Geometric Connections

Catherine Ulitsky
Pelham, MA, USA

At first glance, I thought these were drawings of geometric shapes onto photographs. Then I read the titles. 


The black dots are European Starlings in flight (as a flock).
Catherine has painted connections between the birds to show a faceted geometric shape.


So now look at them again with their titles.

 Hadley Starlings (Flock #8) . 2006 . Acrylic and oil on photograph . 22 1/8" x 18 1/2" 1/2"

 Hadley Starlings (Flock #9) . 2006 . Acrylic and gouache on photograph . 22 3/4" x 19"

Hadley Starlings (Flock #10) . 2006 . Acrylic and gouache on photograph . 22 1/8" x 18

Catherine photographs and draws near where she lives in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusestts and in the Hudson River Valley of NY.

See more of her work here.

Exceptional Experience

Nancy Crow Timber Frame Barn Workshops
Baltimore, Ohio USA
If you blink you might miss the Crow farm entrance,

And its refreshing landscape leading you 

 towards Nancy's house

and turn the bend to the Crow Timber Barn Workshop 

 Kitchen/eating area

 Yummy Lunch (all meals where prepared and served by Chef non-pareil, Margaret Boys-Wolf)

(Nancy's Class) 

 Our classroom downstairs

Our classroom downstairs

I spent last week in Southern Ohio at the Crow Timber Frame Barn to attend a workshop given by Terry Jarrard-Dimond. I've written about her here. 

It was an exceptional class filled with well-planned lessons leading us to push our minds forward into thinking about our work and ideas called: What If? Building Pathways to Creative Work

Please click on this link to her blog here to see pic's and read about what we did. 

It was intense. 

It was mind-expanding. 

And I would do it all over again.

You can do it too!

She's teaching at Quilting By the Lake in Syracuse, NY for 5 days

July 18 - 22, 2011

Here's her class description

Terry's coaching and processes for exploration will be the best gift you can give yourself.

Deadline Extended for Entry to Focus: Fiber 2011-12 to MAY 15, 2011

This just in from The Textile Art Alliance of the Cleveland Museum of Art.


Focus: Fiber 2011-12
Juried by Dorothy Caldwell


Deadline for entry EXTENDED to May 15, 2011.
That means all entries must be post marked by May 15, 2011.


You are eligible to enter if you live in one of these 8 U.S. states:


Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Michigan
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
West Virginia


What is Focus: Fiber 2011-12?
A regional juried contemporary exhibit sponsored by The Textile Art Alliance of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Canton Art Museum in Canton, Ohio.

The exhibit will be juried by internationally recognized fiber artist Dorothy Caldwell and will be mounted at the Canton Museum in Canton, Ohio. The Textile Art Alliance will produce a color catalog to accompany the exhibition.

Entries due April 30,2011,  MAY 15, 2011 


To print the prospectus form click here (PDF).


I encourage you to enter! This will be a terrific show.


I previously wrote about Focus Fiber here.

Symmetry

I like to make associations between objects or things observed. 
Chances are you do too. 
Watch the video below for some inspiration.

Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.

A few more threads

I've added a few more stitches on my work in progress. 
Speaking of a which...
The lovely artist, Terry Jarrard-Dimond who I wrote about here has posted a few threads about my work on her blog today.


Her questions made me think more deeply about expressing myself. 


I hope you enjoy the interview and while your at it, stop by her website to gaze upon her show-stopping artwork here.
Thank you Terry. I am overwhelmed with your interest and kind words. 

Working through a Decision

I've had to work on myself lately and work to make a decision about my future.


Whether to keep making stitches  and to continue to help with the care of my aging mother, or to jump into a huge, once-in-a-lifetime, curatorial position that would have been life-altering, challenging and a huge ego-boost, but would have taken me away from my passion. 


These are some of the stitches made while thinking about big changes.

It was painful to decide, ultimately, stitching will continue to sustain me.


So glad I have a community  of artists who support my decision and an amazingly loving and supportive partner who is my rock.

The next map

Continuing the thread I started last week, I'm working on how to translate maps onto fabric.
I posted last week about a project I'm working on here


This is machine stitched work on black linen.


Using my sewing machine with the feed dogs dropped, 
I'm following the GPS trails from the map sent to me by my collaborator. 


Can any one guess what U.S. city this might be?

work on my design board

stitched area @36" wide x 22" high

© C. Mauersberger, 2011

Work in process

I met a woman who studies the way cell phones, computers, and other technologies are helping us connect and become more human in new ways. 


I wrote to her and asked if she'd like to do a collaboration where I will stitch some of her movements through her physical space. 


Sorry can't give away every detail yet. 
But can share some pictures of work in process. 

 Cut paper map, approximate size is 36 x 40 inches

blue and black etching inks

Brayer inked up and ready to roll

 Pieces of fabric after running my cut map parts through the press

 Nine pieces of fabric stitched together

Four corners (detail)

Detail

Next step is to continue to make prints and meditate on the work to decide what whether to stitch, cut, overprint, mark, or none of the above.

I'll share more pic's as the process continues.

Iced Intuition

Little did I know that an ice storm was brewing when I drew this yesterday:

Drawing, 2.20.2011
charcoal on BFK

Outside my door today

Getting Lost in the Marks of Louise Despont

Louise Despont
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
represented by
Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, NYC, NY, U.S.A.

Blue Moon, Pondicherry
67 x 48 inches
Graphite and colored pencil on antique ledger book pages

 Detail 

Blue Moon, Pondicherry

Look at how large the piece is! It was  installed for an exhibition at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

King & Queen, Day
13.5 x 16.5 inches
Graphite and watercolor on antique ledger book pages

Garden Aerial
13.5 x 18.5 inches
Graphite on antique ledger book pages

I have been looking at the work of Louise Despont since I came across it 2 weeks ago and cannot let go of looking.
I long to see it in person and wrote to her to ask for permission to reproduce these images. She graciously agreed.


To me, Louise has created something entirely new whilst simultaneously encouraging the eye to think the work was uncovered from a secret enclave, hidden for hundreds of years. I am awe-struck at the quiet beauty of her marks on antique papers and mesmerized by the mystical nature of the images.


And I want to stitch them, to allow my eye and hand with thread to re-trace the marks she has made on paper. Perhaps I will in a dream one day.


Please visit Louise's website here to view more amazingly complex drawings. Her site is a delight, grab a cup of your favorite tea or coffee and spend some time getting lost in her marks.


Louise studied Semiotics and Studio art in college and completed a Fulbright Research Fellowship in India in 2009-2010. These are just a few interesting tidbits of information about Louise you can find on her CV here.

All images by permission of Louise Despont

© Copyright Louise Despont 2010