Count Down to May 5

Collage Mania is coming to town! Virginia Spiegel has raised money for the American Cancer Society. I am happy to report that I have been able to help in that effort by providing numerous fabric postcards for sale, a piece in the reverse auction, purchasing other's works and now, Collage Mania.


Collage Mania

Monday, May 5, 2008 starting at 9 a.m. CST
All collages available for a minimum donation of $80.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 starting at 9 a.m. CST
All collages available for a minimum donation of $40.

Information about her efforts over the years are as follows:

Fiberart Raises Record Amount for American Cancer Society

Fiberart For A Cause, an international effort by fiber artists and patrons, was recently recognized as the #2 fundraiser in the nation for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in 2007. Fiber artist, Virginia A. Spiegel, notes, “When I founded Fiberart For A Cause (FFAC) in 2005, my goal was to raise $90. We have now donated over $135,000. A great deal of our success is due to the personal involvement our honorary chair, Karey Bresenhan, Director of International Quilt Festival – Houston, Chicago, Long Beach.” Fiberart For A Cause continues to raise money through annual fiber events such as the Invitation Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberart and Collage Mania as well as the online book, Art, Nature, Creativity, Life. Spiegel fundraises for the American Cancer Society in honor of her father, a colon cancer survivor. For more information, visit http://www.VirginiaSpiegel.com

I have to make my list of those pieces I want. I won't be in town and I know the emails will be flying when the time is right on Monday so I have to be prepared to get it all off immediately when the time comes! I have a few pieces that are listed on page 8 if you are so inclined.

My mother died from cancer, as have a number of friends. This is the one medical cause the I fully support!

Please join us!

To get all the information about how to buy the collages you would like, go to Collage Mania.

Just don't try to buy the pieces I want to buy!

A Day on the Computer

the joys of trying to be a professional artist....
spent most of today getting images resized for uploading onto the Call for Entry site which our county uses for their public art calls for entry. What a pain in the patueeee...now I have found all sorts of things that I need to photograph (most of my newer work) and then get it uploaded.
And of course, to put it all on my website, things have to be resized again that that spot.

Did get the edges done on one of my new Color Block pieces..I now have three that are larger and am working for more.

I have a three person show coming up May 23 to June 25, 2008 at the Adobe Art Center in Castro Valley where I live. I'm working to get stuff done for that show.

Then the local arts groups asked me to be the artist in residence for three Saturdays in May...be there for two hours at the gallery and talk or whatever. I have decided that I want to do demonstrations and activities that children can also do and take home with them. All with little space to do it...can't decide if I want to do printing with found objects or making little postcards, or what...I have a couple of weeks to figure that out.

Got a call today from Macuso Brothers about adding me to the PIQF studio tour which they have during the show in October in Santa Clara...not too far from here. I said ok but would really prefer that they came to my Oakland studio as I couldn't get 30 people into my studio at home...and then, as we were talking, I was offered a one-woman show at the PIQF show in 2009!

2009 is going to be a busy year! I will have a 2 person show at the Galesburg Civic Art Center from Oct 9-Nov 7, 2009 and at the same time will have the show with PIQF which will be Oct 15-18. I want to fly back to Illinois for the Galesburg opening and to take my work...and then fly back to do the PIQF show....man...I am getting busy! What fun!

I really like the collection I have going of the Color Block pieces! I feel they are all clear, good designs with great color and I love doing the sketchy stitching around the shapes.

My new class on line starts on May 12 so I have to start doing the publicity for that...

Publicity Alert!

Enroll now for the next on line class of Better Art by Design which begins May 12. Payment of $225 can be made by credit card or Pay Pal using Pay Pal on my website. Join us for hard work, great art and an experience in creating abstract art.

So, how is that!?

Also it is just a a week and a half before I head down to Cambria....I only have next week to get so much done on my art....gotta keep running!

My Goodness! Where Have I Been?

I seem to take these little stretches of time off from blogging...not because I don't have anything to say (that never seems to be the problem) but usually because I don't have pictures to show you. I know I like the pictures on blogs, even tho' I know we all read what is written also. I have been busy working on stuff but just haven't gotten any pictures yet!

A week and a half ago, I did a demonstration for the East Bay Heritage Quilters, one of the two guilds I belong to. It was our show weekend. I had failed to get any work submitted by the due date so didn't have anything up in the show except for our California Fiber Artists group that had a special showing there. Anyway, back to demonstrating...I took along my box of tricks and wowed everyone with all of the things one can find around the house, hardware stores, plumbing supplies, etc to get great images on fabric. Even printing with little things such as the eraser end of a pencil or the cap end of a felt tip pen...they all produce great things to be used in combination with other great things. I have quite a collection of drain covers, potato mashers, etc.

Then the next morning off I went to pick up my friend Carol and we headed down to Asilomar for several days with an Art and Soul Retreat. Now this is a true mixed media event without any sewing machines on site. What a difference it was not to lug the sewing machine off somewhere! Well, we made up for it with paints, and lots of necessary "stuff" that we have collected. We both took three different classes with Ann Baldwin, a painter and collage artist whose work I have admired for years. We did cut out paper collages, made our own paper with paint on magazine pages (the cheapest paper around!), used lots of matte medium and gel medium, etc and had a grand ole' time. I came home with several collages that I am quite happy with. I will get photos taken of them to share. I was able to use a lot of the things I print on fabric with to make marks in the paint on paper. Lots of ideas which will translate back and forth between paper and fabric!

I've gotten three larger quilts (well, a little larger, about 20 x 30 and 30 x 40) together in my new style and am quilting them at home. I have used lutradur on the back to make them fairly stiff which I like. On Wednesday when I hit the studio again, I will put a backing fabric on and then stitch around them to finish.

I have to make the most of this week and next as I will then be heading out again for several days in Cambria Pines for the Heart and Hand retreat where I will be teaching for three days.

Also next month I will be doing demonstrations at one of our local art association's gallery each Saturday showing something about fiber...have to figure out just what I will be doing...probably stamping on fabric or something. Then I have all summer to work and I don't travel anywhere until November.

I will be busy tho'. I have a show opening with two other artists, Marion Coleman and Sue Scott, at the Adobe Art Center in May. In addition I will be starting my next class of "Better Art by Design", my on line design and composition class. I still have openings!

Well, back to work...