Susie Monday . El Cielo Studio

Remember this soy-wax printed whole cloth little quilt?

The three pieces I featured recently on this blog will be on exhibit at StoneMetal Press in the San Antonio Blue Star Arts Complex for the next six weeks, through March 21. An artist's reception for "All in the FIbers" curated by Jane Bishop is tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and I'll be there with some of my artist friends who also have work in the show. Tomorrow, First Friday, will also feature an opening event as part of the usual First Friday phenomenon -- I'll miss that since I will be in Plano (near Dallas) for the annual Federation of Fiber Artists conference. Stonemetal Press is a gallery/printmaking center with an emphasis (as you might surmise from its name) on printing, and this exhibit features printmaking on fiber surfaces.

For  more information contact the gallery at

StoneMetal Press

Printmaking Center

First Floor, Bldg B

Blue Star Art Complex

1420 South Alamo
San Antonio, TX 78210
210-227-0312

One of Liz Napier's deconstructed pieces in progress-- stitch to be added! 

Kerr with a workshop participant Laura Jeanne Pitts' work behind her.

FASA sponsored an inspiring and energizing workshop this past weekend with Kerr Grabowski. Kerr is known for her lively and creative  art-to-wear, as well as her well-honed techniques -- in particular what she calls "deconstructed" screenprinting. Her methods for using a screen to transfer textural images are fun, freeing and allow for lots of personal expression. All of the participants made wonderful samples and yardage, and I won't be surprised to see how far each person takes the ideas. Kerr is a generous and supportive instructor, willing to share what she has learned from years of experimentation, so that we all benefit from her experience and expertise. Take one of her classes if it ever comes your way! All of us at this one (in the perfect venue at the Southwest School of Art and Craft) were clamoring for another next year -- and plans are already underway to make that happen.

Here are some additional pictures of the workshop and some of the work -- sorry if I get the artist name wrong, just send me an email for corrections. I don't have time to upload all 50 photos (and that might task your interest), but Kerr promised to publish others on her site as well. 

Mary Ann Johnson's exploration of texture and shape.

Diane Sandler's yummy piece of work using deconstructed screenprinting and drawing with dye. 

*If  you have a passion for making art cloth, like small group networking, and see a trip to New Jersey in your future!

The deadline is coming up for Art Cloth Network membership applications -- February 15 -- and I just realized that although I had sent the notice out on line and onto various lists, I had not actually put a dedicated post on the blog.  There's still time if you are interested in making and learning more about making art cloth to send in an application. You need not be an expert, but you do need a desire to make art cloth as a genre unto itself, and you will need a few shots of fabric to use in your applications. New members are being sought to fill few vacant spots in this group limited to 25 members, nation wide. We propose and produce exhibitions dedicated to art cloth, maintain a website and meet about every 9 months for wrangling, sharing, teaching, learning and having a stimulating and interesting meeting. Because of the size of the group, and our intention to serve as supportive peers to one another, the face-to-face gatherings have proved essential to really getting benefit from the organization. Applicants for this round of membership must commit to attending the next meeting, Sept. 4-7 in New Brunswick, N.J.

Second commercial message: If you are in the San Antonio area -- or need a midwinter vacation -- and want to add a technique to your surface design tool box, I will be teaching a soy wax workshop at the Southwest School of Art and Craft on February . The piece at the beginning of this post, and the one at the end  both use soy wax screenprinting and soy wax batik to create their fluid and richly layered imagery. Register by going to the school's link

Line Collection, 2008

I have a question for all of you: I have been thinking a great deal about my "mission" and my "business." Although making art is very important to me, even more important (in a life mission kind of way) is my commitment to helping others develop and strengthen their own creative and unique "voices." That's why I teach in the ways I do, and why I usually end up doing the other consulting in arts ed fields that I do. 

I make, exhibit and sell art in order to have credibility to my main "audience," which at this time in my life is other artists, often it seems, other women artists who work in fibers. And, because personally, I NEED to make the art I make to feel whole and fulfilled at a spiritual level. But, in honest truth, my driving motivation is not making the cover of Art in America or hanging on the walls of the American Museum of Craft or turning up on the Today Show as some kind of superartist. I don't have that kind of ambition or singlemindedness! I have entered enough juried shows to know that I can sometimes get in and that it has more to do with what show and what juror than it does with the quality of my work. I have a style and a body of work that is evolving fast enough and consistently enough that I don't feel stale or stuck. And I think what I do is a pretty good example of an artist finding her style and voice.

As I sort through the expenses and income of the past year (and I do need to make a living doing this or some other work) I am thrilled to find that the workshops here at El Cielo Studio have been successful both creatively and financially. And, that those workshops that are less technique oriented and more conceptually dealing with artistic and creative growth are the ones that seem to be the most in demand.

I have had the idea of perhaps also offering some kind of "creativity coaching" or maybe even an on-line course that would help emerging and developing artists locate, develop and strengthen their one-of-a-kind visions -- finding a style or "voice" that has at its foundation their unique perceptions and process of work. The point would be to move some of these emerging artists more quickly along the path from being dabblers and workshop junkies and pattern followers to finding their own most powerful areas of creative "production," whether their goal is selling, exhibiting or just for personal enjoyment. My work with children and teachers for the past 35 years has had this kind of approach at its core, based on my early work in the  "Integration of Abilities"course,  the children's theater work, and late Learning about Learning, with my mentors Jearnine Wagner and Paul Baker.

What do you think? How could I make this work? Do you think there is a potential market for this kind of coaching? It would differ from traditional coaching in that much of the work would be hands-on assignments, with the "clients" sending  images of their work (or posting them) for feedback, direction, analysis and critique. I think that some kind of "group setting" for this kind of work will be best, because sometimes the things people need to see and recognize about their personal approach and individual style is best seen in contrast to what others are doing. So some form of on-line group with lists, photos to post etc, seems called for. However, with a recent book study group that I set up on the social networking site  NING, it's been obvious that MANY people (of a certain age anyway) have a resistance to using  more complex internet interfaces, and don't feel comfortable about poking their way around to learn new interactions. Maybe an orientation session would solve that problem?

Anyhow, this is as excited as I have felt in a long time about a possibility for my work. I'm getting those tingly little feelings that either mean it's a good idea, or that whether it is or not, I better try out a version somehow and see how it flies.

 I plan to participate in a new online course/group, the Artist Breakthrough Program,  offered by Alyson Stanfield, ArtBizCoach, with this idea as the core product to plan during a 28-day online format (if I get accepted). That should give me more experience in the nuts and bolts and possibilities of the online group, too.

Anyhow, I'd love your feedback and comments. If you were going to take part in this kind of thing, how would you like to see it work?

Texture collection, 2008 

Meanwhile, back from future plans to the world of almost-right-now, I have a new session of Independent Study starting at the Southwest School of Art and Craft. I am planning on opening each session of studio work with a short creativity lesson session and a quickie demo of a new or underused surface design technique. The school's facilities for doing large dye and print work are superb -- each participant will have a full 4 foot by 8 foot print table for her or his work. If you live in the San Antonio area, consider signing up for this 6-week course on Friday mornings, through Feb. 28.  (And there are a few spots left still in the next two El Cielo Workshops -- Feb. and March. )