I’m excited to be a part of “The Smalter Gallery presents: The MoFA show, an exhibition of work by local fiber artists” at the Smalter Gallery in Kansas City, MO. My Earth Series is included in the show.
The Smalter Gallery is currently open by appointment only due to COVID-19. Please contact the gallery to schedule an appointment to see our work.
Because in-person viewing is a little more difficult at this time, we will have an online opening Friday, July 24, 2020 at 6PM. Information on that event is available on Facebook.
The Smalter Gallery presents: The MoFA show An exhibition of work by local fiber artists July 19th – August 21st The Smalter Gallery 1802 W 39th St. Kansas City, MO 64111 The gallery is currently open by appointment only; call 816-200-2554 to schedule an appointment
The 2020 International Freeform Fiberart Guild’s Annual Challenge gallery is live! My piece for the collection is called “The Fire Inside”:
The IFFFG is a collection of freeform crochet artists from around the world. We gather online to select a theme for our challenge each year. Members interpret the theme however they wish. Our theme for this year was Brilliance—the Fire Within.
This theme had me stumped for months. I was 100% sure I wasn’t going to participate in this year’s challenge because I just had no idea what I was going to make. As the deadline approached, I decided to give it one last shot.
I started with color. I pulled a bunch of fiery embroidery flosses from my stash and started crocheting. My original thought was to make a brooch because it would be small and at least I would have done something. My brooch quickly grew into something larger, and this necklace began to take shape.
I’ve never made a necklace like this before, and I must say, I am really happy with it.
I’ll be teaching two classes at Fiber Fusion. First up is Introduction to Tunisian Crochet. A little bit crochet and a little bit knitting, Tunisian Crochet makes for highly textured fabrics that can range from dense to light and airy. In this class, participants will learn how to get a Tunisian project started, a few basic stitches, and how to cast off. Already skilled in traditional crochet? Many of the techniques used in Tunisian will feel familiar, but there are some new things to learn. Never picked up a crochet hook of any kind? Feel free to start here! Hook and yarn are provided. Students should bring scissors and a tapestry/darning needle.
I will also be teaching Introduction to Freeform Crochet. No patterns, no rules—that’s the fun of Freeform Crochet. In this class, participants will learn how to create a highly textured freeform project using scrumbles that will be combined to create a larger piece. We’ll use a variety of stitches and techniques to create works that are truly unique! For this class, students need to bring a variety of worsted-weight yarns in colors that go well together (3-5 colors would be great, and scraps are highly encouraged), crochet hooks to go with the yarn, scissors, and a tapestry/darning needle. Due to the pace of this class, I ask that students are comfortable making chain, single crochet, and double crochet stitches before coming to class. This class isn’t until May, so you have plenty of time to brush up on your crochet basics before the conference!
If crochet isn’t your thing, not to worry. Fiber Fusion is full of classes in all areas of fiber arts. You can learn about weaving and spinning and knitting and embroidery and marketing your art. There will be speakers and vendors and galleries and fashion shows and just so much awesomeness.
Download the Fiber Fusion information packet here.
I have a piece in another show of tiny art. The pieces in 5 x 5 x 5 are even smaller than the ones in the Fun Sized Art show I was in earlier this month. As you may have guessed from the name of the show, all of the pieces in this exhibit are 25 square inches or less.
My work for this show is “Flowers by the Stream,” a gelatin print with embroidered and crocheted details. This piece will be on display at River Oaks Square Art Center in Alexandria, Louisiana through February 15, 2020. The opening reception is Friday, November 15, 2019 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
5 x 5 x 5 River Oaks Square Arts Center 1330 2nd St. Alexandria, LA 71301 Opening Reception: Friday, November 15, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Innovations in Textiles continues in the St. Louis area this month. I have a piece in “Between the Threads,” a national juried exhibition of works of fiber at Webster Arts. Webster Arts and Webster Fiber Arts aren’t related, and the similarity in our names made for fun times at FedEx when it was time to ship my piece.
My work for this exhibit is “Blooming.” The base of the piece is a gelatin print in acrylic on cotton. I used a dried up zinnia bloom in the printing process for this one, as well as some bubble wrap. I added embroidered and crocheted details with cotton floss.
“Blooming” will be on display at Webster Arts November 12 through December 20, 2019. The opening reception is Tuesday, November 12, 2019 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Between the Threads Webster Arts 483 East Lockwood, Suite #108 Webster Groves, MO 63119 Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM Opening Reception: Tuesday, November 12, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
I will have two pieces in “Fun Sized Art,” a juried group art exhibition at the Vanessa Lacy Gallery in Kansas City, MO. Art in this show is in all mediums and is 14” or under. Fun sized art! Yay!
When I saw the call for this exhibit, I thought my Shadowbox Doodads would be perfect. Each of these little guys is about 2” square and mounted in a shadowbox that is about 7” x 7” x 1.5”. These little pieces are crocheted with embroidery floss, then embellished with a little bit of hand embroidery.
“Childhood Favorite Doodad” and “Golden Years Doodad” will be on display at the gallery October 18 through November 8, 2019. The opening reception is Friday, October 18, 2019 from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Friday night is also the Livestock Exchange Building’s Fall Open Studio night. Artists’ with studios in the building will have them, well, open.
Fun Sized Art Vanessa Lacy Gallery October 18 – November 8, 2019 Livestock Exchange Building 1600 Genessee Street #161 Kansas City, MO 64102 Reception: Friday, October 18, 2019, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
I have a piece in another Innovations in Textiles exhibit! “Shadows of Life: Coreopsis” is included in the Out of My Comfort Zone exhibit at the Lillian Yahn Gallery in O’Fallon, Mo.
The challenge for this exhibit was for artists to move out of their comfort zones with their art by trying new techniques or themes. I use a lot color in my pieces, so I chose to go with a black and white piece. I’ve never made a purely black and white fiber piece before—it was more difficult than I thought it would be! I still really want to add some red or yellow stitches in this piece somewhere.
My background fabric for the piece is a couple of gelatin plate monoprints I created using dead coreopsis blooms from the backyard. I have been experimenting with the gelatin plate a lot lately, though one of the things I enjoy about it is using and mixing colors. With these prints, however, I used only black paint on white cloth. I then sewed a couple of the monoprints together and embellished them with black and white stitches.
Out of My Comfort Zone runs October 1 – October 30, 2019. There will be a reception on Friday, October 18, from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Out of My Comfort Zone October 1 – October 30, 2019 Lillian Yahn Gallery 3028 Winghaven Blvd. O’Fallon, MO 63368 Reception: Friday, October 18, 2019, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
This piece is a gelatin plate monoprint of a motif I crocheted. I then added a bunch of embroidery to add details to the piece. I had a lot of fun making this one.
On the Surface On the Ramp runs September 20 – October 23, 2019. There will be a reception on Thursday, October 3, 2019, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The Surface Design Association’s annual member exhibit, Beyond the Surface, is also in the gallery during this time, so there is plenty of fiber art to enjoy!
On the Surface On the Ramp September 20 – October 23, 2019 St. Louis Artists’ Guild 12 North Jackson Ave. Clayton, MO 63105 Reception: Thursday, October 3, 2019, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
There are a TON of fiber exhibits over the next couple months in the St. Louis, Missouri area as part of Innovations in Textiles. More than 45 shows are included in the event, and I have pieces in a few of them.
First up for me is Portraits & Portrayals at Framations Gallery in St. Charles, Missouri. This exhibit is a group show made up of pieces by members of Missouri Fiber Artists. All of the pieces in this exhibit are on 16” x 20” canvases.
My piece is called “Magic Carpet Ride.” I used my natural dyed yarn for this piece (the same ones I used for “Harvest Meditation”).
All of the pieces I’ve seen that are going to be included in the show are portraits. I may be the only portrayal in the exhibit, but that’s okay.
The exhibit opens this Friday, September 27, 2019 and will run through November 7, 2019. The opening reception is also this Friday.
Portraits & Portrayals Framations Gallery September 27, 2019 – November 7, 2019 Thursday, September 19, 2019 218 North Main Street St Charles, MO 63301 Opening Reception: Friday, September 27, 2019, 6PM – 8PM
Webster Fiber Arts 