New Orleans ... more

I feel like I'm missing something. Well, I know I am. I'm not going to get to go to the garden district or the sculpture garden or the museum. I'm here in the French Quarter and don't have enough free time. I don't remember so many non-jazz/non-blues/non-cajun bands on previous trips. I don't remember seeing girls from the clubs on the balconies performing for the crowds in the street. Guys trying to catch beads from girls.

I did manage to have dinner at K-Paul's - creme brulee! The first time I ever had creme brulee was at K-Paul's ten years ago. On Monday night we found a little bar in Storeyville that had a great jazz/blues band.

We tried to get into Red Fish Grill last night, but the wait was too long. We found another spot - the Desire Oyster Bar. Food was okay. Bread pudding in whiskey sauce was awesome! This is a great old building - tin ceilings, a huge mahogany bar, marble walls. I had blackened mahi mahi.

I escaped for a bit yesterday afternoon and went shopping. I headed down Canal to Decatur, and then followed Decatur down to St. Peter. There are some neat local shops on either side of the park - lots of galleries. I walked past a weaver's shop - I didn't dare go in! I did pick up a couple of small gifts on my way to Pat O'Brien's where I had to get Hurricane glasses and mix for my daughter and her boyfriend.

I have one more night here, and then fly home!!!

New Orleans .... the first 24 hours

I arrived at the hotel around 5pm, unpacked, and checked email. (You do know I'm a geek, don't you?) I ran into Carol and Scott (co-workers) in the lobby, and discovered that we were going to the House of Seafood for dinner. I love the way that dining out in New Orleans is an experience! There was a fantastic jazz trio playing, the waiter was a show unto himself, and the food was absolutely scrumptuous. Their cocktail of the week was something called a "Cajun Splash" - served in a hurricane glass it had a couple of different kinds of rum, orange, juice, and a splash of cranberry juice. Delicious. I passed on the Banana Fosters pie for dessert.

After a great night's sleep, I finished up the slides for my Sunday afternoon presentation and then headed down to the French Market. I was a bit late; I should've gone to the French Market *first* and then worked on the presentation. Instead, I had to wait in line! But it was worth it. Beignets, anyone?

Let the good times roll ...

I'm heading to New Orleans in the morning! I'll be there for a week - work-related symposium. It's Jazz Week, so I'm planning on listening to lots of great old-style jazz. And eating lots of beignets. I'll be in meetings most of the time, but may get some time on Wednesday and Thursday to roam the streets on my own. Nothing like sitting outside at the Cafe du Monde with a plate of beignets and some chicory coffee and a sketchbook! Dinner at K Paul's Sunday night; Saturday night out on the town with co-workers. It should be fun. When I return, I'm on VACATION for an entire week! The restaurant will be closed for 5 days (Mon-Fri). I just hope the black flies will still be on vacation as well - somewhere other than New Hampshire ...

Pemi I ... all but the mounting!

I've reworked the rocks and created extended edges. I removed some stuff that wasn't speaking the right language. The faces are gone, and I like the texture the piece now has. I'm happy with it.




Now I want to get Pemi IV finished before moving on to another piece; I feel like if I don't, it will languish. I apparently have a *thing* right now for actually getting work done. Maybe because of the gallery? I actually have a place to put work on display - that must certainly be a motivating factor.

If you want to see a more detailed version, click here.

Elements: Earth I

Here's the final version. I decided to de-mount it from the stretcher bars and instead mounted it on a piece of foam core. I also gave it a new name :-) I really like this piece and I'm glad I finally got it finished.



I really have to find the tripod. I never made it back to the house last weekend. I should just buy a new one up in Littleton. The quilts are hanging on the wall a bit above eye level so the images have a keystone effect.

Click on the link to see the high-res version.

Guilty Pleasures?

Artful Quilters Ring Mom Diane has posed the question to us: "What's your favorite guilty pleasure?" The thing is, it's taken me a few days to figure this out. Why? Mostly because I never have time to indulge in activities that would make me feel guilty. On those rare occasions that I allow this to happen, I would say that there are two things that I get phenomenal pleasure from, always accompanied by at least a little guilt.

The first is attending a weekend-or-longer workshop with some wonderful fiber artist. I feel guilty because there's always plenty of work to be done, and taking that much time off will usually set me back a bit. Then there's the cost. Again, there's always something else that the money could've gone to. But hey, I'm worth it! In particular, workshops with Laura Cater-Woods are worth their weight in gold, as is a week or more at QSDS or any of the other venues that offer concurrent workshops across a wide spectrum of the arts.

The other very guilty pleasure is a facial. I've only had two in my entire life - and today's my 50th birthday! The very first was 4 years ago when we were in Key Largo on vacation. The resort had a wonderful little spa complete with a thatched roof. It was amazing. Then, last year, I was at a conference in another resort down on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. This place was posh - and since the rooms and meals were so outrageously expensive, why not add a facial to the hotel charge?!

Differences in Monitor Settings?

This really has a lot to do with fiber. Honestly. It's about the gallery website. On my laptop - which has a wonderful screen - the images look wonderful. The color looks fairly good. I'm happy. Then I went home and looked at the site on my husband's computer - a desktop machine with a honking huge 20" monitor. Dark, dark, dark. I think he has his settings too dark; he thinks mine are too light. I'm guessing that the general public lies somewhere in the middle. But how do I tell? I have no way of knowing if the images on my monitor look anything like the images on your monitor. I can print them, but now I have to worry about whether the printer is printing a decent representation of what's on the screen. Yikes.

If you have any ideas about how to test these kinds of things that don't require a degree in graphic arts or computer science, I'd be happy to try. Also, you might let me know if you find the images on the this page too dark, too light, or just right.

Thanks!

Musings on Gallery Work

Apres Ski is over and the work is ready to be sent back to the artists. In my note back to the artists, I told them what work seemed to attract the most attention. That got me to thinking about "why?" First, a disclaimer. I'm talking about the general public here, not people that are intentionally seeking art out, or that are versed in the world of fiber art.

I think "stuff" reels 'em in. People are fairly used to seeing "quilts"; small quilts aren't such a stretch. Surface design and embellishment are new to most. But the "stuff" can't be random; it should be meaningful to the work. In Maxine Farkas' work she uses all sorts of stuff, but it's not the buy-it-at-Michael's-and-stick-it-on scrapbook variety; it's things she's collected over the years, finds at flea markets. Old keys, old locker numbers, a drafting compass, rusty nails. Stuff that has a history, a past of its own. She also uses beads, but usually matte, and they're used to provide anchor points, rather than strewn all across the surface.

And I think people like intimate. It may be because I can only display smaller pieces, but given the choice between a medium-sized piece (say 36" x 36") and something 8" x 10" or smaller, the viewer is drawn to the small, examines it more closely, and all of a sudden - hopefully - realizes that there's a world of things going on at each layer. One impression from a distance, a different impression from medium-range, and then, upon very close inspection, a whole new piece is seen. Of course you can do the same with a larger piece; once the viewer realizes that there's more to the work, the viewer goes back to the larger piece to see what they might have missed.

Laura Cater-Woods achieves this masterfully - her pieces are wonderful from a distance, but with each step closer you make new discoveries that blended into the view previously. I have a piece of hers hanging over my desk. As you get closer you see the wonderful stitching that adds contours to the landscape, the variety of thread thicknesses to give the piece dimension, the restrained use of beads/stones.

So I guess I'm saying that size is the first draw, you can see an image from a distance and decide whether or not you want to look more closely. If you choose not to, you may be missing some wonderful discoveries. But with small, you're pretty much required to get closer in order to see the work. What *holds* the viewer's attention, once you've drawn them closer, are the layers, the complexities, the depth of the work itself.

So What Does King's Corner Cafe and Gallery Look Like?

I figured it was time for some updated pictures. This first shot is taken from the right front corner of the gallery/cafe side of the restaurant - a/k/a "the expansion." We can sit 14 people here at the tables, plus we have two bistro tables and the couches for those just having coffee or waiting for a table. We also have a laptop set up so people can check their email.

The second shot is taken from the left front corner of the gallery/cafe, looking down the long gallery wall. Behind that partition (the desk is in front of it) is an alcove that can accomodate more art in an intimate viewing setting. Behind those two walls in the back is my studio/office. The piano is right in front of it. Yes, it can be difficult when someone decides to play the piano while I'm on a telephone call! I know you can't make it out in the picture, but on the right end of the lower office wall there's a sign - one side is blank, the other says "On The Phone."

The third photo is from the same spot, except looking across the front of the gallery/cafe. On the left you can see the "King's Corner" complete with hunter green leather chair and ott light. You can also see through the archways into the original restaurant.

Here you're looking across the front of the restaurant at the "to go" coffee bar and small works gallery wall - only pieces that fit in the 15" x 15" shadowboxes can get hung in this area.

This is my favorite view - the espresso bar! Of course complete with Rex Sox Champion caps (1918 AND 2004), 20 different flavored syrups, a selection of teas, and other counter miscellany. Above the espresso machine is a mirror so you can see the customers while making drinks. Next to the mirror is the actual kitchen pass-through.

And, finally, here's the view from the right front corner of the restaurant down the aisle to the back.

Lattes anyone?

Mud Season

The gallery site is up and running! It was a beautiful day today and I was able to get a few pictures taken.

Just to the left of the baker's rack is one of my pieces; beyond that are the front windows.

This is the rest of the wall down to the alcove (you can see the first 4 images repeated from above. The last 4 images are part of Max's installation (not part of Mud Season):

Here you can see the other piece in the Mud Season exhibit on the far left. This wall is opposite the one pictured above. The rest of the images are mine. What you can't see (since I cropped it out) is the big green leather chair that's underneath the ott light - yes, this is the "King's Corner!"

The Exhibit description and images can be viewed by clicking on the links.

Max was here yesterday ...

hanging Mud Season. It's work created by Lowell Fiber Studio artists celebrating the arrival of spring. I'll get pictures posted shortly; today it's pouring buckets and a bad day for a photo shoot.

I was showing her what I've been working on, and we got to talking about Pemi I. Which way is the water flowing? What happens when the water hits the rocks? How does it travel around the rocks? What happens to "stuff" floating in the water? Even though you're creating an abstract, you have to study - really study - what it is that you're trying to abstract if you want it to work. I had some stuff backwards; the beading was all wrong. I knew the beading was wrong but wasn't sure how to fix it; it never even dawned on me about stuff being backwards! It will soon be rectified.

I want to create masses of beads, yet always end up with some evenly-spaced design. Ugh! I just have to keep working on it and force myself to resist my usual pattern. This is one of those times that you can't mindlessly wander; I need to seriously think about each bead I place to make sure I follow through on my plan. Once I get the feel for it, then I can zone out again.

Thanks once again Max!