Susie Monday . El Cielo Studio

The second annual Texas Museum of Fiber Arts exhibit at the State Capitol was this past Memorial Day weekend. Here are a few pics from the Preview Party, a grand and fun cocktail event in the Lt. Gov's reception room. My FASA colleagues Rachel Ridder Edwards (above with her first prize "Ode to the Majestic"  jacket) and Laura Beehler (below with detail of one of her amazing art cloth pieces) were among the award winners. I didn't get back to see the entire exhibit but hear it was well received. I guess you'll figure out by the pictures I took that I often have trouble feeling at ease at cocktail parties, no matter how good the food! Lots of floor pictures in other words! But what struck me most in this lovely room was the textural riches, the real materials and the kind of Texas pioneer honesty that the room and space embodied. I love that it is well-tended and true to its history, not all gussied up with a 2008 sense of luxury and glamour.

Where have I been? Wrestling with the muse in the studio, my friends. (And setting up newsletter templates for FASA.)

With the deadlines for two shows just over the horizon, I've been working diligently on the design table. Funny thing happens; for two days I cut and laid out fabrics working with the idea of making another medium sized Sirena (mermaid) piece, intended for my exhibit in Rockport. (Coastal town, right, makes sense?) Finally I realized she just was not swimming into the picture -- two small a background perhaps, too strident a color palette. So now what?

Looking around the studio, my eye fell on my "in table" and the bright Mexican embroidered  tablecloth so generously given to me by Donna LoMonoco. A couple of little voices spoke up: "You've been working on the wrong side of the beach. We creatures are ready to dive in." And so they did: two slightly  scary Sea Harpies and a Sun Dog. (I know sun dogs are the little circles of light that come through the tree leaves, but this one is winged and has a rather forked tail.)The piece came together pretty fast after that. And so I seem to have added a new category to the angels, saints and sinners who show up in my work. (They are definitely on the sinner side of things, not really evil, but ready to cause a bit of trouble.)

The lesson, for me, is to know when to quit. And to know where to go for inspiration when I need it. Mexican and other folk art always inspires my eye and my hand. These figures don't look like the animals on the tablecloth, but they share a their shapeliness and quirky form. They are members of the same family, I think.

Sewing is next -- I've this piece and a Stella Maris ready for stitching. I will post after pictures closer to the exhibit dates -- but meanwhile, if you live in the Corpus Christi or Rockport area, I hope you'll put the opening reception on your calendar: Saturday, August 9,  5-7 p.m. at the Rockport Center for the Arts. I'll also be teaching a half-day version of my Field Guide to Color workshop for the Fiber Artists Society of the Art Center of Corpus Christi in Calallen, another small coastal town close to Corpus. That one is 9-1 also on Saturday, and for registration info, call Paula Gron at 361-985-1137.

Destination: Fulton Beach Road, Lamar, Austwell and Aransas Pass National Wildlife Refuge. Accomplishment: Changing the channel, celebrating my 60th, breathing in and breathing out.

I'll post details later when I have more time, but for now, here's a little picture tour of the tour (and a shocking picture of me with red hair.) This little trip to the coast was part biz, part party, mostly just r & r of the best kind -- agenda-proof, timeless wandering, emersion into the natural world from early morning storms to sunsets reflected in the choppy bay waves.

The cabins where we stayed were perfect: The Habitat Bed and Breakfast,  rather rustic, but wonderfully situated about a i/2 mile from the bay and sitting next to a small fresh water lake.

The photos above show my "booth" just before the Fiesta Arts Fair at Southwest School of Art and Craft opened for business. I think I had the best spot in the entire fair -- shade, historical ambiance, music, margaritas within a shout, lots of traffic, memories (I was once actually married right here in this very courtyard) and friends happily tripping through opening Fiesta weekend.

Just a reminder -- while I take my breath, count my blessings and get it together for a full report on the Fiesta Arts Fair.
 Art Biz Coach Alyson Stanfield is stopping by tomorrow on her Blog Tour to promote her new and VERY helpful book: I'd Rather Be in the Studio.

 In case I don't get back to this space later this afternoon, I wanted to make sure you all knew about the tour, and tomorrow will check out her answer to my art business question: Should I have a separate (from my new Gallery website), dedicated website for my teaching and workshops? (And what do you think, loyal readers? Would a separate site make sense? Should I beef up the link on my blog site or develop a separate set of pages within the new Gallery site -- www.susiemonday.com)

Tomorrow, you will also find out how to win a free copy of Alyson's book, and find some links to some of my favorites of the many  blogs, podcasts and other resources that she offers through her on-line teaching and coaching.

Here's the view during the Fair, in a rare quietish moment! Thanks to all of you who stopped in the browse, to Jennifer who took some great professional photos for me, to all of you who purchased aart work rom me or from another artist -- the most direct way to support the arts -- feed an artist! We know you have many choices about how to spend your time, money and energy. Buying art, while certainly not a survival necessity, is, I think,  both a financial and spiritual investment in the future of the planet.