Gayle A. Pritchard's Blog, page 13

October 28, 2009

Speaking of Engagements

The weeks go by, and I can't seem to keep up with my work, my emails, my friends. Oh, and yes, my blog. Last Friday I came down with the flu, always an unwelcome occurance to a busy person. Sigh. I don't think it was the swine flu, although I never got into the doctor's office to find out for sure. I just hunkered down for the past five days and waited to feel better.
Since I am a person who would practially have to be forced to stay in bed, I putzed around the house, organizing in my...
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Published on October 28, 2009 06:20

October 19, 2009

Compositional Conversations

Just a quick note to say that my portion of the Compositional Conversations has been posted on the group's blog: http://studio24-7.blogspot.com/2009/10/compositional-conversation-stage-nine.html?showComment=1255965935522#c817773486993471689

Feel free to add your comments. The piece passes from artist to artist, each one having it for a week to work on. The goal is not to resolve the composition, but to converse figuratively, artistically and mentally with the piece as you receive it. Enjoy!
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Published on October 19, 2009 08:26

October 18, 2009

Busy is good, right?

Color me! Artist as Quiltmaker entrant Susan Shie brings smiles and happiness everywhere she goes. She added this to the back of her entry envelope.

My busy week began last Saturday in Oberlin, Ohio. I arrived at the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts to meet the Artist as Quiltmaker XIV juror, Carolyn Mazloomi, and the generous volunteers who came to help me, the curator, with the image jury for the exhibition.

Some of the Artist as Quiltmaker XIV entries, organized for the Image...
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Published on October 18, 2009 08:54

October 3, 2009

More Experiments and Preparing for The Artist as Quiltmaker IV


Unopened piles of entries for The Artist as Quiltmaker IV
This week, my role as curator of The Artist as Quiltmaker exhibition kicked into high gear. The second oldest, longest running venue for viewing art quilts in the world, this exhibition was conceived of in 1979 by quilt historian Ricky Clark. She had gone to see the very first Quilt National in Athens, Ohio, and was inspired by what she saw. As one of a group of people working to create an arts center in Oberlin, Ohio, Ricky knew...
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Published on October 03, 2009 13:00

September 27, 2009

Experiments in Construction and Composition

Magic Baby reversible overalls experiment

I am swimming in experiments. This past week, as I try to design my fall and winter etsy line, I finished up my first reversible overalls prototype. The design is very cute, with two bodices to play with and a cute crossed back strap.
I pieced one side using a recycled wide wale corduroy blouse and some fun, striped cotton upholstery left over from making pillow case edges years ago.
On the reverse, I used a decorator-weight cotton sateen in light...
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Published on September 27, 2009 06:33

September 20, 2009

Into the Swing of Things

Home, one of my mixed media paintings

This past week, my life slowly began to return to normal. As I have written before, in my world, family comes first. Over the past month, family duties called, and frequently! My primary duty has been as nurse to my husband, as he recovered from foot surgery. Between carting ice bags, food, a guitar, laptop, tea and water up and down the stairs of our home, I had little time to think about work. When I wanted to work, I had to find alternatives to...
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Published on September 20, 2009 07:05

September 5, 2009

Finding Your Soul Through Your Hands and More Fall Fiber Exhibitions


This past week I heard a great interview on PBS by Jeffrey Brown of author Matthew Crawford. Crawford's new book, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work sounds like a great read. It is about the value of making things and doing things with our hands. I can't wait to read it. I also can't help but think it represents the current societal trend, as happened in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, of re-learning how to be a maker. Once again, people across the world are turning to...
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Published on September 05, 2009 07:57

August 29, 2009

Fiber Art Exhibits Gearing Up for Fall, Part 1


One of the joys of looking through the mail is receiving invitations from artist friends and colleagues for their upcoming exhibitions. This is the season for new fiber art exhibitions, and this fall will be no exception. Visiting art exhibits is self-stimulating. It is also a fact that, especially in our field, other fiber artists eschew petty jealousies and competitiveness, instead appearing at openings from near and far to see other fellow artists, and to be supportive of those whose work is

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Published on August 29, 2009 06:28

August 23, 2009

Cleaning Out Our Attics

These are fish napkin holders. They arrived in Saturday's mail, carefully wrapped and shipped USPS Priority Mail. Inside the box was a note from a dear college friend I had seen earlier in the week. She was in town from Paris visiting her elderly parents, and they had been cleaning out the attic of their family home. The never-used fish napkin holders, gifted to her parents long ago, had sat boxed up in the attic for years, waiting to be re-gifted to someone who still uses cloth napkins. That s
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Published on August 23, 2009 08:34

August 12, 2009

Nose to the Grindstone

Alright now, seriously. It's been almost a month since my last blog post.

Okay, seriously. That sounds like a confession to a priest in a movie. It's true, however. My life is not a movie. It only feels like one sometimes.

This is just a quick note to say hello, and to let you know that I have been working so much, and such long hours, that I haven't had the energy to think of anything clever to share. I will try to catch up with my sweet and kind readers soon.

In the meantime, happy August, and ba
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Published on August 12, 2009 14:57