Fall online workshops through Fiber Arts and Mixed Media website

UPDATED:
I am excited to be offering two three Fall workshops through Fiber Arts and Mixed Media and sign up begins now and the first workshop starts October 7th, 2013 and the last day to sign up is December 30, 2013. When you sign up for the workshop you will receive more information sent to the email you provided through Paypal. The workshops will be hosted on the FAMM website. The summer session of Stitch Therapy workshop was very enjoyable for me to teach and one participant said this:

"I enjoyed the Stitch Therapy workshop very much and learned especially how wonderful gesso can be to hold threads and items in place till I sew them! Kelly's teaching is sensitive and empowering. She fosters community in her workshops. She is very creative and brings that creativity to the workshop process, even facilitating an impromptu supply exchange among members who were interested."

The three workshops I am offering are:
Stitch Therapy - starts October 7th, 2013
Developing Your Stitching Voice (creating a series) - starts October 21st, 2013
Daily Visual Journal - starts November 11, 2013

Stitch Therapy

$40

description: Using fiber art as a method for personal awareness and healing. I will show you my process and techniques for creating a fiber art painting using new and recycled materials. The idea for this series of work began with a combination of my passion for fiber art and my practice of art therapy. As a therapist, it is important for me to remember that every person I meet has their own life experiences and processes those experiences differently. I never know exactly where someone is coming from. I have also learned through my art therapy (and personal) experience that what we present to the world is not always consistent with how we are feeling. I use this process to create some order from the chaos. To put together scraps and bits of everyday life. Repairing, healing, layering - slowing down, enjoying the relaxing and meditative process - to feel the materials and hear them as I pierce the fabric with a needle and pull thread through. It's about taking time, listening, feeling, and healing.



Developing Your Stitching Voice

$40

Description:
I have been working in fibers almost exclusively since 2008. I initially trained in painting and metals when I studied for my bachelor of fine arts at Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan. It is interesting to look back and notice that so much of my work in metals involved textile techniques and often combined weaving and crocheting with wire. I was also knitting all the time and developing quite a stash of yarn and string - ironically, I collected yarn and string before I even knew how to knit or crochet, so fiber art was apparently calling me.

I have created work for a lot of different gallery shows over the past few years and some were not as successful as others. The first show solo show I had was a one night event that didn't go very well. I had a handful of pieces to fill the small space, but they weren't all related. I did not manage my time well enough to properly promote the event or prepare anything for the reception. Jump ahead a few years to my most recent solo show in December 2012 and it was a much different story. I had a cohesive collection of work all around a theme, had a great reception, sold 30% of the work, and two interviews.

So, through the experiences I've had over the past few years I learned a lot about creating a series of work around a theme and how to manage my time to get it done. I developed this workshop to help you create a successful series of work whether for a show or just for your own portfolio.

This workshop is self-paced but will include check lists and check-ins to discuss progress.
Sections of the workshop are:
Choosing your theme
Managing time
Working through doubts and sticking to it!
Finishing and preparing your textile work for display
Individual critique and discussion of your work and progress on public discussion board and/or privately through email.


Daily Visual Journal

was $50 now $25!

Description: Daily Visual Journal provides five techniques to learn and many images for inspiration for you to create your own art journal. Being creative everyday is simple and fun.

The idea of my daily visual journal began as a challenge to myself to create art everyday and generate my own inspiration. This workshop illustrates five techniques used to create your own daily visual journal pages as well as three ideas for preparing your pages before creating your art.

In addition, each technique is followed by a self reflection prompt for you to think about and write about on the backside of your visual journal entry.

21st Annual Canton Fine Arts Exhibition

I'm excited to announce that my fiber/painting piece, Growth, was accepted into the Canton Fine Arts Exhibition Oct 3 - 26

The 21st Annual Canton Fine Arts Exhibition
October 3rd - October 26th
Opening reception is 6:30

The theater gallery is open Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., by appointment, and during all public performances. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Questions? call 734-394-5300

Canton Village Theater
50400 Cherry Hill Rd.
Canton, MI 48187

what is your process?

I finished this work and started the next one. I'm really enjoying the texture of these pieces and the meditative quality of the stitching. I've been asked how I stitch my pieces - do I just lay threads down and stitch over them; do I sketch out a design; do the pieces evolve intuitively? Yes, yes, and yes, although not always all three directions with each piece. Sometimes I have an idea of the finished piece, like how much texture or how much paint, and then I choose the colors I want to use and lay them down and start stitching. Rearranging as necessary to get the right composition. Sometimes I sketch out an idea and get very specific about what stitch I will use, what type of fiber, and whether it will be painted over or not. Sometimes it is completely an intuitive process and it develops as I work on it. Regardless of how the piece evolves, my main intention is to create a sense of comfort with each piece. I always want to know how you feel when you look at my art - in person or online, so if you want to let me know, mention it in the comments - thanks :)


the finished piece followed by in progress picture with detail shots:

new work - almost finished

The start of a new series - I'm focusing on texture with these and heavily stitching different threads down on cotton. They will be finished on 12x12 inch canvas. This one has all the stitching done and will be mounted on stretcher bars later today...

Collaborative drawing with my son

One day over the summer my kids and I were going to a gallery to drop off some work. We were early and they weren't open yet, so we went into the coffee shop next door to get a snack and hang out until the gallery opened. My son suggested that he and I do a collaborative drawing, while my daughter designed clothes in her notebook. I'm not sure how the image started, but it grew as we each drew two things then passed the book to the other person. There is a giant figure, some tiny figures, birds, a house, a painting on the wall, cupboards, a boy reading a book in his room with a black fuzzy cat.

We have a winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my giveaway! I really appreciate the support and encouragement. As always, I will be posting pics of new work on facebook and making most pieces available through my Etsy shop until my new website is ready.

and the winner is............................

Nat!

congratulations Nat! you will receive a separate email from me to arrange delivery :)

What inspires you and informs your art?

I have always been inspired by lines and texture of all kinds and I'm constantly looking to see what I can find that I might be able to translate into something for my fiber art. If I can't get a picture of it with my phone or camera, then I sketch out the idea on whatever paper I have with me. Sometimes it is the way lines are intersecting on the ground, or the space between tree branches that gets my attention. 

I also search the internet for images of the universe and microscopic images of all kinds. I am amazed with how some microscopic images of plants resemble knitting! In fact, I created a series of work last December for a solo show called "Inside / Out" and many of the pieces were inspired by microscopic plant images. What inspires you?

Here are just a couple images I took recently:

Water condensation on the outside of a dumpster. 

The scuffed floor of the theater where my kids perform. 

5 ways to enter my first giveaway!

Welcome to my first giveaway! 

I really love sharing my art and ramblings with you all and I truly appreciate everyone who has connected with me through Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Etsy, Tumblr, my online workshop, this blog, and my website. I have been focusing on creating new embroidery pieces, hosting the online workshop, and meeting so many new people online and I wanted to take a step back and give back. I have been enjoying all the conversations online lately and I think this is a great way to show my appreciation :)

The Rules:
There are 5 different ways to enter this giveaway and a total of 8 possible entries for each person, so the odds are pretty good! I am using the Rafflecopter widget, so it should be really easy - just follow the prompts on the widget below and your entries will be tallied automatically. If you experience a problem, please let me know right away. There are no exchanges. When you enter, you are agreeing to be included on my mailing list - if you never want to hear from me than you probably wouldn't be here in the first place, right? So, good luck and thank you :)

The giveaway starts on Sunday September 8th and ends on Friday September 13th, 2013. Yes, Friday the 13th! Free shipping to where ever in the world you are :)
UPDATE: The end time for the giveaway is 9/13/13 at 12am, that is midnight on Thursday night. The winner will be chosen and announced on Friday 9/13/13.

Here is the prize: an 8 x 8 inch fiber embroidery piece - blue cotton embroidery thread on vintage cotton fabric with mini yellow flower pattern that I hand-dyed with silver spray paint -
the final piece is on stretcher bars and ready to hang!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

routines are a good thing...

So, we made through the first week of school and everyone is doing well, but tired. The need to get up early is a little challenging right now, but we're making it to the bus on time. The routine of school has made me realize that I have been neglecting a routine for myself. I was in the habit of waking at 5am to get my work started while everyone else was sleeping, and this summer I skipped that more and more as the days came and went. I did get work done, but I know I can get so much more accomplished with even one extra hour each day. I also know I can get a lot done when I have a plan, so here goes - this week / month I will:

• Wake up (and actually get out of bed) at 5am and work on fabric pieces
• Prepare my fabrics for projects by washing the fabric, dyeing or printing on it, putting it into an embroidery hoop, picking some thread colors...
• Plan to finish at least one piece per day
• Write better description for my art that is posted on Etsy 
• Prepare all art work images and text for new website
• Prepare new online fiber workshop for FAMM, similar to this one
• Re-establish by health routine: running, weights, and meal planning
• Continue posting images on Facebook with descriptions, not just sharing without comment
• Clear the clutter - this proves to be so difficult for me... sad to say I haven't made progress with that this week
• Go to more gallery openings - in fact, tonight I am going to two: Live Coal Gallery and the Grosse Pointe Art Center member show in which I will show this piece:

Vintage Burst, 20" x 20", cotton and acrylic

Maybe I need an accountability partner or group... How does everyone else stay motivated and consistent?

back to school indifference

I'm not sure how I feel about my kids going back to school. Other people seem to be excited about getting back to the school routine, but I'm feeling a little sad. I've enjoyed our slow mornings without an agenda, plenty of time to work on projects, read, play Minecraft...

Yesterday my daughter spent over three hours making a pair of goggles out of supplies she found around the house: thick cardboard tube, leather scraps, elastic, scraps of silver and copper from my jewelry supplies, and clear plastic. She took time to measure the how the tube would be shaped on the side of her face, she made a paper pattern of the tube so she could cut the leather to cover it perfectly. She is so proud of her creation. I asked her why she was making them and she explained that when she looked through the cardboard tube she was inspired to make goggles. Even a great art program at school wouldn't have all those materials and definitely would not allow the time needed.

And last Friday my daughter  spent hours writing about a world that has become a blog for role playing called Medieval Roleplay: The World of Ebryettan.  Then both kids spent about three hours with a friend planning, acting, and recording the first installment of their role play game.

Minecraft has become a favorite game in our house and my son decided to record a vlog: My First VLOG (video recording and editing help from dad).

Hopefully school doesn't suck all their motivation and inspiration but instead fills them with more ideas and friends to share things with.