  My New Year's Resolution was to start saying "No" to things.  I have gotten rid of a few things, but some other opportunities are too hard to pass up.

On the business end:
1) Keep up with www.jennyschu.com website updates (one of my least favorite things)
2) Blog at least once a week (which often includes a few hours of taking photos and editing)
3) Work on/finish paperwork to incorporate myself into an LLC.  Then switch the bank and credit cards over to the LLC so that it can start gaining credit. 
4) Staying on top of the Handweavers Guild of America twitter account. I feel bad when I drop the ball. I need to sit down and schedule tweets for every two weeks for a mental break instead of weekly.

Exhibits etc:
1) I'm speaking to the Lakeshore Fiber Arts Guild next April.  It may see like a long way out, but there's been so much gone on since the last program I gave, it's going to be a lot of updating a cutting down for a new PowerPoint.
2) I MISSED the drop off for the University of Michigan Alumni Show, luckily, I can drive down tomorrow morning and drop it off before I have to cover at Grove Gallery. Usually I'm very good at getting things on my calender.  There's been so may dates this year though, that it's a bit of a mess. I'm having a hard time keeping track of what is where.  What happened to those days when all I got was letters that my work wasn't accepted?
3) Still need to decide what I'm entering for the Michigan League of Handweavers Conference Exhibits. Due at the end of this month. Is it bad that I want to have a bunch of new work?
4) The Lansing Guild has asked me to pull guild background (which is stored at Grove Gallery, amking me the obvious person for the job) notebooks for their October show at the East Lansing Public Library.

On the Beadwork end:
1) I also have a bangle commission that I need to get done (but has no real deadline so I keep putting it off). 
2) I've started in on "Uprooted 2" the root is being cleaned and the first tendril is 3/4 the way done.
3) Holiday sales are going to be upon me before I know it, always always making jewelry.
4) I'm knitting little star ornaments for Grove Gallery's Holiday Sales for November/December which will need embellishing.
5) I really want to get back into playing with conductive thread.  I have a necklace and another bangle in mind. I'm beginning some of these components.

Sketching

Dyeing

On the Weaving/Fabric end:
1) I want to play in my dye lab now that it's gotten hot (and it's in the basement). I'm playing with shibori again and would love to make some pieces for myself.
2) I need to do the finish work on "Layers 1." It's never hard to weave it, it's hard to cut it off loom,  hem it, hang it, block it, edge it.
3) I want to clean out the loom room and get my new loom up.  There's going to be some major purging in this process.
4) I have a small tapestry in mind that I should get started on too! I might take my tapestry loom over to Grove Gallery since it looks like I'll be spending extra time there this summer.

That feels good to write it all down.  I'm wandering around the studio spaces in my house picking at each of these things. Maybe I can knock a few off my list this week and have something more concise to blog about next week. That would be awesome (I'm thinking "Layers 1").

Once I get myself incorporated and possibly my own studio space, do you think I can get an intern? That would be amazing.

People's Chioce Honorable Mention at Fiber577 and Opening at Angelwood Gallery tonight

Last week though all the skimming of my emails I nearly missed the announcement of the "People Choice" awards at the Fiber577 show.  Visitors to the show were invited to vote for their favorite pieces and "Small Leaf Panel in Blue" won an honorable mention!  Above is a photo by an artist-friend Michele Montour emailed over to me.  They hung this piece above a couch in a large window.  It was a really fun way of displaying it because it really shows off the translucence of the woven leaves and some of the see-through seed beads.

The full list of Award Winners are posted here: http://www.fiber577.com/about.html

Tomorrow is the opening of Fabulous Fibers, which is most of Fiber577 at Angelwood Gallery in Grand Rapids, OH.  It's in correlation with the town's "Girls Night Out" so if you're close, I'd head that way for a fun night out!

I shipped some jewelry over to Angelwood Gallery for the opening of this show and it looks like they are interested in carrying my work on a permanent basis. A sample of some of the work that is there currently is below:

Polka Dot Bangle and Earrings

Polka dot bangle and earrings.

 

I have been creating some much simpler bangles as of late.  I usually have some pretty intense pattern that I'm busy working on, but with the amount of work that I have been trying to pump out, I think these "simple" patterns are a bit of a mental break for me.  First it was the chevron, now polka-dots.  They're a welcome change of pace.  These are at Grove Gallery right now (unless someone scooped them up this weekend, I'll find out when I'm in tomorrow.)

 



Trip to Seattle and the Opening Reception for Small Expressions

I got to hang out in downtown Seattle and do some shopping.  Of which I mostly bought beads and yarn.  They have a great bead store called World Beads.  It's a tiny shop on the corner, and it's packed with seed beads.  I usually use Japanese seed beads and these are Czech. I bought a few and stitched some leaves up to see how they acted and was pleased, so I stopped in one more time at the end of the week to grab some to add to my stash.

The only yarn shop downtown in called So Much Yarn.  I have  a hard time believing that in a city the size of Seattle there's only one yarn shop, but at least its a nice one!  I had done some damage last time I was in there and was hoping to pick up a few more colors of one of the yarns that I really enjoy using in Theo Mooreman inlay.  They were out of that particular yarn, however they did have some other interesting stuff by the same designer so I went that route (the sparkly ones below).

I flew out of Chicago so that on the way back home I could head over to St.. Charles, IL for the Opening Reception of Handweaver's Guild of America's Small Expressions 2013.  My piece, "Uprooted 1" was accepted into this show along with many other amazing pieces.  Below I'm standing next to "Uprooted 1".  The camera on my phone has been on the fritz, so it was hard to get a decent photo. 

I always want to get more beading done while I travel.  I'm not sure why, but I'm convinced that between sitting in the airport, on the airplane, driving around and having hotel down time, I should get a few pieces done.  I only finished one lariat necklace, but I'm please with that. It's also a note to self to travel with less beads!

Brown and Green Lariat Necklace





Fiber577 Private opening, Today and Tomorrow

 

Last night was the private opening for Fiber577 at the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg, Ohio.  This is the first show where all three of the pieces I entered had been juried in, so I had to try to make it.  Being busy this weekend, I was excited that the had an invite-only event last night.  It was a great start to my weekend.  My fiber-friend Brittany and I met half way in Ann Arbor at Findings bead store (good start to a mini road trip).  Then drove together down to Perrysburg. 

 

The three pieces that were accepted were:

 

Small Leaf Panel in Blue

 

 

Flipped and Tangled

 

Climbing

 

The 577 Foundation has amazing grounds and gardens, along with various workshop spaces (which were closed, but we walked around and peeked in).  Downtown Perrysburg is adorable.  We decided to explore a little bit and ended up at Stella's to relax a bead some before we got back on the road.

 

We got to chatting with a nice couple that was sitting outside next to us on our way out and I consequently left my credit card at Stella's and didn't realize until we were a half hour back into our trek home.  They're going to mail it, but couldn't add a tip without a signature.  I'm hoping that by mailing a check back I can get the tip to our very nice server!  I feel awful about that!

 

The Fiber 577 show is all weekend, Saturday and Sunday.  Then it moves to the Angelwood Gallery in Grand Rapids, OH.  We got to chat with Julie, the owner, and I will be sending her a grouping of beaded jewelry to go in her gallery while the show is up that compliments the three above pieces.

 

The show opens at Angelwood Gallery during the downtown's "ladies night" on June 20, 2013 and goes through July 21, 2013.

 

The work is not for sale this weekend, but is available for purchase at Angelwood Gallery.



Dabbling in Beaded Double-Leaves

Since I took a beadweaving class with Huib Petersen 3 years ago, I have been really focused on perfecting my knowledge of Beaded Leaves and what I call beaded "Pods" (which is where the leaf is closed up the middle).  I'm mixing them up now with color and some new forms, but have not gone into beading multiple leaves and petals all at the same time.  For some reason, I'm adverse to getting out those instructions from the workshop and going over and over them until I have it properly memorized.

Daphne Necklace Variation $160.00

 

I've started playing with two connected leaves/petals at a time.  It's not quite working out in my head yet, but they're fun to play with.  I was going to take a closer look at it while on the flight to Seattle or while Zack was working, but I was having way too much fun exploring the city instead.

Tiny Bangle Variation $45.00

 

So keep your eyes peeled for a few new pieces with petals all connected.  I've got a few ideas rolling around in my head for these!