Category Archives: Nellie Durand

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.

A Very Late Thank You

Oh my. I absolutely forgot to show you a precious gift I recieved this fall. Every time I look at it, it makes me smile. And makes me feel very calm. And reminds me of what a wonderful time I had at Artprize with her.

A Piece of “The Lake” by Nellie Durand, 2010
8×8

Nellie brought this to me when she came to visit. It was enough of a treat just to spend some time with her-but when she gave this to me, I was just about speechless!

The colors are just beautiful and look at the details of the beach grass captured so well. I was able to watch her work earlier when she had an opening at Good Goods in Saugatuck, MI and loved watching her put these together . The color choice and change in value at just the right time captures the essence of the water and waves.

Everything about it-and her-just very special.

Thank you again Nellie for the great time and treasured gift!

Another Great Day at Artprize

I know that I have been playing for almost two weeks now. And I have had soo much fun. But yesterday was a great day downtown with one of our own Artprize artists, Nellie Durand. Nellie was going to attend one of the artist workshops today and wanted to spend some time prior to the workshop just seeing the art. We walked. We talked. We admired. We looked. We sat and visited in a quiet cool spot and got to know each other. We walked even more. Lunch. Art talk. Dinner and more Artprize with a very quick trip to the Meijer Gardens to see some of their Artprize sculptures before it got dark.

One of my favorites, by Beiliiu Lui, installed in our new UICA-except construction isn’t done and you could only view it through a window from the sidewalk. Kind of made it even more alluring. I really wanted to reach out and touch this one or lay underneath it.IIt is thread coiled and hung but a needle piercing the coil and installed- hanging by a thread. They were all floating and moving ever so slightly.

The ever famous elephants that always drew a crowd.

Their heads bobbed up and down. The kids enjoyed them.

After dinner, Nellie and I had show and tell. Nellie brought some of her” Interpret This” pieces and so freely shared how she had done each piece. And she so graciously looked at some of my pieces-finished and unfinished, made helpful hints and was just a delight to learn from. She brought me a wonderful present- a piece made from her Lake piece. I was just about beside myself after a day of art and spending time with a new art friend.

Unfortunately, I lost my camera-500 pictures on my little Coolpix guy-birthday, quilt show and Artprize with Nellie. I didn’t realize it until last night when I went to download them. Left it on a counter I think in the last building we were in. These pictures were actually taken from one of my earlier trips. I haven’t quite figured out what I will do. My big guy is lost in the Nikon factory warranty repair abyss…..As soon as I solve my new pictureless problem-I will show you my new present.

The biggest treasure though was spending time with a new friend-met by another on the internet.

A day to be remembered. Thanks Nellie!

Back to sewing tomorrow. I did some painting on fabric today with acrylic paints for about an hour. 🙂 Too bad I can’t show you a picture.

Be creative, my friends!

Artist Opening:Nellie Durand

I had the privilege of attending Nellie Durand’s opening at an art gallery, goodgoods, in Saugutuck, MI this weekend. It was a hot sunny day to visit this great little city about an hour from home. The town was packed with people trying to enjoy one of the last weeks of summer. This opening included two other artists, Sandra Adams and Dawn Edwards, and all were demonstrating their techniques and answering questions about their work.

Nellie’s work is just beautiful when you see pictures of it on her blog Nellie’s Needles. But seeing it in person just took my breath away! She had a great representation of all her work there-her crinkle work, her surface design pieces and of course the amazing Lake series. Nellie also demonstrated -very generously sharing -her techniques with us for creating the Lake pieces. She also showed me her crinkle work which is really intriguing with the application of hand stitching on a starched crinkled composition. She is a kind and patient teacher. (I must be a visual learner because it is so much easier to see the technique done and understand… ) She made it seem so easy but the art of her work is the perfect placing of color and stitch to make the piece just sing.

Nellie has obtained a coveted spot at the Devos Hall for one of her pieces during Artprize here in Grand Rapids. She gave us a peek by displaying two of the panels of the Lake at goodgoods this weekend. I can’t wait to see the whole piece and will remind you of it in September. DeVos Hall will be the perfect venue for it!

My 19 year old Erin went with me. As I was gushing at dinner that night and the family was patiently listening to me, I paused and realized Erin was gushing too. She chose the Lake piece as her favorite and was so inspired by seeing and enjoying art that she took back to college her jewelry making supplies. I saw her peeking through Nellie’s blog after dinner.

So, Nellie- Thanks for sharing, creating and inspiring. It was such a treat to meet you. Thanks Paula and Tod for the intro.

Happy Summer, my friends!

A Cherished Gift

I need to tell you a story-it’s long but dear to my heart and fits with my Vermont home. When we go to VT, we fly into Burlington and hire a taxi service to drive us to our home. About 4 years ago, we met the nicest guy tod who was the driver we always requested. Really nice guy who always had interesting conversation for us-no matter what time of the night it was or how late our flight was-we always enjoyed him. Two years ago at Christmas, he asked me what I did in VT if I didn’t ski and I said that I did contemporary art quilting. He handed me a card with his girlfriend’s name and two other quilters names. I still have the card. His girlfriend Paula is an artist and knew some textile artists. I took the card and put it away for a few months.

I ran across it later and looked up the names. I was amazed and enthralled at this world of textile artists that I never knew existed. I had taken a Nancy Crow class but didn’t know how it fit with what I did. The more I looked at others works, the more I was amazed. I wanted to be part of this wonderful world -no matter how small or insignificant-and started taking classes to take traditional quilting to a different path. The textile artist path…the beginning of something different.

But as a thank you to my husband -for Christmas- I purchased a piece of Paula’s art-as a thank you to being inspired by three amazing women. The names on a card. It’s a beautuful vase made from a reclaimed gutter off a house in Stowe. I know he loves it- it is a piece of Stowe, a piece of art from a new friend and a piece of thank you from me. I wanted it to be a vase as Paula intended it to be. But Marc just wants it to be- on his desk…( I put this pretty vase on the windowsill for the photo)

Paula and tod have moved on to new and exciting things with the Phoenix Commotion. You can still find her on Etsy-her clocks are too cool. I regret not taking the time to meet her earlier. But I love that we can keep in contact via e-amil. Thanks for the inspiration, Paula.

So, what inspired you?

Must run to actually sew again. Happy Sewing, my friends.