Wiser heads and a month of planning have prevailed: I’m saving the ‘big’ projects for later grants applications here in the States. The Chateau in a typical March is just not set up for projects the size & complexity of ‘Crystal Curtain’ or ‘Sky Tent’. Then add to that the rigors of shipping from Arizona…
Read More Art Residency 2025: Chateau d’Orquevaux, part 2So after nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade was struck down this June, by an overtly Dominionist Christian Supreme Court that has been at least 45 years in the making. Roe was the glacial shelf holding back a deluge of conservative wet dreams: overturning gay marriage and gay rights, the right to privacy (especially in…
Read More A Scarf For Vengeance and HopeHappy very late December! Now that my initial rant is behind me, let’s move on to more positive things. What did I do this year, other than survive? In writing, this year was a wash. I’ve been too busy to write much long-form fiction. I had pieces more-or-less edited and ready to go, so I…
Read More Pandemic Year 2: In Review, Part 2What defines ‘good weaving’? In this limited context, it’s basically size of thread, number of colors, and complexity of design. I buy textiles primarily to use in jewelry, book art pieces, costumes, or wall hangings. I’m finding more and more textiles that *are too good to cut up*. Shame on you, collectors. I should not…
Read More Four Woven RibbonsTl;dr…Why ‘Outsider Artists’ *should* enter prestigious contests, and why many marginalized artists either give up or never even consider these opportunities. Every year I apply for every reputable art-related grant or show opportunity I might remotely qualify to enter. I usually don’t pay, unless the entry fees are modest (under $35 per entry). I do…
Read More Genres, Grants, and Outsider ArtistsFrom 1995 (when I started the needlepoint central panel) comes the wall tapestry ‘Hanging Garden’. This was a fun piece to do, beginning with a dream and a sketch in 1994, of a fantasy garden and a tree stretching from the ground to above the clouds. (Yes, I already had the dizzyingly tall gir-trees of…
Read More Old projects revisited: Hanging GardenWe’re moving into the white-hot, flat-blue-sky phase of Arizona summer. There may be storms later in June or July, but for now they are a memory, a daydream, or a nightmare (our storms can be all three at once.) Anyone who has ever been through a desert thunderstorm knows the electric feel of the air,…
Read More ‘Rain Season’ beaded panelsI’m looking back on old art pieces that stalled out, got trunked, went into limbo…whatever we call it, most artists have some. Why they stalled? All reasons are valid: ‘I made it for someone, we lost touch, I’m embarrassed by them now, they’re embarrassed by me, I’m not finishing this!’ ‘I bit off way more…
Read More Making, Unmaking, RemakingTwice a year since 2010, I’ve made the category award ribbons for a major regional art festival. No other festival boasts anything like our awards. The Tempe Festival of the Arts opens from December 6 – 8, 2019. This season, the Featured Artist is Arizona’s own Jackson Ocheltree, who crafts gorgeous pieces using lampworked glass,…
Read More Tempe Festival of the Arts Awards, Fall 2019This amazing show turns 50 years old this season. A cornerstone of Tempe civic pride since 1968, the Tempe Festival of the Arts has had all the usual ups, downs, and sideways distractions of big regional art fairs. If you’re in the Tempe AZ area this upcoming weekend (Nov 30-Dec 2, 2018), stop by Mill…
Read More Tempe Festival of the Arts: Fall 2018