Last week I dropped off several of my latest art pieces at
By Hand Gallery, closing the door on my frenetic efforts to build an inventory
for fall shows and holiday events. Two
weeks ago I was still preparing for the Artisan’s Guild show at the Convention Center
while I was organizing my exhibit in the Roger’s Room titled ‘Nature to
Nurture.’ The events were a lot of fun,
as usual. It gives me the opportunity to
chat with people that I don’t normally connect with during the year. My newest tiles were well received by the
passers by, and I think that people were happy to see the smaller format. We chatted about the concept behind them, which
is valuing the smaller things in life.
In the end, they’re what really matters. The Rogers Room lies across the hall from my
booth, so I very much enjoyed participating in the opening reception for my
exhibit. A special thanks to Patty Russo
for all she did to make it successful and her ongoing support. The exhibit’s title, 'Nature to Nature,' really
tells the story of the exhibit. The
layout begins with sky and water themes and moves to pieces that feature landscapes
and trees. It transitions into compositions
that imagine how we interact with agriculture and gardening, ending with a
bounty of fruits and vegetables.
I added
a tiled display of individual vegetables that I’m thinking of as visual
recipes, but focusing on the individual vegetable on its own highlights how
each plant is important and contributes to greater things. It speaks to the bounty that we really have
in this community.
Closing the door on my shows brought me back to the reality of
my last workshop for the year. I spend
months organizing and collecting materials for each workshop, but there’s
always a last minute push to be sure I have enough looms and unique materials
for each exploration of weaving techniques.
I had an enthusiastic group of weavers on Saturday that were energized
and ready to create! It’s funny because
it is always a challenge when I have weavers as participants. Asking them to break from the rules and move
away from straight lines and strict edges brings out a saucer eyed look. I ask them to trust me—we’ll all hold hands
and jump off the bridge together. You
might scrape your knees, and the cold water is a shock, but it will be worth
it! I was delighted to see them
experimenting by combining different weights of yarn, weaving structures and
throwing the concept of straight lines to the wind.
I feel like I can offer them a bunch of new
tools for their artistic toolboxes and I can’t wait to see what comes from
their experience. As always, however, the
best part of my adventures is coming home.
Saturday night night was no exception.
My family delayed dinner to surprise me with a delightful feast of
ginger glazed salmon, fresh salad, rice and a still warm apple pie made from
local golden delicious apples that Jim bought at the farmer’s market.
Now I can rest! OK,
maybe not. I need to put the Pippin
costumes to bed and begin organizing fabrics, trim, props and everything else for
next year’s adventure. One of the
participants at the workshop asked me what I do in my spare time—what’s my
hobby? Creating art is my career and my
hobby. It just fills my life. It’s what I love to do. And I have such a wonderful family to support
me in all my adventures!
Until next week,
Martina Celerin
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