Heading north again...

This weekend I'll be heading north to Amherst again to visit with best pal Katie (that's IF the weather cooperates...)We are planning to drive to NY State...into the Hudson River Valley region to visit a very cool place called Dia Beacon. The Dia Foundation has lots and lots of goodies in this museum...everything from Joseph Bouys to Richard Serra (Katie's personal favorite). I'm worried with all this snow, however. It's proving to be a very nasty New England winter and shows no signs of slowing up. The roads are never clean enough and driving can be tricky.
This will be my second trip to Dia. The first time I went with classmates in graduate school. I remember some of what we saw, but it's tough when you are pressed for time and traveling with 10 other folks. We stopped on the way back to see the gigantic sculptures in Storm King. Some of the pieces are a little dated but awe inspiring anyway, due to the size of some of these structures.

I'll be blogging back when the trip is over. Happy New Year!

Ghost Babies

This past weekend BFF Katie and I spent some time hanging some installations around the western part of Massachusetts and Vermont. Starting in North Amherst (Katie's town) we hung up the baby heads at various points along Mill and State Streets. Attached to signs, poles, and fences, the Ghost Babies seemed to be appreciated by the passers-by on foot and riding bikes. A few even disappeared within a few hours, which tells me some interested collectors helped themselves and for this, I am happy.

Afterwards we jumped into the car and drove an hour north into Brattleboro Vermont. A lovely little town, we enjoyed the parade that was happening (a protest against the re-opening of the nuclear power plant nearby) that came complete with some awesome music and costumes. We shopped, toured, and had Indian food for lunch (awesome..yum!). Afterwards, Katie discovered the town's multi-tiered parking garage that looked like a good place to hang some Ghost Babies. It turned out to be a terrific spot, as they could be seen from many different vantage points.

It was an unlikely location but it turned
out to be an excellent choice. It was a long day, so we headed back to Katie's to make plans for the final installation, which we decided would take place the following day in the little town of Amherst, Massachusetts. For those who have never visited Amherst, it's a quaint little town that is surround by Umass Amherst, Amherst College, Smith College, and a few other Higher Ed institutions. It is the quintessential little New England town. There are not many places like this left here in New England, and I am happy that I can visit it often. Katie came through again with the great idea of dressing up the trash cans in town, but unfortunately, not everyone was happy about it. They lasted less than two hours on the cans, as some person ripped them off and tossed them into the trash. Katie has an idea that it was the work of the "crazy guy" who takes it upon himself to clean up the streets and the sidewalks. He is seen everyday around town obsessing over what he thinks of as "His Domain". He apparently didn't see the rest of the installations, as the babies in the tree are still hanging as of this post. We wondered about this, and then decided that the man probably never looks up. He is concerned with a tidy street and sidewalk and that's all. Luckily.

Project Tea Bag

Last Wednesday evening at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Gardens in Providence, RI, the Tea kimono (1000 Tea Bags) made its debut. Groundworks Providence, a non-profit grassroots organization that supports programs and public gardens in Providence held it's 7th annual fashion show fundraiser. Recycled Fashions were the stars of the evening, as volunteers modeled clothing out of alternative materials like bear tabs, magazines, shower curtains, and, you guessed it, old tea bags. The gala was well attended, including some local notables like Providence Mayor David Ciccolini and a handful of other celebs like Karen Adams from Channel 12 news. It was a fabulous evening and I give much credit to all the folks who worked so hard to organize and put the show together. I may just design something new for next year.....

Dampness is the Enemy or Tea Bags in the Wind

Last week while getting some work out of the basement to bring to the studio I detected a not-so-faint odor of mold on my tea quilt piece (Loss of Comfort) and decided to hang it on the line for a while. I am happy to report that it was not damaged in anyway and the moldy smell has faded. I was heart-sick at the prospect of never showing this piece again. It took 3-4 months of hard work to complete it and I was not ready to destroy it.

Open Studios

It was a very long weekend here at the Paper Girls Studio. Pawtucket Open Studios was this past weekend...3 days of showing work to the masses looking for decorative items and not much else. But, to give credit, I did have a few people come through who were genuinly interested in seeing and talking about ART. I even made a few connections...maybe something lucritive in the college-level teaching area....
Colleen and I decide not to stay open for Friday evening. She was at a wedding in neary Newport while I went home after a long day of teaching in Worcester then cleaning up and hanging work here. Needless to say, good buddy and neighbor Michael said he was open all Friday night and had a scant 6 visitors. So, it would appear that I made the right decision not to open.
Saturday was our best day...we had some friends stop in for coffee and., although sadly missing on the weekend were long lost friends and comrades Kerry and Justin. They were sadly sadly missed. I had an extra special caffine beverage for Justine....
Also missed were close friends and compatriots Rachel and John. Hmmmm...makes me wonder....have I offended anyone lately?
I don't know if I will repeat this next year...I'll have to wait and see.

Stuff & Junk

The long awaited moment has finally arrived here at the Paper Girls...studio mate Colleen has finally moved in, part and parcel, all set up and ready to rip out some awesome conceptual stuff!

I, on the other hand, have done NOTHING for weeks! Artist block...hell-O!!!! To fill in my days here, I have been teaching myself some new stitchery techniques. I have made french seams, baby seams, strip seams, handmade bound buttonholes and a handful of other stuff. Sewing is one of the most relaxing processes in my varied repertoire. As you can see, Colleen's side of the studio is lovely and nice..my side is very messy. She is making me look bad!!!

Coming up here at the studio...Pawtucket Open Studios September 19-21. Colleen and I are giving papermaking demos...hoping to sign up some folks for classes in the fall and winter.

Please come! We'll have food and drink.....and some cool stuff for sale. Here is the link to check out who's participating so far . We expect lots of folks to come through here that weekend.

http://www.pawtucketopenstudios.com/artist_directory_200804.php

1000 Tea Bags

At loooooong last I have finished the teabag kimono piece. I think I started it when the weather was still cold! I am trying to pin down a date, but it was so long ago I simply don't remember. Suffice it to say that in the winter of 2007 I began a monumental project that I finished just last evening with the compilation of images into a film short.

1000 Tea Bags is part of my on-going obsession of "trying to find comfort in an uncomfortable world".

Construction began with a large piece of tulle which I fashioned into a kimono. From there, my
mom and I drank over 1000 cups of Tetley tea. ("Tetley makes it Better"...no?) I hand sewed the bags, tea and all, to the tulle. When I finished, I was not satisfied with it. It was very heavy and as a result stretched out the form quite a bit, so I decided to cut out all the tea. What I ended up with was what I had initially envisioned. A light, airy, free-flowing garment that was totally impractical. I also ended up with 2 additional pieces; an installation of the residue of the tea that was drained from the robe, as well as a simple film/performance.

Look for the kimono on the runway this September. "Runway Earth" is a fund raising event that benefits GROUNDWORKS PROVIDENCE, the community gardens in many Providence neighborhoods. The fashions in this show are all produced with recycled materials. It was fortuitious that I should be making this piece when the call for art/fashions went out.

Watch the abridged version of the performance below. Enjoy the show!

A New Lease on Life

Today was a big day for The Paper Girls...we signed the lease for the new space at 250 Eston Street, then walked about the place to explore. We discovered how to use the ancient freight elevator, (that was scary...we thought we would be locked in at one point!) found a new place to park, and found a very convenient back door leading right to that parking lot. We also found a very nice backyard courtyard in that very same spot. Nice! June 1st is the target moving date. They are renovating the studio and bringing everything up to code in the meantime. I've got my movers in place (brother and nephew...they are the best!) and I am just itching to get there.
Colleen and I also found another few things in common. We both came from very humble beginnings, and our moms discouraged us from being artists when we were kids...just so we wouldn't have to depend on anyone for anything. We were encouraged to either get careers and make good money or get married...or both. So we waited until we were much older before fulfilling our destinies.
Colleen's mom stated that she didn't want her going to art school as a teenager, because she feared she would end up poor and starving and pictured her standing on the sidewalk selling 'pencils', of all things. My mom stated that exact same thing, except she switched the word 'pencils' to 'pots'. (Back in the day, I used to love ceramics). After discovering this and having a good laugh, Colleen decided that "Pencils and Pots" was an omen that predated our meeting at The Massachusetts College of Art and Design back in 1997. Learning this was a most fortuitous moment, to say the least.
We have decide that since our beginnings are so similiar, the name "Pencils and Pots Studio" will grace our back door, whilst "The Paper Girls Studio" will grace our front entrance. I have a feeling that over time, we will come to love our new designation, and at some point, we will move it to the front.

The Making of a New Studio

After wrestling with the idea of moving to bigger digs, I came to the conclusion that having more space to work was more important than keeping a little gallery that went largely unused. Closing The Paper Girls Studio and Art Gallery was a difficult decision, but one that needed to be made. Rather than promoting other artists work, I have decided that I need to focus on my own career and in order to embrace that entirely, I needed a bigger studio. So, it's goodbye to 100 s.f. of cramped, dark quarters, and hello to 1135 s.f. of glorious, sunny space...with it's own bathroom no less

Since the gallery will be closed, I am intending on shutting down the website as well. I will show all the latest and greatest works right here on the The Paper Girls Studio Blog. Joining me in my new digs will be the Other Paper Girl, close friend/sister/confidant/awesome artist Colleen Lowe, whom I welcome back into the fold of my life with open arms. Together we will be creating some awesome art, and hopefully, some interesting dialog.