February's First Weekend

It may be gross outside, but it's gonna be fun inside! Actually, the forecast is calling for a high of 53 on Saturday and Sunday- that's not so bad, right? Downtown Nashville's galleries and alternative art spaces will be debuting newly hung exhibitions for your viewing pleasure. First Saturday Gallery Crawl activities this week are Feb 2 (of course) from 6- 9:00 pm. If you are not sure where to go, please ask me! Most galleries will be serving light refreshments for your tasting pleasure; better yet, Downtown Presbyterian Church will be serving dinner! They are excited to be involved in downtown's growth, and there is an open invitation to the pot luck dinner, "Art Luck", that is held during every First Saturday Gallery Crawl. If you plan on partaking, remember it is pot luck- bring a dish to share. At this Saturday's Art Luck, Downtown Presbyterian will be previewing their current art event, D.I.G. (Dialogue: an Interaction for Growth). There are details about this event in my previous post, so I won't go on about it, but if you are curious about details, location, etc. their website is very helpful. Ohhh, and hold this information dear to your heart: parking on the street at metered spaces is free after 5:00.
If you can't catch the Saturday events, don't miss the ensuing action on Sunday, Feb 3: the Super Bowl!!!!! hahaha. no. better because this involves shopping. It's Midtown Gallery's annual Super Bowl Sunday sale from 1- 4:00 pm. Pretty much all of Midtown's artists will be offering substantial deals; all of my work will be 35% off!
I hope I see you this weekend!

I Can D.I.G. It

This Saturday, February 2, is the First Saturday Art Crawl in downtown Nashville, and I am part of one show that is opening. I have a piece in the group show - D.I.G. Through Art- hosted by Downtown Presbyterian Church. On First Saturday, at 6:00, Downtown Presbyterian also holds an "Art - Luck" dinner that is open to any art- loving, gallery- hopping, hungry Nashvillian. So, at 6:00 bring your covered dish to take part in the pot- luck dinner AND preview the D.I.G. Through Art Event !
I'm copying an article (see below) that I found on Beth Gilmore' s blog to give you a better idea what the event is all about. Thanks Beth!
Downtown Presbyterian Church~ 154 5th Ave North Nashville, TN 37219

An Emancipation Conversation

A Lenten Art Show, Sacred Blues Concert, and Film Series A D.I.G. Through Art Event (D.I.G. – Dialogue: an Interaction for Growth) The 11th Annual Lenten D.I.G. Art Series at The Downtown Presbyterian Church focuses its attention on its theme: An Emancipation Conversation. The witness of God's love for the world has always been a witness of emancipation. The power of emancipation can be a small spark or a raging fire, and we hope to provide a context for artists and audiences alike to explore this theme during the season of lent.
In doing so, we will be hosting an art show with of local artists on the theme of Emancipation opening 2/10/08 : ***preview Feb 2 !!!*** Julie Lee, DJ Justice, Sarah Shearer, Jodi Reeves, Carla Contreras, Nathan Steele, AyJey, Elizabeth Streight, Michelle Cribbs, Jack Coggins, Mark Sloniker, Leilani Rector, Tasha French, Richard Feaster, Tom Wills, Beth Gilmore, and others .

E.F. Harper, Batik Artist Extraordinaire

Nashville artist E.F. Harper (Emily Frances) has put together a beautiful show at the Nashville Ballet on 3630 Redmon Street. The work is all batik, done on a fairly large scale. I don't actually know any other batik artists, so this is a very unique collection for Nashville. Harper uses some particularly vibrant reds, blues, and greens, that I just love; and I think you will too (particularly when everything outside is dark & gray)! The show hangs through March 20th, and the balllet is open Monday - Friday from 9-5:00.
Here is an article E.F has posted describing her artmaking process:

so...what exactly is ’batik’???

The word batik is thought to be derived from the word 'ambatik' which translated means 'a cloth with little dots'.

Samples of dye resistance patterns on cloth can be traced back 1,500 years ago from Egypt to the Middle East, India, China, and West Africa from past centuries. However, none have developed batik to its present day art form as the highly developed intricate batik found on the island of Java in Indonesia.

Melted wax is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. Wherever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. Sometimes several colors are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps. Methods of applying the wax to the fabric include pouring the liquid wax, painting the wax on with a brush, using a tjanting and applying the hot wax to a precarved wooden or metal wire block and stamping the fabric. One indication of the level of craftmanship in a piece of batik cloth is whether the pattern is equally visible on both sides of the cloth. This indicates the application of wax on both sides, either with the canting or with mirror-image design blocks.

After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its character.

Hibernation, Mud, and Old Quilts

Ahhh, January is coming to an end. Even though I know there are several more months of crappy weather, at least the daylight is lasting longer. I would know, I check the sunrise / sunset records on weather.com; I'm attempting to wake myself out of hibernation. This month has been exhausting in so many ways. If you work/ have ever worked in retail, you probably have experienced the post -Christmas burn out. I had some major family events early in the month, and more recently have experienced house drama of a ridiculous level ( heat went out twice, frozen pipes burst in the crawl space, and the t.v. died). Its all taken its toll on me- I've been laying low- hiding out. When it gets so gray outside, I feel like I can't think clearly; everything is muddy, even my mind.
Today was gorgeous, though, and I took advantage. My sweet friend Emily ( or E.F. Harper batik artist extraordinaire) went hiking with me at Radnor Lake. The sun on my face was a relief from the rain, and little deer families by the trail were so beautiful I couldn't help but smile. Later in the afternoon I got a skinny grande cinnamon dulce latte (guess where we were) with two more favorite friends, Jennifer & Mary Alice. Now here I am browsing Youtube and googling art blogs in bed with the 2 of the my top 3 snuggle buddies (Jon, you'll always be #1). Oh, and it gets better. My little brother-in-law gave us bright blue sheets for Christmas, and I'm using them right now! Thanks, Paul! They're cobalt blue flannel. Perfect with the blue quilt my grandmother made. Its gotta be about 30 years old- some of the little triangle's seams are coming undone- but I love it more than any new comforter you could find.

Stacey Irvin is Down to Earth

Brrr! It's SO cold out, but: there are some great things going on that make it worth the chapped lips & frozen fingers! Photographer Stacey Irvin & Tim Roberts just opened a show, "Down to Earth", at the Tennessee Arts Commission. Stacey is showing 14 photos from travels in Kenya; they really seem to capture the spirit of what she saw . I especially love the portrait types (big surprise)- I am intrigued by the willingness to be a photographer's subject despite a total language barrier...
You should go see for yourself! The show is up until Feb. 22. Oh, and I should mention the lovely folks in the photo from Stacey's reception are Emily Harper, Kyle Alexander, Mark Sloniker, Emily's friend from Chicago, & me.

What to do...

I'm stuck. I go into the studio, and hit a wall. So, I'm reading, writing, taking a step back, and waiting to see what happens. I've got some possibilities though that have alot of potential; stay tuned to see what developes!

In Loving Memory

Gerald Brown January 7, 1920 - January 6, 2008


My granddad was a very independant and loyal man. When I was a little girl, I loved visiting my grandparents and have many dear memories from it.
Granddad was a hard worker- it seemed like he knew how to do everything! He worked on antiques cars, and took me for rides around town in the rumble seat. He made furniture by hand, and I ate dinner at tables he made. He built the home him & my grandmother lived in, and later bulit the most amazingly detailed miniature houses, complete with electricity & furniture!
Granddad was always up for going outside and getting into something- he would go on walks with me around the neighborhood, ( occasionally I would roller skate as he walked ). Sometimes we'd go all the way downtown for fun events like the Apple Blossom parade. I don't roller skate much these days, but I do still love to walk (and occasionally bike, run, or hike).
I know i have been influenced by his active nature and that we share his strong -willed personality; I hope I made him proud.

The Sun Has Set on 2007

And I wish everyone the very best in 2oo8! ** and I wish for the new year to bring us closer to all our most beautiful dreams **
"I am convinced that the impossible is open to far more people than we realize~ mostly because we are fearful of being ridiculed if we talk about it. Ridicule is a terrible witherer of the flower of the imagination. It binds us where we should be free."
Madeleine L' Engle