FINE ART OF FIBER – THIS WEEKEND

Fine Art of Fiber at the Chicago Botanic Garden is all set up, looks wonderful and opens tonight.  The exhibit is made up of wonderful work, ranging from traditional quilts to very contemporary fiber art.  It is exciting and inspirational.  The boutique down the hall includes hand-crafted art for your walls, functional items and wearable art.  Here are 2 pieces of hand-dyed and screened fabric I will be selling at the boutique:

Water I – 35″ x 60″

Serenity II – 30″ x 34″

I will be working in the boutique Saturday and Sunday until 12:30 and in the exhibit area Sunday afternoon.  The weather promises to be beautiful so you will also have a chance to walk around the beautiful, ever-changing gardens.  Hope to see you there.

SETTING GOALS

It’s a great time to start thinking about your 2010 goals.  So here’s the follow-up to my previous posts about VALUES, VISIONS and GOALS.  My 7/21/09 post was about the importance of goals being Fluid, Action-oriented and Relevant.  My 8/7/09 post listed several questions to help you identify your core values, the first step in formulating Relevant Goals.  Review those two posts now, then sit down to think about and write some goals.

A chart for those of us who are visual thinkers:

 

1.  Think about your VISION.  How and where do you see yourself 6 months from now?  1 year, 5 years, 10 years?  Visualize your future being exactly what you want it to be.  Include as much detail as you want to.

     Example:  My vision is to have my art being sold in 2 more galleries.

2.  Now write the GOALS that will help you realize this vision.  Your written goals can be short-term or long-term, and preferably some of each.

GOALS are realistic; they should be reachable but not too easy – stretch a little outside your comfort level, but don’t set goals so high that you feel defeated before you start. 

GOALS are quantifiable; you want to be able to look at your goals at regular intervals and measure your progress toward achieving each one.

GOALS are action-oriented; you want to look at each goal and visualize exactly what you are going to do to achieve it.

GOALS are relevant; they reflect your core values.

     Example:  1.  Finish a cohesive body of work.     (There would be more than 1 goal, but this is just an example, ok?)

3.  For each Goal, write the specific STEPS TO ACHIEVE the goal.  What exactly will you do to make that goal happen?  These steps should be small increments and very specific.

     Example:  a. Decide on a theme for a body of work.  b. Decide size range for finished pieces.  c. Create designs and screens.  d. Dye and screen fabric. e. Work in studio at 4 hours/day.

4.  Think about potential OBSTACLES to reaching each goal.

     Example:  a. Not feeling creative.  b. Time constraints due to other committments. 

5.  List the PEOPLE and other RESOURCES that can help you complete the steps to achieve each goal.

6.  Every day, do one thing that will help you reach your goals.  As Stephen Covey puts it, “Act in accordance with what matters most.”  

Ask yourself, “If someone had a video of my typical day, what would they see?  Based on your current actions and behaviors, where do I expect to be in 5 years?  Now what changes do you want to make?

 

FINE ART of FIBER

FINE ART of FIBER

Chicago Botanic Garden

Glencoe, IL

 

Thurs, Nov 5         6:30pm – 9pm

Nov 6 – 8              10am – 5pm

 

Fiber art exhibition and sales

Boutique with handcrafted items and wearable art

Lecture “Japanese Textiles” – 1pm Sat

Silent auction

Fashion shows – 11am Fri & Sat

 

For more info:

http://www.fineartoffiber.org/

www.chicagobotanic.org/fiber

 

My work will be in the exhibition and in the boutique.

TUSCANY

posted by SHELLEY BRUCAR

More photos from Italy, now one of my favorite places on earth!

Towers of San Gimignano, one of the Tuscan Hill Towns.  Photo by Shelley.  I have read that there used to be 70 towers in San Gimignano which were used for protection from invading armies.

Here’s a look at the Tuscany landscape from San Gimignano.  Photo by Shelley.

Here’s our new friend from Australia.  We met Leonie at the bus station and spent a delightful afternoon in San Gimignano with her.  This photo is our “proof” that we really did climb that tower!

Tuscany.  Photo by Wayne.

Tuscany.  Photo by Wayne.

Next time I go to Italy, I plan to do much more in-depth exploring of Tuscany – so beautiful, so peaceful.

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

posted by SHELLEY BRUCAR

More photos from Italy – these are from Cinque Terre, a steep and rugged portion of the Italian Riviera comprised of five villages, Monterossa, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomagiorre.  The coastline here is absolutely gorgeous, and you can take the train from one village to the next or you can hike the trails.  We love hiking so there was no question about our mode of transport.  We had read that the hike from Monterossa to Vernazza can be strenuous, and it was – maybe more strenuous than the hiking we did last year at Zion and Bryce Canyon, Utah.  After being revived by lunch in Vernazza, we decided to do the hike from Vernazza to Corniglia.  This was supposed to be less strenuous and it was, but not by much!  All the hiking  was of course worth the effort because we were rewarded with such stunning views.  Photographs can’t really capture the true grandeur, but here are a few anyway…

view from the trail between Monterossa and Vernazza, photo by Wayne

view from the trail between Monterossa and Vernazza, photo by Wayne

a small fraction of the steps we climbed, photo by Shelley Brucar.  Italy is quite hilly, and although I know we must have been going downhill sometimes, it seemed like we were always going UPHILL!  As a result, I am in better shape that I was before the trip.  I have almost doubled my time on the stairmaster - in spite of all the pasta, wine and gelato – which are too wonderful for words!  

Vernazza from above, photo by Shelley Brucar

Vernazza from above, photo by Shelley Brucar

I really love Cinque Terre and  definitely want to go back there to do more hiking.  We also had planned to do a boat trip in PortoVenere, but it got cancelled due to rain, and we were leaving for Sorrento the next day.  So we must return to do that as well.

We stayed in Levanto, which I think is a good base for exploring this area.  It is the town just north of Monterossa, easy to get to by train, very cute and charming, and lots of good food.  One recommendation for dinner is Ristorante Da Rino, wonderful food and very nice owner who welcomed us back the second time we ate there with smiles and after-dinner linomcello, a tasty discovery.

The topic of dinner brings me to one of my observations about Italy that actually relates to stress management.  Meals in Italy are obviously meant to be SAVORED, not rushed through as is often the case in the US.  You choose as many courses as you want from several options: antipasto, zuppe (soup), primi piatti (pasta), secondi piatti (entree), insalata (salad), dolce (dessert), and of course finishing with cappaccino.  And vino – really good vino – accompanies every meal.  The expectation is that, once seated for dinner,  you will be there all night, no pressure to turn over tables as we are used to in America.  Servers take your order, deliver the food (one slow course at a time), then leave you alone to enjoy your meal and your company.  You don’t get your bill until you ask for it (il conto, per favore).  Of course Italian food deserves savoring! And that’s true of much American food as well.

Try eating your next meal, whether out or at home, more slowly.  Really taste what you’re eating and enjoy every bite – time to give up the fast-food-in-the-car habit!

ITALY

posted by SHELLEY BRUCAR

Just returned from Italy where we spent time in Florence, Sorrento and Cinque Terre.  What a beautiful country!   I get inspiration from beautiful scenery, and here are some  photos from Florence:

View from Pazzale Michelangelo, photo by Wayne

View from Pazzale Michelangelo, photo by Wayne

at the Arno, photo by Wayne

at the Arno, photo by Wayne

Arno reflections, photo by Shelley Brucar

Arno reflections, photo by Shelley Brucar

Grafitti everywhere!   Photo by Shelley Brucar

Duomo, photo by Shelley Brucar

David copy, photo by Shelley Brucar.  You find copies of David all over Florence.  The original is at Galleria Academia where the lives are quite long if you don’t make an advance reseervation.

Tourists, photo by Shelley Brucar.  Downtown Florence is overrun with tourists and very crowded.  South of the Arno is residential and much more quiet and serene.

Padlocks,  photo by Shelley Brucar.  This is an interesting tradition in Italy, for which I have found 2 meanings.  I believe, originally, closing a padlock and throwing the key into the river was a popular tradition followed by militarymen who had completed their compulsory service.  Now however, couples write their names on padlocks, attach them to a guard rail, and throw the keys into the sea, symbolizing love forever.

Italy offers everything from big city to calm and beautiful country.  More photos from Cinque Terre,  Sorrento, Capri, Pompei and Amalfi Coast to follow.

1000 ARTISAN TEXTILES and SAQA AUCTION

Yesterday, I was notified that 3 of my pieces have been selected for inclusion in the new book, 1000 Artisan Textiles, due to be published May, 2010.  I don’t know which pieces yet, but will post when I find out.  Meanwhile, watch the 1000 Artisan Textiles website or amazon.com for updates and pre-sales.

REMINDER:  SAQA AUCTION to begin Thursday, Sept 10, 2pm Eastern time.  SAQA is a wonderful art quilt network that promotes fiber art through education, exhibits, website and various publications.  SAQA represents some of the best artists in the field, and  I am honored to be a member of this group.   There are 234 Benefit Auction quilts donated by our members. Last year’s Benefit Auction raised $41,775. The funds raised through the Auction are critical to supporting SAQA’s exhibitions, catalogs and outreach programs.

How the Auction works:

The Auction is run in three sections (Section 1 – Pages 1a and 1b; Section 2 – Pages 2a and 2b; Section 3 – Pages 3a and 3b).

On the first day of each section’s auction, the price for all pieces in that section is $750. The next day (at 2:00 Eastern), the price drops to $550. The third day, it drops to $350, then $250, then $150, and finally $75.

The first section will begin September 10th at 2:00 Eastern.
The second section will begin September 17th at 2:00 Eastern.
The third section will begin September 24th at 2:00 Eastern.

Prices by day:
Section 1 – September 10th at 2:00 Eastern – $750
Section 1 – September 11th at 2:00 Eastern – $550
Section 1 – September 12th at 2:00 Eastern – $350
Section 1 – September 13th at 2:00 Eastern – $250
Section 1 – September 14th at 2:00 Eastern – $150
Section 1 – September 15th at 2:00 Eastern – $75

Section 2 – September 17th at 2:00 Eastern – $750
Section 2 – September 18th at 2:00 Eastern – $550
Section 2 – September 19th at 2:00 Eastern – $350
Section 2 – September 20th at 2:00 Eastern – $250
Section 2 – September 21st at 2:00 Eastern – $150
Section 2 – September 22nd at 2:00 Eastern – $75

Section 3 – September 24th at 2:00 Eastern – $750
Section 3 – September 25th at 2:00 Eastern – $550
Section 3 – September 26th at 2:00 Eastern – $350
Section 3 – September 27th at 2:00 Eastern – $250
Section 3 – September 28th at 2:00 Eastern – $150
Section 3 – September 29th at 2:00 Eastern – $75

You bid by filling out the online bid form. You can bid on up to 7 pieces at a time. First bid on each piece wins. We will then ship the artwork to the winning bidder by insured USPS Priority Mail.

Pieces go fast, so if you have your heart set on something, bid quickly!   This is a great chance to pick up pieces from your favorite artists that you might not otherwise be able to afford. 

I’m leaving for Italy now, so expect many inspirational and peaceful photos at the end of the month.

(Disclaimer:  SAQA auction info is shamelessly copied from Tracy’s blog!   Thanks, Tracy.)

MORE BLOGS TO READ

Here are two more fun blogs to check out:

Jeanne Raffer Beck – http://www.jeannebeck.com/   Jeanne taught a workshop for my needle arts guild this week, and I had the opportunity to spend some extra time with her.  She is bright, funny, talented, creative and a total pleasure to be with.  Her blog is informational and inspirational.

Cathy Mendola – http://www.cmendola.blogspot.com/   I just met Cathy at above-mentioned workshop.  Her blog is fun to look at and has something really extra – great music.

Here are some of the pieces I started in Jeanne’s workshop this week.  One exciting outcome for me (beyond experimenting with new techniques) was moving outside my comfort zone to work with a different color palette.

Layering to build up texture.

This is painted wonder-under layered over a piece of my screened fabric.  OK, there is alot of my old standby, orange, but there is no blue!

I love texture.

I don’t know what will happen with these pieces, but hopefully one or two will become something wonderful.  Experimenting is just so much fun!

FIBER ART

Yesterday I saw a prevew of Barbara Schneider’s solo show which runs September 1 through September 29 at Lakeside Legacy Arts Park.  Of course I did not have a camera with me, but I was with mixed media/fiber artist, Jeanne Raffer Beck who is prepared and did have her camera.  Click on Jeanne’s name and you will be able to see a preview of Barbara’s extraordinary show, read Jeanne’s wonderful blog and see her website.  If you can get to Crystal Lake this month, see the exhibit it in person.  Artist reception is Sept 20, 3:00-5.

These foresty-looking screened/discharged pieces are currently up on my design wall, waiting for something to happen:

REFRAMING for PTSD, DEPRESSION and ANXIETY and NEW ART WORK

Posted by SHELLEY BRUCAR

The most often-visited posts on my blog so far are the three on Reframing for Negative Thinking (May 15, May 27 and June 19, 2009).  I have always believed that these tools really work, and I hope they are working for you!  Just wanted to share that the first article in today’s NY Times Latest News was about a new program for the military to teach troops REFRAMING in order to help prevent/cope with Post Traumatic Stress, Depression and Anxiety.

And here are 2 new pieces just finished for “Midwest Meditations”, a Fiber Artists Coalition exhibit which will start at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum, July – August, 2010.  Fabric for both pieces is dyed, over-dyed, screened and discharged.

Turtle Crossing I.  Fiber Art by Shelley Brucar

Turtle Crossing II.  Fiber Art by Shelley Brucar