Its Really Happening!

 The Year is Moving Ahead and Taking Us Too!

The earth is turning, sun is up, moon is up, stars are up, rain comes down and leaves flutter to the ground. 

Meanwhile, the colors are spectacular.

I love trails. Where I live, there are some wonderful paths and a few have great maintenance, not disturbing nature or dropping chemicals, but just making enough space to connect with trees, wildflowers, the masked walkers and their unmasked but leashed pups. 

I tend to take a few leaves and acorns home to sketch. My phone captures these incredible clouds and sunrises and sunsets so they are always close by to inspire colors in my weaving. I love autumn. it is almost cool enough for the bloodsucking mosquitoes and terrorist wasps to keep away. 

Nature is an eternal inspiration with textures, colors, patterns and lines that change every day. Taking myself out for a walk or run is a luxury, and also important to my health. Working as an artist often means concentrated work and less people engaging in my day- the trail is full of calm, friendly hellos and fresh air.

The Festivals are Different

This year, artists are posting our work online, presenting live studio tours and virtual exhibits. I don't usually have a lot of workshops this time of year because of shows and festivals and traveling with the holiday stock. But I've become a lot more comfortable with online classes. I think they are a good choice- some folks thrive in a new work environment. Not everyone does, though, and the quieter folks are really more comfortable working on projects in their own space. My kitties get to creep by and say hello, too. 

Holiday Fundraisers

I sorted through this one a while back. I am always glad when my artwork is appreciated. Most of us are grateful for sales, compliments and returning customers. I am a fan of volunteering in community work. I set an annual amount of artwork to donate, but when there is an event that serves my work and the organization better, I donate some cash. It is tough to watch a piece of artwork sold for a fraction of the cost; its better to remove that part and just donate like everyone else does. 

Holiday Group sales are a great chance to support fellow artists. So far there are three that I'll be participating with.  I don't have the exact dates but I expect a good time will be had by all!

Online Sales are a THING!

I've got a few things in different places, have a few galleries that are open to the public in safe ways, and am participating in online festivals, too. The prices are the same in all places, shipping is available as is rendezvous drop off :)  Find my stuff through links on the website www.dyecrazy.com, on Facebook.com/kgtextiles, on KG Textiles on Square  Have a wonderful Autumn!

Crossroads seem to come and go

 Just an update on stuff and things

These are times of decisions, whether for work, safety, politics, lifestyles, all sorts of choices

Choices are important. Like crossroads, these options are what ticks away at the day, the week, whatever comes next. I have been thinking about what to make, how to sort the time, supplies, details and other bits.

In an effort to create happiness, it's helpful to have thought of what I want, what I like and how I might see things moving forward.  I try to stay focused on artwork. What i like are simple- color, composition, structure and input.

What i am distracted by will probably need to have some inclusion but some perimeters- real life expenses, being healthy and contributing as a participating community member. Its important to assess for what I can volunteer. Working in the non-profit community there are often things that should be done but don't have funds. It is rough to hear people who present themselves as art supporters asking for more donations, more "free" stuff, meaning as no cost to them, as though, as an artist, you don't qualify for the support as other professions.

Tricky and require both feet and clear eyes. I have mostly sorted it for  myself. I donate a certain amount of artwork for specific causes. I prefer to make a donation of cash, though, instead of seeing my artwork sold for less than a reasonable retail value. I prefer to donate time with causes that are not always part of my profession. It saves me from uncomfortable conversations and I really do like to volunteer when I can. I volunteer in pet rescue and adoption,  pet immunizations and spaying/neutering along with wildflower rescue and relocation. When I can, I help with early childhood reading and tutoring.

I have taken full advantage of the pandemic stay at home suggestions to 

• clear and brighten my space, which is always needed as I am always working,
• consider the changing of days, color of seasons and moments in a day
• observe how art is treated in the community

Having time to feel the earth turn, cool mornings creep into warm evenings, watch the plants reveal their growth and plan for shorter days is important for folks like me who need all the sunlight.

Try to be productive in your own terms, sustainable so it is not a struggle and creative within the community if it allows. or reaching the global community.

that is a lot

I want to tell everyone, if you want a contributing and sustainable creative community, make an investment. Everyone has their own talents and gifts. Take a workshop (pay and tip the presenter), buy gifts for others and for yourself, remember that supporting your community keeps funds in your neighborhoods, schools, economic workforce and builds some epic bonds with the everyday people in your life.

Off the soapbox but consider larger tips, buying things you can give away, buy things for yourself, enjoy more than life in a box. be sure to take walks, chat with pets, walk near flowers and be nice to your friends. 

While the stay at home situation has been an interruption and inconvenience, our air is cleaner, our books lists are shorter, our pets feel loved, families are keeping track of each other. 

Have a great autumn and enjoy the upcoming colors!

Picking Up

I have been using a blogger that was part of my old website format... that has disappeared! Good ole Blogger to the rescue!

So many things change so many things stay the same and wait for recognition that yeah still here still just fine. Since beginning this bloggery, I've learned a lot of things that I didn't' realize I would ever,

well. sometimes the thing to learn is what you already know, sometimes the learning is about the same thing from a different perspective

When I realized I wanted to study textiles in a more academic way, along with grabbing yarns and fabrics and making whatever impulsive ball of stuff I had in mind I was using natural dyes. Living in NC there is so much color to see and so many pigments to use though not all are deep not all are permanent but enter chemistry and its a whole jam-packed toolbox of color and fun.

Weaving was line and color, then weaving brought structure and sculpture. Clothing was no

t just something to wear but a statement of hues, weight, motion and presence. Costume is an introduction, a character and can be subtle as a historical garment or dramatic as a moving bit of theatre. (ShaSha Higby comes to mind here.

So while rambling around I hit a fibers program (or four) and learned structure and synthetic dyes which didn't replace all my dyeing but definitely allowed for predictability and time management. And to a degree more safety. When i began working with natural dyes i had limited chemical knowledge. I still have limited knowledge but i learned that i needed to read more before blasting into the dyepot..

I have been using more natural materials again. I have a larger idea of how to use my tools and I may be offering some workshops soon. To that end I've been reading collecting growing sampling and so have a lot of people! There is a lot of information to be found. I've recently read a workbook-style collection of dye information by Joy Boutrup, if you search for it (tho Catharine Ellis is listed as a co-author) I still have my copy of Mary Frances Davidson's Dye Pot and am finding more websites such as Dekel Dyes

I'm trying out workshop names- color garden, earth pallet and scrappy dyes(color before compost)

none are screaming "come to mama" but.. I'm kind of warming to color garden.

It is more of a slow down time stop and think time and a time to decide what to really do next. Weave on!

bright colors, brilliant weather

After this crazy warm-cold warm-cold weather it's time to make the color commitment to bright and happy!

warm blues, soft rose reds and bright budding greens are twilling on three looms! the blues will undulate,  roses will point and diamond and the greens and violets will double up in double weave.

should be some fun weaving in between residencies and workshops. I do love those workshops with drawing, painting, dyeing and weaving.

join us at Studio107 for workshops in Gourd Embellishment, Choctaw Elbow basket and Stained glass! visit the blog #funatstudio107.blogspot.com

. z cu 5

my pocket posts for me now, hence the title of this post! lol
someone apparently needs to!!!

So, off we go.
May was a superwonderfulslammed month
Had a lovely time  with the students at Terry Sanford High School and their art teacher Kellie Perkins! I mean a terrrrrrific time! Fayetteville has a lot to offer and I'd never had the chance to see much before-- the students made some really nice pieces and they were very brave to try things that they had not experienced.

If that sounds shallow... let me 'splain,  Lucy!!!

 I've had a chance to bring weaving to a variety of venues... community, schools, demonstrations, festivals... and I LOVE when people want to try it. really.. i just don't bring something i cant share! (this is a point for when you meet me at one of these events... i just bring stuff that i CAN share, not the special orders so be fearless and weave with me!!!) It takes a bit of bravery to try something outside of your comfort zone.. and that ability to try is what brings our spice to life, new ideas and stuff to experience plus helps us keep developing in our process of being human. To quote my best man Leonard Cohen in Anthem
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in. "


Thanks again to the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County for funding here and at Edwin Baldwin Elementary (in January 2017- and these guys were so fun, wonderful teacher there, too!

Ms. Bahkakh is so good with her students) to work with these wonderful people!!!


And then... I was able to get the Wolf started at Walkertown!! This one is almost ready to photograph and I'll share that soon. Thanks again to the WSFC Arts Council and WSFC Schools  


and now we are in June, documenting all the stuff we did in May!
so to keep stuff in one place to locate projects, workshops and calendar items, I've got a website up. Please check it out and share!!!

dyecrazy.com

it is homebase for social media, projects and all the strung-out bits and pieces of my weaving adventures!!! :)

Featuring Fabric

 

(I apologize for being such a slack blogger! It's been so busy and I've been pushing images on Instagram and Facebook! New blog for the new year 2017! Launching Now with a new project!)

Residency in Hope Mills, NC at Baldwin Elementary.

I asked the students participating in my visit to Ed V. Baldwin Elementary School,Hope Mills, NC what they liked about weaving. They had some wonderful answers- "patterns", "color", "relaxing thing to do", "creating" and other inspiring and fearless responses. 

I love visiting schools. Sometimes I get a bit anxious meeting new teachers and I suppose that is mostly because I want the experience to be good, I want the project to be successful and I want the students to like what they do. When teachers are as engaged in the success of their students as the teachers I had the opportunity to work with here, I expect these students to grow into intelligent young adults; to be fearless, supportive, sharing,  ready to make good choices and be "risk takers". That is a phrase that was used a lot as we brought a variety of non-traditional materials for students to use and they used all of them!

We wove on grids with shoelaces, plastic newspaper bags, re-purposed fabrics from clothing, sheets and towels, yarns, roving, basket reed (we dyed a little, too), beads and buttons were worked into the composition and papers.  Some of the materials were from my personal collection but we had contributions from many students and their families. Students were very eager to show that "sharing is caring" and were fine putting their fabrics into the community stash where we all took sections of tshirts, leftover sewing projects an clothes that were ready to be re-purposed.

Using the idea of a monochromatic color scheme, we worked texture as much as we could squeeze into an 8x8 square.   The pieces are to be included in a spiral design that will be installed in the hallway of the school entrance. We are inspired by Native American patterns for this project and the squares are assembled into the Lumbee Pinecone Pattern, an attractive pattern that uses the Fibonacci numbering system.

 The Arts Council documented the project as we worked along- I like to take photos but usually I'm not the better photographer. I read that documentation is usually created by the winners in history... here is a winning documentation- an on the spot interview!

As soon as the pieces are assembled I'll post images.

There are so many reasons to support arts in schools. Some reasoning includes the opportunity for students to embrace and express their individual creativity while many support the idea of independent problem solving skills used in the students' own challenges. My best guess is both are good conclusions. The programs we have been sharing include addressing age appropriate classroom goals and give more support to the work where the classroom teachers have given instruction. We know that the more we use our knowledge skill-set the better we can develop our problem solving skills and be more creative individuals in our personal lives and in future workplaces.

(Soapbox entry begins here- scroll on past if you'd like!) As we currently have some polarizing politics, proposed budget cuts, concerns about how we look to the rest of the world, consider how we look to our most valued assets. Our children embrace the world with enthusiasm, creativity and if supported properly they radiate promise, positive energy and an intelligence that is so warming to view. They discuss and speak what they have heard- I think often they say "things" to just test it out in the world more than an actual opinion. Consider what you say and how you say it.

The teachers at this school let students know they care about what they think, the importance of how you say something and behave to be a good citizen and part of a loving community. I am so glad I had the chance to meet these people.

And, as you decide how you support local, state and federal policies don't lose focus on the way things come next. The consequences of your actions and those you support. It is easy to just look for answers that you want and while a mantra for focus is a way to stay on task for goals you've set, review and perspective are important.

As a goal is a monochromatic color scheme, there are varieties of that color. There are textures in the color and there are a variety of materials that can be contributors to that color scheme and composition. (end of soapbox entry.)

If you're interested in a very tactile project Featuring Fabric please contact me and let me know! I really enjoy meeting new groups and bringing a carload of stuff to work with to create a Community Tapestry.! We received funds from the Arts Council for this project. If you need help with funding, I can possibly help find that (bit of experience there).

Passion and profit

I've been thinking.

I've been working and reading and painting and weaving and dyeing and listening and not blogging. I am still ruminating.. I am a Capricorn so it is natural to gnaw on stuff a while.
And the more important the stuff, the longer the gnaw.
there is my new tagline.

I think this is a good time to take some of the inside thought and give it a shot at sunlight. So please, share your thoughts as I am struggling with this.
This year i hit a milestone that i was pretty much unprepared for. I've hit a few things for which i was not prepared and while they are mostly behind me, they do give me a poke in the back pretty regularly... but it is a familiar poke and i  am better at deciding how much time i want to spend on worrying.
except for a few things
and here is one of those things

The market for art and craft has changed significantly.
Things do change. It would be dull as f*ck with the same old thing every day. I am not against change (there is another whole epic rant here ... i'll save for another time. But just to say that in most cases, doing things the same way every time usually gives the same results. Usually. Comfort in familiarity isn't always very productive. And I'm not  referencing anything chocolate here. or scotch. so there.)

When I joined the studio I share with (now) four women who work primarily in fine craft and wearable art the world embraced a very different economy. We enjoy our studio with folks coming in that were there to observe a live working studio, invest in handmade items that we carry of our work and local artists plus a few we met along the way and are a physical point for tourists and downtown functions. We have always maintained regular hours so we are easy to find open and ready to help.

As the economy changes, as the energy in downtown changes, as the traveling "shows" and exhibits we used to plan for throughout the year changed and expenses increased above profit we have made a LOT of adjustments. We have an online presence through Facebook, SquareUp and an eletter, have social events, present workshops, bring new artisan work to the gallery and continue to research what we can do to meet our expenses. My situation has definitely come to that.

I  am a counter.
I think about expenses and income and their relationship to each other. Very often this is wrapped up in "state of mind" (a short Lifehacker article about that is here). As I am older, finding outside employment is really not working. Even tho anti-discrimination has a large voice, it is huge. And I feel it like a bucket of ice pretty regularly as a "mature" woman. That is two. Being an alpha just puts the wet nuts on top. I've realized that cutting expenses doesn't increase income. I read a lot of articles that support this, support how over-saturated the online market is, confirm that there is a giant disconnect between an item and a handmade item (this article is very well written on this subject).

Adding workshops and supplies has given us some new perspectives on what attract people. While it is fun to learn to make something, not everyone has that connect. And usually there is someone who is selling online for less than a small shop like ours can offer the item. (interesting article here... again!)

So where does that leave the small business retail shop? We have consignors that do very well at local markets. We participate in local markets -- it is a different energy. As discussed in the last Mary's Maven's group I attended (check that closed group on Facebook out here)  where women in a variety of careers, business ventures and demographics listen and speak out about their life experiences with a supportive atmosphere, your work is a passion and business is so important. Really patronizing those businesses is the way to show that support- it takes commerce, collaboration, inspiration and positive interaction to keep those things.

It is easier to let something go or to tear it down than to rebuild. Always. I cannot think of ANY situation where that is not true. Are small retail businesses unnecessary? With the over-saturation of craftiness on Etsy and other online shops, is online still the venue? Has the market become so polarized with the pop-up market vs. gallery making the small business/studio invalid?
so many questions, such conflicting answers.
What do you think?