The Amazing Felted Works of Stephanie Metz

Last month, when I was preparing for a needle felting demo at Washington & Jefferson College, I came across the work of Stephanie Metz. I hadn't ever heard of her before and I was blown away. She does great things with wool....even drawing on paper! It becomes something else entirely in her skilled hands.

Check out the images below adn then visit her website for more...



To Tallahassee and back again...

It has been a busy few weeks...as evident in my sorely neglected blog.  I have been doing some traveling for exhibitions - the first of which I am excited to share today.

Last year, I applied to be in a fibers exhibition at Florida State University. I was rejected (sigh!) but along the way, my work made it in front of the eyes of Dr. Viki D. Thompson Wylder. It turned out she was curating another exhibition simultaneously...one  in which my work fit perfectly! She invited me to be part of her exhibition, "Coming Out of the Closet: Clothing as an Emergent Art Form" at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science in Tallahassee, Florida.

Of course, I was thrilled at this opportunity. The show opened on November 4th and will be up through February 26th, 2012.

My piece "Rag Rug" along with two small drawings on the gray wall to the left!

A huge dress made of velvet and a pool of blue organza by Beverly Semmes.

Amazing stapled steel wool garments by Lydia Friedland

One of my favorites, Red Sisters, by Priscilla Roggenkamp

A collection of dresses and shoes by Linda Hall...the fragile and delicate tissue paper seems like skin.

Guerra De La Paz

Thin Dresses by Priscilla Roggenkamp

The striking Heritage/Inheritance by Laine Wyatt fit the curved space perfectlty.

When I walked through the doors of the exhibition, my jaw dropped. I felt like I was surrounded by a long lost family of like-minded artists. It was great to meet so many of them at the opening.  The experience was very inspiring to say the least.

It was also great (mostly in retrospect :) ) to drive the long trek from Kansas to Florida. I forget just how massive this country is and how distinct its regions are. I met a lot of nice people and even saw some manatees and gators! 

Powerlineflyers

powerlinerflyers from wesley johnson on Vimeo.


This morning, I got to my desk and performed my usual ritual...checking in on my favorite blogs. One of my latest favorites, Geninne's Art Blog, had this amazing video as its latest post. Awesome. I just have to repost it.

And I guess I should spend a little more time browsing Vimeo.

Something new at last....

This is a new piece I have been working on, "Uprooted".  It is made from Creative brand paper clay, roots from my garden, pastels, graphite, a scrap of silk I dyed pink, and good old fashioned paste wax. 

Paste wax over pastel is quickly becoming one of my favorite techniques. It is shiny but not too shiny... protective but not overly artificial and plastic feeling. I put it on, let it sit, and buff it to my desired level of sheen.

This piece is 12" tall. I have been trying and trying to make something small that is not cute. This has proven much more difficult than expected. In retrospect, maybe I should have anticipated small and cute being so intertwined...just think of all the kittens, puppies, babies, bunnies, dolls, etc. out there... they are usually small and usually cute!

Anyway, back to the studio for me. More new work is on its way.



Website Update: Special Projects & Commercial Work

Details of "Pumpkin Getaway" - Created and auctioned for fundraiser

Embroidery Project: "Badges" stiched and then photographed for use in credit union marketing campaign

Android Costume: Constructed from foam, window screen, acrylic fleece, felt, and various materials. Designed to stand out from the crowd at engineering tradeshows and conferences.

Munny Project: Modified munny doll with false eyelashes and hand-spun wool yarn.

I have been working on trying to update my poor neglected website. For starters, I created a new page for "Special Projects and Commercial Work". This is my new home for everything I do that isn't purely "my art". By that, I mean things I create that have outside rules or frameworks imposed on them. Sometimes the rules come from clients. Other times competitions or special exhibition guidelines. While I tend to gravitate toward pure creative freedom, the opportunities are often good challenges and sometimes they even pay!

So please take a peek; there's a lot more to see. Also, I am always on the lookout for new projects. Please contact me if you have something in mind.

I'm Still Here...

In my studio...

It has been a long, long, time. I am happy to report I have not been kidnapped or killed; I've just been busy, really busy.

I have tales to tell, artwork to post, and pictures to share. It's coming soon!

Until then, here is a shot from my studio...the shelf full of thimbles and these iridescent green salt shakers I've been hoarding for years.

Looking Around: Sandy Orgel



Linen Closet by Sandy Orgel, 1972

 Now that I am looking through my disorganized image files, I've come across another piece that changed everything for me when I first saw it. This is "Linen Closet" by Sandy Orgel. It was installed in Womanhouse in 1972. Womanhouse was a women-only art installation and performance organized by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro, co-founders of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) Feminist Art Program.

This simple piece is powerful. Orgel accomplishes so much with an economy of means. The relationship between the manequin and the shelves is everything. The shelves cutting through the woman - decapitating her. They also seem like horizontal bars of a cage.  As I think more about this work, I can also contemplate the woman and the closet as part of each other. The woman, like the closet, is built into the home. While Orgel does not present a positive portrayal of this relationship, the relationship is there none the less as is increasingly important to me. My continually developing and changing understanding of my role as a woman keeps me engaged in this piece.