More Fun!

So this week was totally fun. Not only did I have an excellent day at the Eastern Market on Saturday (where so many of the permanent vendors have been nothing but helpful, encouraging, and absolutely wonderful to me. In fact, one of them has done the near impossible and has stuck my foot into the door for a coveted and hard to come by (semi)-permanent spot, which would mean I no longer have to get up at 5 a.m. to drive down there only to discover I am already 19th in line!!!! and despite all the effort might not actually procure a spot to sell in!!! but that is a whole other story, one worth telling later, and we’ll see if it all works out–cross everything for me.)

But this week I also found out that I’ve been juried in to the Crafty Bastards show in Silver Spring Md in June (check my website for full details coming soon). This was my first time applying to the Bastards and apparently the competition is stiff. So I’m glad to have that opportunity to sell and I look forward to meeting some of the other Crafty Bastards around town. 

 

If that wasn’t enough, I went to my reception at the Torpedo Factory today and there were my two pieces standing in the Target Gallery—my very first ART EXHIBIT. I walked into the gallery, which was packed and buzzing and hot under the big lights and this German photographer, Michael, said to me with a thick and serious accent, “Is that your work?” pointing to my work with a drink in his hand. “Ah, yes,” I told him, bracing myself for what he might say. “If I were a woman, I would wear that.” he told me. Wow. I can’t ask for a better compliment, can I?

Check out these photos of the show, including one with my work. Here’s a grab.

Loads of other people came up to tell me how much they liked my work, the whole atmosphere was very excited and supporting, and even the gallery director was nice and talked to me at length (wow, a nice gallery director! what will they think of next?) All I can say is that the whole thing was AWESOME!

 

Great News!

Last week I was juried in to the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria Virginia. This is literally an old Torpedo Factory situated on the waterfront in Alexandria that (about 30 years ago) they transformed into a collection of artists’ studios and galleries and teaching spaces. There are 82 working artists’ studios that are subsidized by the Torpedo Factory to help artists have not only affordable studio space, but a place to sell their work. The idea is that people can come and see “How the art is created”, then hopefully get so excited by this that they actually BUY something. The really nice thing is, Alexandria is one of those upscale communities that thinks of itself as an arts center, so there are lots of art galleries and art lovers out and about, and the Torpedo Factory is sort of the anchor of the whole thing.

They only jury artists in once a year, so as soon as I learned about this place (back in November) I decided I might as well apply. I’m told it’s pretty prestigious to get in. What I like in addition to the fact that once I get a studio I’ll not only have a place to work and sell my work, but it’s also a community of working artists (and I already know a couple of the artists who have studios there: Janae, from Range of Emotion and Dawn from Poppi who are actually the people who inspired me to try making my clothing line here in DC). Working alone all day has a lot of freedom, but it can be lonely too. It will be nice to get even more connected to the arts community here.

I was actually pretty nervous about the whole jury thing, especially when I read who the jurors in my category (3-D art) were: Rick Wall, Sculptor, Director of the Sculpture Department, Corcoran College of Art and Design Rebecca Stevens, Contemporary Curator, Textile Museum & James Malenda, Sculptor and professor, Art Department, Kutztown University of PA. Since I work with Fiber, I was particularly nervous about Rebecca Stevens, the Contemporary Curator at the Textile Museum. I mean, I’m pretty knew at trying to do this Fiber Artist thing seriously, so the fact that she liked my work is particularly encouraging.

I’m actually very excited about the direction my work has been taking lately, so this validation feels good.

Oh, and two of my pieces were selected to be shown at the New Artists exhibit at the Target Gallery. So, you can see two of my very latest pieces there until Sunday, April 27; then there will be a closing reception (my first artist reception!). It’s all so fun, really.

Stay tuned for information on when I will actually get a studio space there!