Jeanne Williamson

Uncommon Application

2009-12-09T08:16:00.012-05:00

I'm in a show called "Uncommon Application" with Brian Hart from December 12, 2009 - February 6, 2010, at the Owen Smith Shuman Gallery located in the Groton Public Library in Groton, MA.

All are welcome to a reception on Sunday, January 10, 2010, from 1-2:30pm. Both Brian and I will be there, and I will give a short talk at 1:30pm.

Image Credits on the postcard:
Brian Hart, "Too Many Compliments Can Be Fatal," acrylic on canvas. (right)
Jeanne Williamson, "Orange Construction Fence Series #32/71," mixed media. (left)
Curator: Deborah Santoro

Primary Election Today in Massachusetts

2009-12-08T05:53:00.002-05:00

No art making for me today because of the primary election here in Massachusetts. The primary is being held to decide which democrat and republican will square off in the US Senate election on January 19, 2010 to take over the seat that was held by Ted Kennedy.

The reason I'm not making art today is because I am a poll worker for the day. I will be checking people in in precinct six (or seven?) in Natick, so they can vote.

For anyone in Massachusetts, polls are open 7am to 8pm. Please do the right thing, and cast your vote for the person you consider the best candidate in your party.

Back to art tomorrow.

Weekly Update - Front and Back Yard Installations

2009-12-06T21:26:00.003-05:00

Our first winter storm dumped about 3" of snow on my front and back yard installations. I admit I've been curious about what they would look like after a snowfall, though I'm not too excited about winter weather.

In my back yard the snow covered the clematis, which still has leaves on it, as well as some of the top edges of the installation.

In my front yard the snow was lighter due to either the trees blocking it as it fell, or due to the way it blew during the storm. There wasn't as much snow on the ground around the piece, but there was a nice white coating on the top of it as you can see below.

I don't know if this snow will melt away before the next storm, or if the next storm will be rain or snow, but I'll post more pictures in a week +/-.

Beside here on my blog, you can see a few month to month pictures on my website.

Sweaters and Scarves at Holiday Sale

2009-12-03T07:35:00.006-05:00

I'm going to be participating in the ArtSpace Maynard Holiday Sale this weekend on the following days and times:

Friday Dec. 4th: 5 - 8pm
Saturday Dec. 5th: 12 - 5pm
Sunday Dec. 6th: 12 - 4pm

I will be selling my upcycled wool sweaters AKA "sweateRRRS" and upcycled wool scarves AKA "scaRRRves". The sweaters are wool and wool blends, come in sizes XSM - 2X, and are priced at $90 each, and the wool and wool blends scarves are 6 inches wide and 6 feet long, and are priced at $40 each. More info is on my website.

Quoting a write up about the sale in the Boston Globe by Denise Taylor, Boston Globe Correspondent, on November 26, 2009:

"ArtSpace-Maynard Holiday Gift Sale
Over 30 area artists will stock the gallery at ArtSpace Maynard studios with all manner of gifts this year. The juried sale features jewelers, painters, paper makers, glass artists, potters, photographers, woodworkers, and more. Among the highlights this year are nationally renowned textile artist Jeanne Williamson’s stylish recycled “sweateRRRs’’. Details: 5-8 p.m. Dec. 4, noon-5 Dec. 5, noon-4 p.m. Dec. 6 at ArtSpace Maynard, 63 Summer St., Maynard. Admission free. 978-897-9828. www.artspacemaynard.com."

This map shows how to find me when you enter the building.

And this map shows where I will be in hallway 1.

ArtSpace Maynard is located at 63 Summer St in Maynard, MA. Get directions.

See you there!

December 2009 JeanneMail Newsletter

2009-12-02T08:12:00.002-05:00

I sent my December "JeanneMail" newsletter out this morning. It has info about exhibits and art events I'm participating in in December.

If you would like to be on my mailing list and receive future newsletters, please sign up here.

If you'd like to receive my December newsletter, please write to me at jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com, and I'll send you a copy.

Thanks.

Off the Fence - Last Week and Review

2009-11-30T11:18:00.004-05:00

I wanted to remind anyone who is planning on visiting my solo show Off the Fence at the Hunt Cavanagh Gallery at Providence College in Providence RI, that it closes on December 4th. Pictures of the show will remain on my website.

... and ...

While I did post a link to the review of Off the Fence a few weeks ago, part of the review and an image are now posted on Greg Cook's blog The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research, entitled "Eric Sung, Jeanne Williamson."

Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags movie

2009-11-28T09:00:00.008-05:00

I watched a documentary about the New York garment district called "Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags," thanks to free HBO for the next few months, and also thanks to filmmaker Marc Levin. The show traces the clothing industry from the early 1900's through its present day decline. Read the synopsis of the documentary.

For anyone who doesn't know what the word "schmatta" means, it means "rag" in Yiddish. It's always been one of my favorite words. The Garment District in New York City is also called the Schmatta District. Even though most people wouldn't know what it means, and the nickname dates back decades, and I think it's unfortunate due to the meaning of the word.

I did not know that in the early 1900's, 95 percent of the clothing for America was produced here in the US, and now less than five percent is made here. The other 95% is made overseas. I knew the percentage was high but not that high. The cost of clothing today is really low because it is made overseas, and I briefly touched on this in my post "Clothing Make or Buy" in May 2008.

I also learned that even though most of the media attention on the fashion industry is on high end fashion, middle class fashion has been the mainstay of the industry.

I was interested in seeing this movie because I sew, and I'm interested in clothing and fashion in general. I also have childhood memories of my aunt and grandmother taking me clothes shopping in the Garment District, and as an adult I have shopped there for fabric when visiting NYC.

If you have HBO, you can watch the movie on on-demand until 12-07-09. If you don't have HBO, but you do have Netflix, put this movie on your queue so you can see it when the DVD is released.

Buy Some Art

2009-11-27T08:27:00.007-05:00

If you are thinking about buying art this holiday season, please check out Small Art Showcase, The Fine Art Department, and Whimsical Paintings.

All three sites focus on fine art that is affordable, and show many different mediums and styles. The sites are also artist run, and all sales are made through the individual artists, who keep 100% of the proceeds.

This is a chance for you to buy some art, bring some beauty into your life, and support an artist at the same time.

Weekly Update - Front and Back Yard Installations

2009-11-24T08:13:00.003-05:00

Here's a look at both of my outdoor installations on Sunday, before leaf removal yesterday. I especially love how the piece in my front yard installation looked with leaves all around it. Nice color.

Here is the piece in my back yard installation, with the clematis growing on and around it, still nice and green.

Next week I'll show both pieces sans leaves surrounding them.

Beside here on my blog, you can see a few month to month pictures on my website.

Jeanne Repairs Jeans

2009-11-22T08:44:00.006-05:00

I am having way too much fun repairing my husband's jeans.

A lot of new holes have appeared since my last post back in February. Instead of patching them from the front, I'm patching them from behind. Each of the three pairs being repaired have their own color of patching denim and thread, so they each have a different "look", if I can borrow the term from Project Runway.

So far this pair has mainly been repairs on the edges of the pockets, but I have a fair amount of the striped denim for when it's needed.

Valentino Movie

2009-11-21T08:47:00.005-05:00

Since I love art, and fashion, I love to sew, and I like to watch documentaries about art and artists, I watched the movie, "Valentino: The Last Emperor."

I was trying to think of a way to sum it up in one sentence and I found this quote on the movie's about page: "It is a behind-the-scenes look at the world of fashion, featuring unprecedented access to the high temples of Haute Couture."

My favorite part of the movie was when Valentino was designing some Haute couture dresses, and then watching them being hand sewn by seamstresses wearing white lab coats.

If I had to give this movie a rating of up to 5 stars, I'd probably give it 3.

Valentino: The Last Emperor is available on DVD, and live streaming on Netflix, for anyone who wants to watch it at home.

Gallery Night Providence

2009-11-19T07:26:00.002-05:00

My solo show "Off the Fence" will be open tonight from 5-9pm for Gallery Night Providence. I'll be gallery sitting, so if you're in the area, come by the Hunt Cavanagh Gallery at Providence College, in Providence, RI and say hello.

This is a partial campus map with the Hunt Cavanagh Gallery/Hall in red.

This is a google street map to help navigate around the college, but ignore the red marker.

Except for tonight, gallery hours at the Hunt Cavanagh Gallery are Monday - Friday, from 9am-4pm (when school is in session). Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Gallery will be open next week on Monday Nov 23 and Tuesday Nov 24 only, and will reopen after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on Monday November 30. My show is on exhibit through December 4, 2009.

If you can't stop by, see pictures of the show on my website.

Weekly Update - Front and Back Yard Installations

2009-11-17T07:41:00.006-05:00

Another week, another update. My back yard installation looks the same from the front, but I just noticed it's getting green algae-like spots on the back side.

Note this picture of the back side. I don't know if the algae-like spots are only on the surface or are also in the cotton batting between the front and back fabrics. I think the fact that the clematis is growing on it and is lowering the ventilation around it is part of the cause. And, the back side does not get any sun on it like the front side does, and there's also the buckets of rain we've has this year.

My front yard installation is doing well. It has a little dirt and rust on the back side, but no green algae. This piece has much better ventilation since there aren't any plants growing on it.

Personally I don't mind that these pieces are getting dirty on the front or back. This is an experiment, and outdoor pieces in any material may break down or fall apart over time. It's hard to see behind the front yard piece above, but behind it is a lead handbag sculpture we purchased many many years ago. It is gradually being eaten by the squirrels. It used to be a stunning leather looking doctor's bag and now it's a skeleton of its self. I also have a few other sculptures in my yard that have been affected by nature, and that's part of its life. So far I'm considering this outdoor experiment a success. I'll keep posting about it to share and document it.

Beside here on my blog, you can see a few month to month pictures on my website.

Matt Medium and Fabric Stiffener

2009-11-16T08:09:00.007-05:00

I'm experimenting with making some cut construction fence-like pieces and coating them with either the matt medium or fabric stiffener so they're more fence-like. I'm going to be in a two-person show in March, in a HUGE gallery space in an old mill building. I'd like to try making an installation in a corner of the gallery using the construction fence-like pieces so both sides of the fabric can be seen. I have this idea in my head, and I hope I can pull it off. If I'm not happy with the stiffened fabric "fences," I can do it again, but quilt it, cut holes in it, and paint color on the back side so it's not white. I'll keep you posted.

As I'm working on the bigger pieces I'm thinking about, I'm also thinking of having some fun, short term, with the two little samples I made by shooting pictures of them in different locations, as shown above. This one is looking through the fence in a bedroom in my house. I imagine many different fun pictures, similar to those I've seen when people take pictures of their gnomes all over the world. I don't inspire to travel the fabric fences all over the world, but it could be fun to see different backgrounds through the holes.

Below are pictures of my two small experiments after I cut the holes in the fabric and stiffened it. It's impossible to show the different textures on the web, just like it's impossible to taste a recipe on the radio, but here's a quick description ...

This one I coated with Golden Paint's GAC 400: Fabric Stiffener (described below) from the Golden website:
- Dries to a very hard and stiff film.
- Most useful for priming fabrics (cotton, linen, silk, etc.) when stiffness is desired.
- Allows sculpting and shaping of draped fabrics.

I like the stiffness. It puckered a little when coated, and makes a decent fabric fence.

This one I coated with watered down matt medium. The outer texture is nice, but it's rather floppy.

A friend of mine picked up some Paverpol, which is also a fabric stiffener. I need to plan a rendezvous with her to pick it up. Then I'll give it a try and compare it to the other two products. I did read a warning about it online that said not to let any of it go down the drain because it can harm plumbing. When I try if, I'll have to find a different way to wash my brushes and dispose of the water after cleanup.

12 x 12 x 12 November 2009

2009-11-14T07:50:00.003-05:00

When I was thinking of what to use for inspiration this month, I decided to consider the focal point piece in my show, "Off the Fence" at Providence College. I am getting a lot of positive comments about Orange Construction Fence Series #32/71 which has me to thinking about creating more fence-like cut pieces.

Since the 12 x 12 x 12 series are mounted on canvases when complete, I couldn't really cut holes in it unless I also cut holes in the canvas (which is a thought but I didn't want to do it this month). Instead, I decided to cut holes in the painted fabric, and place a different patterned fabric behind it, and give the allusion of a cut piece.

This month I created my monthly piece with plenty of time to spare in November. In October, I didn't make it until very late in the month, because it was so hectic.

More information about 12 x 12 x 12 November 2009 can be seen on my website.

If you want to know more about this series, you can read past posts about my 12 x 12 x 12 series here on my blog, or see all of the completed work on my website.

icons + altars

2009-11-13T07:17:00.009-05:00

Recycled Fence Series #33/4 (mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"), is on exhibit at icons + altars at the New Art Center in Newton, MA, through December 13, 2009.

There are 107 pieces of art in this exhibit and sale, which is a benefit for the art center. 107 tickets will be available at $250 each. A ticket allows the holder to choose one piece of art when his or her number is drawn at the Closing Reception." Due to the diversity of work and tastes, the majority of ticket holders get one of their top choices!"

The Opening Reception is today, Friday November 13, from 6-8pm, and the Closing Reception is Sunday December 13, from 3-5pm. The Ticket Drawing is at 4pm at the Closing.

It's free to attend the Opening and Closing receptions and the exhibit itself. The $250 charge is for tickets for the drawing. For those of you who are out of town, the show is online.

What's the Point of Art?

2009-11-11T07:19:00.005-05:00

Watch this Stephen Colbert interview with Thomas Campbell, the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, from November 9, 2009.

There is comedy in this clip, but it's also quite educational. Mr. Campbell discusses tapestries as an art form, and how they were valued in the Middle Ages. Stephen asks if art is only good art because an art critic says it is? Can good art be good art if no one knows it's good art? Can good art exist without an audience? And more...

Weekly Update - Front and Back Yard Installations

2009-11-10T07:20:00.003-05:00

I didn't notice the strong shadows coming from my front yard installation when I took this picture a few days ago. I really like it. Now that the leaves have fallen off the maple tree that was shading this piece all summer, I hope to see good shadows through April when the leaves come out again. It'll be interesting to see the shadows in the snow.

There are no changes in or around my back yard installation in the past week, except for a few fallen leaves here or there. I wonder when the clematis leaves will die off.

Beside here on my blog, you can see a few month to month pictures on my website.

Stand Up and Be Counted: A Survey of Massachusetts Artists

2009-11-09T08:31:00.003-05:00

Artists in Massachusetts and elsewhere should read the report "Stand Up and Be Counted: A Survey of Massachusetts Artists on Their Work Lives, Socioeconomic Status, Access to Healthcare, and Medical and Non-Medical Debt," which was conducted by the Artists Foundation. Over 3,400 Massachusetts artists of all disciplines participated in the on-line questionnaire.

This is a very visual and easy to read report, and it's very well done. Read more.

Opening, Sharing and Thanks

2009-11-08T08:45:00.006-05:00

I really enjoyed the Opening reception of my show "Off the Fence" yesterday. It's not that often that I have the opportunity to have a solo show, and it's been really nice to be able to assemble a collection of my work and share it with others. I am extremely grateful to be able to do it.

I must admit that I was a little nervous about giving a talk last night, but once I started, it felt really good, and natural.

It was really nice to share with those who came last night, and it has also been good to share it via the internet with those who couldn't attend. The good wishes and support are very much appreciated. Thanks to all.

(Thanks also to my son for this picture, and the sweet tweet he made about this piece.)

Off the Fence Opening Reception and Saturday hours

2009-11-06T07:45:00.008-05:00

There are a few things happening on Saturday in regard to my show Off the Fence, which is on exhibit at the Hunt Cavanagh Gallery, at Providence College, in Providence, RI.

There will be Saturday hours tomorrow, Saturday, November 7th from 3-5pm. The Opening Reception is also on Saturday from 5-7pm. I will give a brief talk about my work at 6pm.

  I will be at the Gallery from 3-7pm, and I look forward to seeing everyone who stops by.

This is a partial campus map with the Hunt Cavanagh Gallery/Hall in red.

This is a google street map to help navigate around the college, but ignore the red marker. (Thanks google.)

You can find out more about the Hunt Cavanagh Gallery here and here.

Review

2009-11-05T07:04:00.004-05:00

My solo show has been reviewed in "Gang of four: New work at 5 Traverse and Providence College," in the Providence Phoenix, by Greg Cook on November 3, 2009.

If you click on the link, scroll down to read the part about my show, or read the reviews section on my website.

This is my first solo show review by an art critic and I am thankful for it. Past reviews that mentioned me have mainly been about my work in groups shows in a textile related periodical, and a (now deceased) Boston area Arts newspaper.

The comments in the review are very helpful in making me think about what direction to take my work. The fact that the reviewer liked the piece I cut up (as do I) is also very helpful feedback. I have been thinking about cutting into more work, and also about whether or not I want to keep "quilting" my work or if I want to simply stitch it and hang the fabric somehow, or mount it on board or canvas.

In March I will be in a two-person show at the Narrows Gallery in Fall River, MA with Catherine Carter. I feel challenged to consider the reviewers comments as I plan and create work for that show, all while keeping true to myself and my art.

Weekly Update - Front and Back Yard Installations

2009-11-03T07:16:00.004-05:00

My front yard installation is surrounded by fallen leaves.

Yesterday we had a bulky waste pickup ready in front of our house, and I was a bit of concerned because the pile of stuff to be picked up was REALLY close to it.

Because I wanted to make sure the DPW (Department of Public Works) knew it was to remain, I tied a sign to it. It also didn't hurt that I was home when they came for the pickup, so I went outside to make sure they saw the sign. I love our DPW. They assured me that they knew it was not for the taking. That was nice.

My back yard installation has some fallen leaves around it, and the grasses behind it are turning brown. The clematis leaves on it are still very green. I expect that to change shortly since cooler weather is upon us.

Beside here on my blog, you can see a few month to month pictures on my website.

Wonderful Post

2009-11-02T07:57:00.005-05:00

Fellow artists, please read Joanne Mattera's post, The "Adjective" Artist, on October 26, 2009. It's wonderful!

Paragraphs include:

- Love the Work, Hate the Adjective
- Avoid the Typecasting
- Acknowledging our Commonalities, Limiting our Limitations

I love this quote: "I've come to this point of view over time: The more narrowly we define ourselves, the narrower our opportunities will be."

Amen!

Thanks Joanne!

November JeanneMail Prep

2009-10-31T08:29:00.003-04:00

I'll be sending my November newsletter, called "JeanneMail," out in a few days. It will have info on what exhibits and art events I'm in now, and what's coming up in the next few weeks.

If you would like to be on my mailinglist, please sign up here, or write to me at jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com.

Thanks.