Author Archives: Colleen Kole

Not Being Nice: A Case of the Nasties

     Maybe it’s being gone from the land of blogging for a few weeks. (I didn’t take much time to read posts the last few weeks.) Maybe it’s the fact that there is a lot of laughing at others going on at my house lately-the not so nice kind of laughing-the laughing at and not the laughing with someone.  But I am very  sick of some of those bloggers out in  blogland.

     You probably remember some of those kids from the kindergarten sandbox. When you aren’t looking, they throw sand at you. Or hurl nasty names at you and the others join in.  I have always been taught to be nice. Sometimes  a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. I have taught my children and I have worked hard to -if you disagree with what someone is doing or saying there is a kind way to express your opinion. Constructive criticism. You say what your opinion is and the person knows where you stand and you feel better because your opinion was heard. Say it and move on. So here I go. This is what is bugging me with blogland.

Dear nasty blog post writer:

     Comments: For the most part I am a lurker. But for the times when I am brave enough to leave a comment on your post, do not spew back some nasty or snide remark to me.  I will not leave denigrating remarks on your posts-never have and never will. It is not nice. So I expect the same respect from you. E-mail me if you have anything of length to say to me.

     Your blog posts: I certainly hope if you are criticizing someone in a post, you have contacted them prior to your post to express your opinion. I know- I know -free speech and all but mud flinging in blogland seems a not so nice sandbox kind of a thing to do. I know art quilters are trying to elevate their art to a different level, but constructive criticism is one thing and just mean nastiness is another.   You are now deemed a nasty person and I will boycott your postings from now on. I don’t care who you are-how many awards you have won or what exhibitions you have been in you are but you are not nice. You go on and keep posting your nastiness. I am done reading your posts.

   I am just done with mean. Really done with it and disillusioned with it. As much as I dislike my kids listening incessantly to Taylor Swift, I take the words to one of her songs: why you gotta be so mean?

     Debating the need to keep blogging. Maybe I should be spending the time to sew rather than the time it takes to blog.

   

     

Soaking It All Up and Inspired

     I did. I just soaked up every minute of the Barn last week for the Improvisations class given by Nancy Crow. It was a tough class for me-quick paced and some of the art concepts were obviously things I hadn’t really thought of fully before I design a quilt. Or even knew.

   Nancy divides the class into a series of exercises which need to be completed in a specific amount of time. Some of the exercises are done in black and white and some in color. I was really worried about this class but went into it with this attitude:  each exercise given to us to- was just an exercise. Not a wonderful quilt that I would produce but an exercise I would learn from. I did complete most of the exercises but failed miserably at the middle one. Obviously one I need to re-do here at home. I won’t tell you  more about these specific exercises but I will tell you this:

1. I learn more at my one week workshops at the Barn than I ever did in a semester of college. Ask others and they will say the same.

2. It is absolutely wonderful to share time with others who have the same goals and interests. And laugh with them. Making art is lonely and a sharp contrast to what I did before with people every minute I was working.  I didn’t realize how lonely I was!

3. Nancy, her family and Margaret Wolf work together and give above and beyond to make this a great learning experience. Nancy spent a considerable amount of time with us and for that I am truly grateful.

4. Yes, I did sew spending from 7:30 am -10pm  there working away. Uninterrupted time except for meals. Wonderful meals.

Working on a black and white composition
another  work in process 

5. Carol Soderlund was teaching a surface design class there at the same time. It was a treat to see what that class did and see Carol’s happy face. I think one of Carol’s classes will be next in line for me.

6. Set aside comparing yourself to others and what they are doing. You can’t be at any other place than where you are currently are at in your artmaking.

     I am grateful to have had this opportunity. If you have a chance to go to the Barn, don’t hesitate to go. The experience will exceed your expectations. And that expectation should be about learning as much as you can and not about producing the miracle piece.

     Be inspired, my friends- I am over the top inspired. And a little tired.

The End of The Week

     I am going to bed and hoping some how and some way a little finish fairy will visit my work station and promptly complete another exercise assigned to us this week at the Barn. I am assuming that it is due around 2pm tomorrow. This is piece number 6…(this is a very fast paced class not for the faint of heart)

       Lots of strip pieced fabrics which need to be cut up. They are curved pieces which I hadn’t done before…slow poked along I did, I did. And by the end the pile of fabric was way too high. And it needs to probably be cleaned up by 2 as well!
   
     I have been here for 14 hour days. My right brain hurts-but it has been a good hurt. Coming here is a gift which I don’t take lightly.

     Off to bed to try to sleep- I usually am too keyed up to sleep much. But I will try.

     Don’t stop being creative, my friends and stretch a little bit. It really is good.

What About My Art?

     Yes, I have been spending a lot of time looking at art, but what have I been doing this week as far as my work is concerned?

     I spent the week cataloging or organizing each piece I have made in the past two and a half years. I found a program that is super easy to use called Flick. I struggled for about 6 months trying to learn excel on my own. Oh for pete’s sake-sometimes I wonder what I was wasting so much time on. I re-photographed some of the pieces so they have “real” pictures. Everything that is completed is priced and has been photographed. And a pile has been made of those that are unfinished and deemed worth the time to finish. Others have been let go of-trashed or cut up for other things.. What a great thing to let go of unfinished junk! In the end, I had 46 finished pieces. It was an overwhelming task to tackle before the 30$ purchase of this program. I refuse to think about all the valuable time I wasted before trying to do this on my own.

     My inventory list also served as a way to prepare a short presentation for my class next week. (Where I came from and where I am at right now.) I really hate public speaking-really hate it but want to act like a mature adult and do a good job. Let’s hope I don’t cop out as it is optional.  This whole inventory list really helped me to see a chronological history of my work-what works and what doesn’t work.

    Also, spent time machine quilting. Machine is back in working order and did so well I kept going and didn’t realize  I had a huge wrinkle quilted on the back. I’ll sit and remove it tonight while I watch some baseball. ( Love the Tigers for ripping out bad seams and bad quilting.) I really want to get it done before I leave on Sunday but that feels overly ambitious.

     Then, I have been obsessively cutting stamps out of erasers and stamping black on white with Setacolors paint. And monoprinting. Obsessively. For as much as I hated black and white a few weeks ago, I crave it now. Crisp, truth-telling and beautiful. I am just going with this obsession for now. I’ll let you know where it leads me.

Be creative, my friends.

More, More and More Artprize

     In case you are wondering, yes, I am absolutely enjoying Artprize. I went down again and more photos for you to enjoy.

Not very many fiber art pieces (or I forgot to take pictures of one or two of them!). This one was very bright and used lots of different materials.

 Just beautiful and there were thousands of pieces of silver leaf floating . Hard to capture.

 This emerging artist came all the way from Australia. He packed his piece in the base for shipment here. He was so excited to be here .

This sculpture looked like it had always been there.

 Grand Rapids skyline. Not great weather here this week but the crowds still came out. And the voters overwhelmed the voting system-computers down all day on the last day of voting….

 A stunning piece of furniture-this sleek bench by Cameron VanDyke. His wife is also an art teacher for our kids high school.

Close up of Taylor Mazer’s piece

And last but not least the piece made from coffee sticks-at Kendall College of Art and Design.

Tomorrow is a day with my friend Nellie Durand and we will soak up more art and find a place to eat lunch and talk about more art. The weekend will be for packing and traveling to the Barn for a workshop next week. Guess it is another month full of art and inspiration. Back to work next week!

Be inspired, my friends!

( I am having an awful time uploading photos-will try a few more tomorrow)

Day 2 at Artprize

Snuck down for a few hours on Thursday afternoon and I just am having way too much fun. More pictures for you.

A Year Through Our Eyes by Todd and Brad Reed

     On a grey and gloomy afternoon, it was pretty obvious that I was drawn to the bright colors. For the most part,  I have followed each piece with the artist’s name.

      Quite  a few of the artist were still standing by their pieces, so I enjoyed talking with them and have them share a little about their process or their inspiration. But, what I enjoyed the most was the excitement in their eyes when you shared with them how much you appreciated their art and why.
This event has given them a time to shine and dream again. And how absolutely great is that.

Be inspired and creative, my friends.

Opening Night at Artprize

     It was a beautiful fall night. The crowds were larger than last year as the buzz is spreading about what a great event Artprize is. I even convinced my husband and son to go and they were disappointed when the night was over. Enjoy a few peeks at a great first night.

    The lovely Nellie Durand with her piece “Imelda’s Dream II.  I am always amazed at how talented Nellie is and her workmanship flawless. A pretty piece with very detailed shoes. It was wonderful to see her and her husband Lee . The location of her piece will allow many people to view it and vote for her. Go Nellie!

“Grand Rapids Inside and Out” By Alex Myrhodorsky
I missed taking a picture of the inside of the piece. Alex is the husband of one of my fiber arts friends, Gail Myhorodorsky. They are both very talented. Alex explained how these panoramic views took 600 shots to accomplish this piece.  The inside shots on this piece are just as fascinating as the outside views -another definite thumbs up view!

A moving photography exhibit by Ryan Reed Spencer
“Crucifixion” by Mia Tavonatti

This was a 9’x13′ stained glass mosaic. The intricacy of the piecing was stunning.

“The Game” by TAFA

The DeVos Exhibition Hall

     I only made  to two of the buildings and a few along the street as we walked.  I ventured down yesterday afternoon for about 2 hours. More photos coming. I am taking a break from making and just enjoying being inspired.

     I know my  pleasure comes from the making of my art, but many this week are taking pleasure in viewing  the of arts. It isn’t enjoyed this way unless it is out there, is it?  Congrats to all who have entered and good luck on the voting process.

And Let The Fun Begin: Artprize 2011

     Wednesday is the first day of Artprize here in Grand Rapids. I was downtown this weekend and I was having so much fun watching a few of the artists install their pieces.  It was almost as busy as it is during the actual show. I am choosing not to show you the pictures I took as not all the artists names had been put up yet.

     I did register to vote at The Hub on Saturday and was rewarded with my free T-shirt and cider and donuts if I wanted them. The Hub is the old UICA building and they are using it very wisely for this event. There was a slide show running of last year’s entries and I walked in and whose is the first picture on the screen : Nellie Durand! That was huge fun to see it again. I look forward to going to the opening on Wednesday night to see the piece she has for this year!

     Enjoy this retrospective on the event. It is really special.

     I have my walking shoes ready and I am getting my chores done so I can see as much art as I can.

Keep Looking For That Road

     I just finished a few more black and white pieces. I just wanted to push myself to use these small pieces to critically take a look at what I did and didn’t like about a quick improvisational design. (And to get ready for a certain class which you inevitably  start with a black and white piece which I dread). I didn’t spend much time on them but, again, they do bring the design sharply into focus.

    But the saving moment  for these little pieces: they just got me moving and wanting to do more. And gave me time to think about what I want to do the next year and bring in to focus what I really don’t want to do. You may wonder why I would want to finish a “study” piece and the answer is-practice and more practice.

Looking For The Road #2
15×19 – 2011

Looking For The Road #3
14×18 -2011

     I just want to add paint to these. But I won’t. I will just let them be black and white. And not be afraid of it when I have to use it in a few weeks.

    But to add to that- that is not to say I may not try more with paint added. Aren’t I fickle?

    Be creative, my friends.

Support Your Local Farmers

      There really is nothing better than summer farmers markets. We have been spoiled both here and in Vermont at the plentiful fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses.

Fulton Street Market

     
     Not a great picture but our market is really busy on a Saturday morning.

     
     I love how the vegetables and fruits are displayed.

     Gladiolas are here.

     Looks like some great dinners ahead this week from my market bag. I already ate two of the honeycrisp apples.   Support your local farmers. They work incredibly hard and I am always willing to pay their prices. You can’t beat the freshness.

    Be inspired.