Lights Above the City: Luminaria

San Antonio celebrated Luminaria this past Saturday night -- it's the annual free art free-for-all in the center of the city, taking up most of HemisFair Park with music, dance, visual arts installations and lots of illumination. The evening has its challenges and, inherent in the project, a sort of slap-dash feel to some of the offerings, but the 350,000 people who attended seemed pretty happy with the whole thing!

My favorite part of the evening is the lights, big theatrical gobos on many of the buildings, lit-up installations and illuminated window shows.  Here are a few photos from my iPad excursion:

 

 

Doerte Weber's Wonderful Weavings (recycled plastic bags).

 

Small Works for a Big Cause

One of the FEW events I donate art to:

The Preview Night is Thursday.

It’s the “Sweeeet 16” for the annual fundraiser auction, Small Scale Work For a Larger Cause (SSWLC), and SAY Sí is ready to celebrate! Festivities begin on Thursday, February 28, 2013 at the2nd Annual Youth Arts Education Advocacy Awards and Small Scale Preview, where patrons can mingle with the artists while enjoying live music, quenching libations and delectable cuisine.

The SSWLC Silent Auction and exhibit culminates on Friday, March 22, 2013, with live music and inspiring cuisine from some of San Antonio’s top chefs, including Chad Carey of the Monterey, Jason Dady of Tre Trattoria, Johnny Hernandez of La Gloria, Stefan Bowers of Feast and Steve McHugh, formerly of Lüke, opening his new restaurant soon at the Pearl.

Small Scale Private Preview & Awards Ceremony
Thursday, February 28 | 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
$40 Presale | $50 at the door
A limited number of $80 Presale tickets are available to attend both the preview and final auction events, but please note that option ends 11 p.m. Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

FREE public preview [part of First Friday]
Friday, March 1, 2013 | 6 – 9 p.m.
Open for public viewing until Thursday, March, 21, 2013
Gallery Hours: Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Buy it now” option ends 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 20

It's in the Bag: in*ter*face

Mandala made by Austin artist Virginia Fleck from recycled plastic bags; this design (as well as several others) is also a free ecard you can send!

 

SDA (Surface Design Conference) is holding its conference here in San Antonio. Find out more here. 

I hope you are planning to come to the conference this June. The lineup of speakers and workshops is fabulous. My pre-workshop study tour to see embellished Fiesta gowns -- and a stop by SDA president Jane Dunewold's new studio -- is already filled! But lots of fun is still to be had.

Meanwhile, start making an upcycled bag to share, trade and make famous. The whole upcycling by artist world is a rich one, and you can join in with this little collective -- and social -- project.

IT'S IN THE BAG! from SDA President Jane Dunnewold 
.....................................................................................................................................
Interface logo
WHAT IS SNAG-A-BAG? We're all very aware of waste in the studio. So I got the idea to take those bags we all have hanging around & up-cycle them to create
re-purposed conference totes. 

Cynics may say it's just a way to save SDA money. But my vision includes inviting you to exercise your talent while stimulating new contact between SDA members AND making every SDA dollar count - all at once.

HOW? Bring an upcycled carry-all to in*ter*face conference & exchange it for a new one. The conference won't even have started and you'll feel good. Feel even better when you see your bag across a crowded room (Some Enchanted Evening?) & slide on over there to talk it up & introduce yourself as The Artist Who Made the Bag. I can hardly wait to see this happening in San Antonio!

LOCAL BAG ACTION! We're already allover this in Texas. So why not PLAN A UPCYCLING EVENT for your local SDA friends & colleagues? SendSnag-A-Bag Conference Totes an invite. Pool your supplies. Rev up the sewing machines. This could be even bigger than the conference! Spend a morning transforming some bags then bring/send them to San Antonio. Your creativity will boost our collective economy. Bags not snapped up by conference attendees will be sold on SDA website - with proceeds going to support member programs. 

 

For some truely inspired plastic bag art (way past bags) take a look at the work of Virgina Fleck (photo above from her website). I'm hopeing it will inspire my attempts -- using bags collaged on bags!

From her website:

Since 2002, Virginia Fleck has been working exclusively with recycled plastic bags creating site specific, ecologically conscious art works that have been commissioned for several high profile, green building projects including the US Embassy in Rwanda, Whole Foods World Head Quarters in Austin TX, LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis TN and Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin TX -the first hospital in the world to attain LEED platinum certification. Fleck is a featured artist in the book, recently published by Random House:  Craft Activism: People, Ideas, and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Join In.

 Fleck was born in New York City. She began making artwork in childhood and eventually studied at two art schools: Portland School of Art in Portland, Maine and at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.  In 1990 Fleck moved to Austin, Texas where she continues her work as a visual artist.

 

And for more amazing art made from recycled materials, close to home at the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio see Anita Valencia's installation inspired by West Texas, completely from recycled stuff. The show closes on Sunday, so hurry, hurry. (By the way, for any of you complaining about your age out there, Anita is 80.)

This week is the final week you can see Anita Valencia's Sun She Rise, Sun She Set & You Ain't Seen Texas Yet; Justin Boyd's Days & Days; and Juan de Dios Mora's Laters! at the Southwest School of Art.

The final day to see Mora's exhibition at the Ursuline Campus is Friday, Feb. 8. The gallery closes at 5pm. The final day to see Valencia and Boyd's exhibitions at the Navarro Campus is Sunday, Feb. 10. The galleries close at 4pm. 

 

PS If you are not going to the conference, you can also recycle unwanted conference bags here:

http://www.bagstoriches.org/#!individual

PPS: VIrginia Fleck has an opening in South Austin tonight:

From Here to Tokyo Electron

 

This beautiful exhibit of work by members of the Austin Fiber Artists (and Fiber Artists of San Antonio members who were invited to submit, also) at Tokyo Electron in Austin last night. Here are some photos generously shared by Dorte Weber whose recycled plastic weaving is also in the exhibit.  (One of her pieces is the striped piece here on the wall, but you can see much better pieces of this body of work on her website!)

Here's my Pajaro/Sirena and a piece by Georgia Zwartes.

Georgia Zwartes' Austin Autumn

 The exhibit will be up for several weeks and open to the public during business hours. For more details, see AFA blog.

How to Make an Art Quilt -- at the Southwest School of Art

Starting today at Southwest School of Art in San Antonio (and the word is that there is still room for 3 students).

If you're on a textile path of your own, this class is structured with plenty of independent work time -- and the emphasis is on design process and creativity, rather than one or another sets of technical skills. I'll be demonstrating my own approach to making an art quilt, you'll make at LEAST four small journal quilts and a larger work -- no patterns provided, just some fun approaches to getting it out of your mind and onto the wall.

2369 | Art Quilts

Take your quilting skills into a more personal realm or your art skills into a new medium in this introduction to a variety of techniques for making wall art from fabric. If you have been exploring dyeing and printing, here's the how-to for putting your one-of-a-kind fabrics into art. Or if you've got a stash of cloth or scraps from traditional quilting take your skills into personal narrative. This class will introduce you to piecing and fusing fabrics, design and construction approaches that insure a personal creative vision, and time on the sewing machine as you learn various methods to free motion quilting. Each student will make a series of small journal quilts and work on at least one larger project. Sewing machine optional; please see SSA website for a list of materials. 


Level: All Levels 
Instructor: Susie Monday 
Dates: Mon, 2/4/2013 - 3/25/2013 | Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Studio: Design Studio | Campus: Navarro 

 PS: I just counted and there is room for one more participant at the last El Cielo workshop of the year: Fearless Sketching, co-taught with artist Sarah Jones, on the weekend of April 12-14. If you are interested send me an email through the contact form on the sidebar!

 

Austin Fiber Artists Exhibit Opening & More

 

Artwork shown (Left-right):Georgia Zwartjes, unidentified, Oscar Silva, Susie Monday

I've a large piece in the Austin Fiber Artists annual exhibition. If you are in Austin, please stop in at the opening on Wednesday!

 

 Another opening the same night in San Antonio:

What: Vive La Difference: 13 Artists, 13 Vision
When: Opening Reception Wednesday, February 6, 2013, exhibit runs through March 31
Where: Weston Centre, 112 E. Pecan St., San Antonio, TX (Free parking in Weston garage on Soledad south of Pecan.)
Why:  Stunning art in a stunning location and 10% of proceeds from sales go to the Make a Wish Foundation. 
Who: 

Pam Ameduri
Lyn Belisle
Lauren Browning
Janice Elaine Cooper

Nancy L de Wied

Charles Ingram

Lisa Kerpoe
Luis Lopez
Ruth Mulligan
Steven Smith

Scott Vallance

Doerte Weber-Seale

Cody Vance
Deborah Wight


Contact Lisa Kerpoe for more information at lisa@lisakerpoe.com if you have any questions.


 

 

 

 

Palos Verdes Art Center

My work is part of this exhibition -- in the 24 by 80 Exhibit of Art Cloth. Art Cloth Network member Deborah Weir is the guest curator for the three exhibits. Please leave me a comment if you get to see it -- I'd love to know what you think! The exhibit is in California at the Palos Verdes Art Center in North Los Angeles.

My work is titled HUMMER, and was inspired by observing the black throated hummingbirds in the blossoms of the Century Plant. The exhibit features art cloth work unified by its 24" by 80" size by members of ACN. Art Cloth Network is seeking some additional members for its 30-member (max) national organization. If you'd like more info and a link to submission/application information, send me an email on the comment form or the contact form on the sidebar. 

Yes, you are invited.

OK, this is kind of ridiculous, I know. I have done nothing on this blog except ask you to stuff for a few weeks now. So, this is my life, lovely. Busy. And full of flat out get it done.

Sometimes life is like that, and we who are lucky enough to work at what we love get the benefit. I have been a bit crazy, stitching my way into a solo show, getting ready for quilt festival, trying to think about next year with that half an ear on the future. NOTHING, NOTHING,  has been done exactly the way I'd wish it to be.. but it's done (or nearly). I hope to post a link to an online gallery here in the next couple of weeks. If you can't make the opening but want to see the show, call or email me and I'll make arrangements to meet you at Don and Jacob's for lunch sometime before it all comes down in January. There will also be a couple of other parties and special events there over the holiday season.

The solo show opens on Sunday, and you are invited.

Tomorrow and Monday I prepare for the festival workshops and demos. Saturday a dear friend has asked me to "do" a special workshop with him, for a birthday gift of creativity. The book is out. The website launched.

http://www.themissingalphabet.com/

You can order here on Amazon (Kindle version, too).

Please, if you have any desire for this book -- great for kids and parents and grandparents, order it soon, so Amazon reorders! On such, books are made and lost. We have spent money, lots of time and it's kind of a legacy thing for me and my co-authors. You won't regret the purchase -this is the real thing with lots of great ideas for getting kids off to a creative thinking start.Save & Close

Fiber Artists of San Antonio Opening This Week

 

Grand opening Tuesday, October 9th  from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at  Bismarck Studios Contemporary Fine Art Gallery, located at 930 Proton, Suite 202, San Antonio, 78258 (near Sonterra Blvd.) Over 60 beautiful fiber works ranging from art cloth to dolls, quilts, wearable art, and more.

I have two pieces in the exhibit (selected by Ginny Eckley of Houston): Hill Country Angel and Unseen Messages. 

Bismark Studios is open Mon-Fri 10-6 and Saturdays 10-4. The show will run through October 20th.  For more information:210-314-7747, or http://www.bismarckartgallery.com/upcoming-exhibitions/     or  http://www.fiberartistsofsanantonio.org/index/index.html

 

 

Dinner@8 Exhibit in Quilting Arts

This missive from Leslie Jenison and Jamie Fingal was in the mail today:

We are thrilled to announce that the "Rituals" exhibit is prominently featured in the October/November 2012 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.  Judy Coates Perez's work graces the cover which is a win-win for both Judy and d@8!  As a prequel to the article there is a Q&A with both of us about the history of d@8 and images of our Rituals quilts.  Between these two articles there are a total of 11 art quilts from our exhibit!

The quilts in the article were hand selected by Vivika DeNegre, using the Art Call site (where you submitted your entries).  We both agree that this coverage is yet another indication that we have a knock-out exhibit.  We are very grateful for the generous coverage of our exhibit in Quilting Arts!  Congratulations to all of you and the amazing work you created for "Rituals," and to the artists whose work is featured in this issue:  Judy Coates Perez, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Jeannie Palmer Moore, Susie Monday, Loris Bogue, Barb Forrister, Gerrie Congdon, Karen Rips, and Virginia Spiegel.  It has been such an honor to be recipients of QA's generosity for three years in a row.

There is an announcement and photos on the blog http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/

 

My Work on New Walls

Coming soon (in a little more than a month) consider this a "save the date" if you are in the Texas Hill Country area. I'd love to see you at the exhibit on Sunday, October 28, 2-5 pm:

You’re Invited:

Recent Work by Artist Susie Monday

Textile art created by local artist and ABC member Susie Monday will be featured in an exhibit at the Salon d’Artist, Palace Ione this fall. Hosted by Baron Don Clausewitz and Jacob Bustamante, her exhibit of art quilts and art cloth will be in the West Gallery from October 28, 2012 through January 9, 2013.

The opening reception will be from 2:00 - 5:00 in the afternoon, Sunday, October 28, with an artist’s tour of the exhibit at 3:30. Desserts, champagne, lemonade and coffee will be served, and guests will be able to enjoy tours of the Palace Ione’s other galleries and live music in the chapel. Susie will also be signing her new book, The Missing Alphabet, A Parents’ Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids, released October 23, 2012 by Greenleaf Book Group.

Susie’s colorful work in fabric, stitch, dye and printed image is inspired by the stories, icons and images of the Texas Hill Country, as well as being an expression of her sense of the divine feminine spirit. She uses both artist-made textiles and recycled and repurposed ethnic fabrics and thrift store finds in richly patterned and emotionally powerful visual stories. A lifelong artist, Susie graduated from Trinity University, and has worked as a museum exhibit designer, a journalist and a creative arts specialist for International programs. These experiences, as well as her life at El Cielo Studio here in the Borderlands, inform her work and make it particularly meaningful to all of us who share this region’s riches. For more information about Susie, see http://susiemonday.squarespace.com.

Palace Ione is located at 1070 Mustang Drive, Pipe Creek, TX, 78063, near Bandera, about one hour from downtown San Antonio. Dedicated to Don’s mother Ione, two undeniable strains in the history of art in the world converge in the concept of Salon d'Artiste.

First, Salon d'Artiste is inspired by the Salon Society of Montmartre in the early 1900s -- providing a place for artists to exhibit, to discuss, to converse, to meet their supporters and to gain audience for their work. Secondly, special events and openings for invited audiences present the work of young and emerging artists and musicians, as well as the work of established artists of the region -- a unique showcase for creativity. Upstairs, apartment/studios provide living and working space for artists-, writers- and scholars-in-residence. The purpose of such an ambitious undertaking is the discovery of new talent and to provide a fit setting for existing private family collections and archives. For more information, see http://www.salon-d-artiste.com.

 Those wishing to view the exhibit at another time, can call either Susie, 210-643-2128, or Don, 830-510-4414.

Installed in the Library

 

If I could be a book, I'd choose to be in a library, something pithy and not too popular, but the kind of book that when someone checked me out, I'd be a surprise, something to read and savor, something to share with my friends.

Well. I'm getting into the Parman Branch, but it's not as a book. Thursday, the San Antonio Library Foundation and SA Public Library will dedicate a new children's area dedicated to the memory of a young girl who died at age 16 of cancer that she had fought most of her life. The young girl, Ana Macias, became the reason for gifts from family and friends and library supporters. You are invited if you're in town or near -- 5:30-7 at Parman Branch, outside Loop 1604 on Wilderness Oak off Blanco.

I was asked to make a large art quilt "tapestry" to put on the wall in the new area. Here's what I can tell you about it. I prepared this fact sheet to leave with the librarians and to give the foundation for their records:

 

Ana’s Nook

Art Quilt “tapestry” by Susie Monday, 2012

Commissioned by the San Antonio Public Library Foundation

Materials:  Cotton, silk, rayon, cotton blend and other textiles, wooden frame, cotton batting and sound absorbing batting, paint, dye, fusible webbing and dye. 

Techniques: Fused raw-edge appliqué with free-motion quilting and hand embroidery. Fabrics created with a variety of surface design techniques including batik, screen printing, hand-painting, dye and textile painting on both new and repurposed fabrics. The art was treated with a UV light barrier chemical to help limit fading. 

This triptych was designed especially for the gridded translucent wall of the new children’s area at Parman Branch Library. The librarian Haley Holmes and the staff of the Library Foundation wanted something that would be visually interesting to children, would help absorb sound and would include “Ana’s Nook,” in honor of the memory of Ana Macias. The design was inspired by a picture Haley had of an apple tree quilt. 

Susie took off from that seed of an idea, using the colors of the library interior and those of the new Ana’s Nook furnishings. The fanciful art quilt includes two apple trees on either side and a Spanish oak in the center and depict the trees  against a nighttime constellation of stitched names of children’s book heroes and heroines. Ana’s Nook is printed on a sign that hangs from the oak and one of the apple trees (repurposed in traditional quilt fashion from a pair of worn-out trousers) has several pockets full of leaves. A quarter moon hangs in the tree branches and moon beams sparkle a path through the piece.

Each leaf is different in color, pattern and stitching, and while some of the book hero names are easy to read, others are blended into the background, so a kind of hide-and-seek of names can engage the viewer. Hand stitching adds more pattern and texture, with large cross-stitched “x”s and Long running stitches as part of the grassy hills where the trees stand.

Susie Monday is a textile artist with more than 15 years experience in the field. Her work is featured in public and private collections across the hemisphere, and has been featured in exhibits in the U.S and internationally, including at the International Quilt Festival, Gallery Nord, the Witte Museum, and the San Antonio Public Library Gallery. She works in her home studio near Pipe Creek, El Cielo Studio, where she also teaches fiber art and creativity workshops. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the Southwest School of Art, and a Creative Learning Specialist for the International Programs Department of Alamo Colleges. Her new book, coauthored with Susan Marcus and Dr. Cynthia Herbert is coming out October 23 from Greenleaf Book Group, The Missing Alphabet, A Parents Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids. Susie graduated from Trinity University in 1970.

 

 Here's the invitation to the event:


 

Houston Quilt Festival is Around the Corner

And I am one of the lightposts. Well, one of the cazillion instructors who somehow can't resist the prospect of toting too many bags and boxes around the acreage of the George Brown Convention Center, walking our feet off in the exhibits, gaping at the amazing array and approach to quiltmaking that shines in the world, and, usually. spending more money in the vendor's stalls than we make in the classroom. BUT, I wouldn't miss it for the world. And you shouldn't either. This is the Kentucky Derby equivalent of the Quilting World, and the winners are eye-inspiring and the sheer volume of things to see, do and experience make it definitely worth the trip.

If you are attending, and are looking for a class to take, please join me for fun and fabulous adventure. My work will also be on display in the RITUALS exhibition presented by Dinner@8. 

Wednesday, 9-5, Shaping Symbols into Art Quilts

Master design skills with free form patterns, cut-paper shapes and original stamps as you explore personal imagery and iconic symbols. Simplify photos for original quilts, printing and more. Thermofax screen mailed later.

Thursday, 2-4, Mixed Media Miscellany, Inkjet transfers with Wet Media Film demonstration

Friday Sampler, 10-noon, Stamp out Your Message, demonstration

Saturday Sampler, 10-noon,  Your Own Alphabet on Fabric, demonstration

Sunday, 9-noon  Inspiration is in the Cards

What inspires you? Create a one-of-a-kind card deck to spark creativity, take you out of your creative rut, and move you into art-making and imagination. Collage and design your way to a new studio ritual with a variety of mixed media techniques.

For more information and to register on line, see the Festival website and catalog. My events are #330, 460, 545, 735 and 806.

 

Archetypes and Artist Identity

Above: Photo of Suzanne Wright Crain's altar in progress.

Deep work and deep play took all of us into wonderful work this past weekend. Here are some photos of artists at work -- some made altered books, some altars. Everyone, including me, found some insights pertinant to our particular time, space and needs.

 

 

Robin Early and Suzanne Wright Crain and Martha Grant work on their Archetype projects.

As we looked at various approaches to exploring our "inner teams," I had found some work by creativity coach and author Eric Maisel that shed light on the ways identity as an artist (or should I say identities) can both help and complicate our work, identity and paths. Am I artist the beautifier, artist the visionary, artist the businesswomen, artist the  producer, artist the activist...??

Recently an infographic came across my path that also informed this pondering:

http://www.swiss-miss.com/2011/12/how-photographers-actually-spend-their-time.html

Certainly teaching a workshop such as this Archetype workshop calls on my skills as teacher and mentor, while I also try to do my own work ast least part of the time as a way of modeling and demonstrating the processes and products involved.

Then, as the weekend came to a close, a friend called and told me one of my large textile pieces was included in a "home" section report in the San Antonio Express News. I called the collector and thanked him (and his wife Suzi) for giving the reporter my name (read the story for more info!). Ah, another artist identity -- published and out there. 

The dining room in the home of Suzi and Dennis Strauch, near Pipe Creek, has a quilted piece of fabric art on one wall. Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News / © 2012 San Antonio Express-News

The dining room in the home of Suzi and Dennis Strauch, near Pipe Creek, has a quilted piece of fabric art on one wall.

Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News / © 2012 San Antonio Express-News

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/real_estate/article/Spaces-A-global-chic-Pipe-Creek-home-with-more-3431078.php#ixzz1qLiJe3Zi

Exhibit at University Presby

I  have a small but, I think, quite nice, exhbit of work at University Presbyterian Church in the SOL Center. It will be up through Easter, and I will be doing an artist talk on the coming Sunday after services (noonish?).

The church is at Bushnell and Shook in San Antonio. And, as a born-amd-bred Presbyterian, it's an honor to be there -- there is something really satisfying about having more than one or two pieces of work in a public forum. It is a pleasure to see 15 or so pieces of work all on nice walls all in the same space. The work in the show is from 2009 to now, with quite a bit new work. I see it differently on a wall that is not my own.

I admit to having some misgivings about not being in a "proessional" venue with my work. There aren't many such available in this community; textile art is marginalized between art and craft. No excuses: I also am not the best at spending time and effort finding exhibit opportunities. Meanwhile, with the help of friends, this one came my way; the space is quite nice; I had lovely help hanging the show; it has an interesting and valued stream of people going through it for classes, events, church services and more. So if you get a chance, stop by. Ask at the church office if the Sol Center is locked. Ask for prices if you are interested in purchasing work -- 25% of purchase price goes to the church.

New Book: Texas Museum of Fiber Artists

 

And "I'm" on the cover. The agave detail (second row, third image from left) is from my FAITH IS A LAW art quilt that was part of the IQF exhibit last year on Text on Textiles. Then it was part of the Texas Fiber Art Exhibit last year, thus the inclusion in this catalog. I also have some other work in the book, compiled from the previous exhibits.

 

TMFA Fiber Arts Book Order Form


Name or company purchasing ________________________________________________________________________________

If gift: shipped to__________________________________________________________________________________________

Shipping address __________________________________________________________________________________________

City ____________________ State ___________ Zip___________

Quantity_________________ x $40.00 plus tax $3.30 plus shipping and handling $6.70 TOTAL

$50.00 per book

Multiple quantity sales and wholesale accounts invoiced with calculated shipping and handling.

 

And, speaking of which text-type topic,  brings us to my upcoming Joggles class on the same topic. You can get details HERE if you are interested in trying my very first "real" online class. I'm sure we will all learn a great deal!

 

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