Lots of creative flow in the Creek these days

Color Creek is in the News!

The Creek and Mary are in the news in Grand Junction. Thank you Sherida Werner for your lovely article and for bringing attention to my work and Color Creek-Fiber Art.  http://www.gjsentinel.com/lifestyle/articles/fiber-explorer-revels-in-her-creative-journeys

Upcoming: Lecture for the Colorado West Quilter’s Guild on Wednesday the 8th at 7 pm at the First Christian Church, 1326 N. First St. Nominal fee for nonmembers.

Upcoming: Milestones, a Fine Art Show & Sale  Thursday, February 23rd  Exhibit Hours: 11 am – 7 pm Reception: 5 – 7 pm
Two Rivers Winery Chateau 2087 Broadway Silent Auction, too! http://www.artspacecolorado.org/

Upcoming: Introduction to Silk Painting at the Blue Pig in Palisades. February 25th, 1-4 pm $46.00. All supplies included, just come and enjoy the art of flowing color on silk.

The Art Center Members’ Take the Building.

If you are around Grand Junction please head to the Art Center to not only take in an extraordinary show but also vote for your favorite work.  Voting ends Feb. 11th.  Of course I hope you will vote for either Streaming the Veins of the Earth or At the Confluence of Time as a favorite.

 Awards announced Second Saturday at Art Student League gathering Feb. 11, 12:00pm.

 The University Fibers course is going well. I’ve a great group of students who are beginning to explore the world of Dyes and thinking about their projects. Some are headed to dyeing and adding surface design to their clothes to a piece of fabric or to fabric to be made into clothing. Very exciting to watch them open to color, combinations and a whole other world.  We’ll finish this unit in another couple of weeks and then on to wool and silk fibers.

Color Creek is getting a bit more room

Color Creek is moving to the larger space within the current studio.  That means taking over the “teaching space” and converting to both teaching and work space. Jenny Aldoretto will then be able to rent out my old space to yet another artist bringing the community to four.  Wendy Gill in collage, Amy Kuper in mixed and fiber medias are already working in the space.

I’m branching out to doing some volunteer work for the University’s Moss Theater in the costume department as well as some dyework on the costumes. That gets me back working in an area I truly love.  It was great fun figuring out how to make giant peacock feather fans for 4 Follies Girls to wear.

The first Art-O-Me class was so fun!

The joint movement and dye silk class ended up as just dyeing the silk since it was way too cold to go outside for movement. That didn’t inhibit any of the groups from doing some wonderful colors. Here are some photos for you to enjoy.

Two of our three youngest painters

Drying the Fabric (helping)

Suzi and Sophie and Stella Flying

Drying another piece outdoors

Drying the fabric outside in the sun

Tis the New Year and it is all things Fiber

News of the day

Colorado Mesa University just hired me to teach their Fibers course for the spring semester. Filling in for Karen Traber who has gone to California for 4 months.  I love this opportunity. From my perspective I am bringing in something new to the students ( who have had an Art Quilter and a Fibers person before) – the concept of dyeing and texture on fabrics ) or fibers.  This is going to be a blast of a good time.

Three very fine shows coming up. Two in Denver and one here in the Grand Valley at the GJ Art Center.

Red Rock Community College

RRCC’s Susan K. Arndt Gallery

The State of the Art-A Fiber Art Show

Art Institute of Colorado

Facets of Fibers

John Jellico Gallery
1200 Lincoln St.
Denver, CO, 80203

Western Colorado Art Center

The Art Center Members Exhibit 2012
Members Take Building!
Exhibit runs February 3 – February 24
First Friday opening is February 3, 7 pm – 9 pm
Sponsored by Chuck and Kendra McDaniels, and Ron Beckman

 

Teaching at the Blue Pig.  I will be teaching the Introduction to Silk Painting course at the Blue Pig in Palisade, February 25th 1-4 pm. $45.00 includes all supplies.

While we are on February happenings: I’m giving a presentation to the Colorado West Quilter’s Guild February 8th in the evening. The topic covers transition of my work from beginning to now focusing on the changes and what caused them. First Christian Church, 1326 North 1st Street, GJ, CO 81501 (map)

I’ve joined TAFA, an online Fiber Artist website that features a wide variety of incredibly fine artists who produce all kinds of incredible art.  Head to my profile for Color Creek-Fiber Art, but don’t stop there. Browse around the site. If you are another Fiber Artist – you might want to join up while you are there.

 

Finally, the article I wrote for this month’s Colorado SDA Blog.

In the business of Creating Visual Marketing Plans

Self-promotion and marketing are two topics that most of us who sell our art find difficult to get our heads around.  The world is full of business plans, self-help and marketing plans that don’t seem to apply to those of us who are independent artists with vaguely defined markets.

Established teaching studios, wholesale production and trade show artists tend to have something solid to promote with dates and times or niche markets with their own additional publicity.  It is the artwork “without a niche” that is the trickiest to promote.

What are the marketing options for fiber artists and how effective are they?  Galleries, fairs and local markets, art walk installations, websites, social media, print or general media, donations to non-profit art auctions or word-of-mouth.  All have a role in building an art reputation and together can make up a formidable name-recognition machine.  But the downside is that they do little towards actually developing a financial base.

I can identify the “career woman between 30 and 60 earning $60,000 per year” as a target market for my hand-painted silk scarves, but where does that woman and others like her find the opportunity to buy my work? The bewildering array of marketing opportunities that is capable of getting my scarves in front of my target market is too broad and too varied to be of real value.  Unless I can create or find specific market niches for those scarves that get them in front of the women who might buy them, I will continue to be stuck in a marketing vortex.

If I sit and try to write a marketing plan I find it impossible to break out of my mental ruts of the broken record rotating the same target markets and the same marketing opportunities ad nauseam.

Developing a written marketing plan was not getting me anywhere so I looked for a visual technique that would get me the same result.  I decided to look back through the years of work photographs and isolate them into photo journals that reminded me of different market categories.  The theater work redefined itself as interior spaces; the painted scarves transformed into curtains while also fitting into a journal for high-end dress shops specializing in art to wear. This tremendously powerful exercise allowed me to expand outwards beyond the confinement of my mental boundaries and gain fresh perspective and redefinitions for my art.

The photo journals help me define new avenues for marketing that move me away from the places that either haven’t worked or are financial dead ends.  They allow me to be fresh in my presentations to new partners and to provide visual explanations for the type of fiber work I am capable of producing.  Most importantly, visualizing or defining my work in new niches gives me the confidence to approach markets I would never have dreamed possible.

 

Tis the Season for Color & Shows

Facets of Fiber

January 20th-February 26th. Surface Design Association Colorado Member show at Art Institute of Colorado Gallery in Denver CO.  This is the best work from a dynamic organization of skilled Fiber Artists.  This will be a truly beautiful and worthwhile show to see if you are in the Denver area. I’ll be posting more details later.

Wrapped in the Fabric of Space

Western Colorado Center for the Arts

The Art Center’s Member Show is scheduled to open Friday, February 3rd with an opening reception 7-9 pm.  The show will remain open until February 25th. 1803 North 7th Street, Grand Junction, CO

Alaska Fiber Festival Wearable Art Show – In the Eye of the Beholder

Come on – get your designing hats on and get some garments to Alaska. $1,500 in prizes and a chance to let your imaginations roll.  For details and forms click on the Alaska Fiber Festival link.

In the Eye of the Beholder

Special Felting Workshop

Felted with “gals who own Alpacas” in the Grand Valley. Leah of the Horse Mountain Alpacas plus her two friends Mary Jo and Amy brought in some beautiful alpaca wool and felted some beautiful bags and scarves. We didn’t get to the hats, but that can be next time.

• Just a reminder that anyone can set up a special class at Color Creek in a variety of subjects.

Art Installation for BuzzTown.com

Getting ready to do an art installation in BuzzTown.com a web service company that provides an umbrella google service to their Grand Valley clients.  Photos coming at a different time.

In the Business of Dreaming the Impossible

 Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
(Through the Looking Glass)

Winter Solstice is earth’s rhythmic shift back towards the sun and returning light.  It is the time of promise for new ideas, and creative dreaming.  It is also the time we tend to fray our own edges with holiday preparation, work and worry about what we haven’t done, can’t do or don’t have time to think about.

My goal this time of year is to do my best to dream the impossible and see that it happens. I want to turn off or at least tune down that inner critique that says “there’s no use trying” and get on with the practice of losing the dual millstones of fret and worry.

In fact, several impossible things have come about for me.  I thought it impossible that my artwork would or could grace a clothing line.  That opportunity is in its budding stage.  I thought it impossible that my installation art would be useful as designs for interior office and home spaces. That opportunity is in its budding stage.  I thought it impossible that I would find space to work that I could afford. That opportunity became reality – and added bonus- fully stocked for a fiber artist.

 “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where–” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. “–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation. “Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
(Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)

 The second part of this wonderful time of year is dreaming the path for the time coming up.  It is very true that if we walk long enough we’ll arrive somewhere but how often do we end up not where we want to be but where someone else wants us to be?  Without that knowledge of direction it becomes very easy to create a path that forever winds back on itself rather than connecting to other paths.  It’s the hardest question I have to ask myself.  Where do I truly want to go with my art (business, life)?  Once I choose my destination than I’m free to enjoy the journey with its many paths and characters I find along the way.

As the light returns I will practice dreaming the impossible even if it is only seconds a day.  I’ll be up to six impossible things before breakfast by the time spring equinox rolls around.  I’ll also dream of my destinations so that I don’t have to worry about which paths I need to take; allowing myself the luxury to take pleasure in knowing they are the right ones.

Here’s wishing you joy and good dreaming now and in the New Year.  I look forward to seeing you next year when we cross paths on the way to our respective destinations.

the Holiday fun is just beginning

Stuff that’s fun.

Color Creek loves Ted.com. If you haven’t tapped into Ted.com for ideas and wonderful discussions covering the world of the arts, sciences, philosophy, education, economics and so forth and so on – then you are missing an essential part of life. Here is an example of one of the discussions – Beatrice Coron on the art of cutting stories from paper. Please sit back and watch.

Here’s a link to a great Felter, Sculpture and all around great artist Claudia Knous out of Nevada.

Coming up soon

• Fruita Christmas Arts & Crafts show coming up this Saturday, December 3rd at the Fruita Recreation Center. 10 am-4 pm. Color Creek will be there along with my friend Gjeneve Hopkins. We’re sharing a booth and would love to see you there.
• Intro to Silk Painting: December 6th, 11:30-2:30 and 5:30-8:30 at Color Creek-Fiber Art.
• Intro to Batik: December 8th, 11:00-2:00 and 5:30-8:30 at Color Creek-Fiber Art.
• Open studio time for the Holidays: 10 am-4 pm. Stay the entire time or drop in anytime during the day but plan on at least 1 1/2 hours to play. This is your time to paint silk, over-dye clothing, work on fabric for gifts and all things for the holidays. Assistance but no instruction. $15 for time. Materials and dyes separately. You may bring in your own.

Lots to be thankful for at Color Creek

Coming up

The Blue Pig in Palisade, CO is re-opening its doors in the new location just a couple doors down from their old spot. This weekend, Nov 19-20 is their grand reopening and all of the 30+ artists will be in place during different times of the weekend to show off their fine work.  My scarves are in The Piglet – the gift shop of the Blue Pig. I’ll be there too – but after an Emotional Healing Workshop I’m attending at Hospice on Saturday.

Past but will influence the future

I had the most amazing experience this past Thursday. I took my heat press and some painted disperse-dye papers down to Mesa Development’s, Uniquely Yours retail store in downtown Grand Junction. Mesa Development serves the adult disabled population and the store hires around 14 to paint ceramic planting pots to sell in the store.  Sierra, the Manager of the store wanted her clients to have another type of experience so we made banners by cutting shapes from the dye papers and pressing them onto the polyester fabric. They turned out beautiful!!

    

The demo at the Art Center and Color Creek’s opening were wonderfully attended and oh-so-fun!  Thank you Dave Wadsworth for the fine photos of both events!

I’ve started writing a short “Business Bites” column in the  SDA Colorado’s Blog. I’m enjoying the writing again so will be adding something once a month for Colorado and I will share them with this blog as well. I do encourage anyone who is in Fiber Arts to join the Surface Design Association. It’s quarterly publication is world class and it’s an opportunity to network with incredible fiber artists.

In the business of Surviving

I’m having serious “talks” with myself these days. My silk painting isn’t selling, it’s harder to get people in the door for workshops and I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be easier to just join others in the job search for a regular paycheck. I’ll bet I’m not the only one having this conversation.

Daily we are bombarded with bad news of economic meltdown -from job loss to closing galleries to low sales at art shows.  This sky-is-falling reporting has been relentless and the unfortunate consequence is that it causes each of us to doubt ourselves and our chosen professions as artists and business owners.

What stops me from opening the want ads is the thought that even with this negative economy there is still tremendous opportunity for our businesses to flourish.  In some cases it may be just the kick that’s needed to move some of us out of comfortable circumstances into uncomfortable but invigorating changes. If nothing else – this economy will force creative and intuitive solutions.

Choosing to stay in an art business will require creative and thoughtful practices, additional energy to keep positive, and foresight to determine the new direction. This investment of thought, energy and foresight should deliver the return of an expanding rather than just surviving business. Nothing should be off-limits for review or modification – neither my business practice nor what I consider my artwork. I must be willing to challenge my concept of the core business, explore new ideas for products, identify different customers and come up with creative ways to reach them.  In other words – I must be willing to shed the old way of doing things and look forward to new ways.

1.  Flexibility is the new black.  Workshops are empty. Is it financial or is it scheduling? I’ve been filling slots “on the fly” with impromptu tutorials and table space for rent. I have to work longer hours to make the same revenue as I might for a workshop – but at least people are coming in the door.
2. Innovation is the new red. The silk scarves don’t sell but people are willing to pay for fabric-covered doors or boats. By being willing to take on odd requests and projects, I can open up my thinking to new ideas. It builds my skills with unusual materials while opening up new worlds of possible retail products I would not have thought of on my own.
3. Taking risks is a rainbow. A Local clothing retailer had a warehouse of white garments that couldn’t be sold or returned. Can they be dyed? I worked with the staff and now they have a wide variety of fresh new colors and control over both their inventory and their attitudes towards modifying clothing.
4. Renting space generates green. I’ve always worked with special needs groups providing alternative art projects, but now I can either provide programming or just rent the space to small attendant care services needing art space.   This is true as well for a budding young service to young people on blind or computer dates. Instead of the movie or dinner – several couples have decided that painting silk together is a new and safe way to learn about one another
5. The new marketing paradigm is collaboration. Surrounding business owners are asking about coordinating art walks and other events to help bring customers to the area.  Instead of mirroring a well-established traditional First Friday – we’re opting to hold events that encourage art participation – all in odd places. We’re combining drawing while in the gym; painting in a bank; making art books in a café and selling out of the trunks of vehicles.
6. Redefining value is the new success. What is the value of my art or the services that my business provides? It’s time for me to find out from my customers. I’m being asked for something other than what I’ve provided for the last few years. My artwork is not being sought out – but my space and my skills in working with fabrics are.
7. Education is in.   I will be bumping up attendance in seminars and workshops geared towards business marketing and new technologies. The website is getting a facelift and a new set of tools so I can maximize new ways to communicate across the web. While it’s not clear how if any of this will benefit my business – it is clear that without the knowledge I can’t make the decisions.

Bad economy? Yes. Will the business survive? No guarantees. Will I roll over and go down with the ship? Not on your life.

Introducing Color Creek-Fiber Art to the Grand Valley

Introducing Color Creek to the Grand Valley

It’s November & oh how beautiful it is!

Light snow on the peaks, a nip in the air. Two great events to complement your Colorado weather.

Artist Demonstrations at the Art Center in Grand Junction

• November 4th, 6:30 begins the artist introductions and the demonstrations are 7-9 pm.

• I am one of several artists demonstrating our respective mediums.  Showcasing the Fiber Arts, I will be “showing off” the fine art of Silk Painting.
  

• For more details check out the Art Center website.
  

Introducing Color Creek-Fiber Art to the Grand Valley.

• November 11, 2011 (11-11-11); 4-8 pm. The studio is located in the Fabric Arts Studio, 2297 Tallgrass Road, Grand Junction. Just off the 6&50 on 23 Road. Please call for directions. 970-778-5985

• Color Creek is a fiber art studio dedicated to spreading the art of putting dye on fabric (and fiber). We would love for you to dip your fingers in the Color Creek experience.
  

• It’s a party at Color Creek-Fiber Art. There will be projects on the table for you to try, and opportunity to spread color through the studio. Color Creek is new to the neighborhood and we would love to meet everyone we can.

• Please bring children, sound instruments, incense or whatever you think would add to the party. There will be food and beverage there but if you wish – a donation of a dish to share would be most welcome.

October is here and some odd links to try

θ©ΤoßΣΓ

full of color, costumes, fall energy and links to odd and wonderful sites.

If you want an in-door activity with your youngsters try this project to empty the plastic bag drawer for a creative and re-usable project. http://diyfashion.about.com/od/diyaccessories/ss/How-To_Fuse_Plastic_7.htm

Wholly Rags: or the joy of recycled fibers.

For those who do fine art (or not so fine but really fun art) with recycled fabrics here is the blog (and show) for you.  Melissa Larsen out of Taos, NM has been doing the Art des Descartes for 11 years now. Called Wholly Rags – Melissa has been recycling and recycling and recycling for a long time now.  First the write-up blog http://www.katecartwrightart.com/kate_blog/archives/633 and then the web site. http://whollyrags.org/

A nice little blog to follow. Words, color, fiber – lovely. BITS:Bountiful Ideas To Share: I’ts Fall, What a Folly!

Open Studios Tour
October 8th 10- 5 pm & 9th noon-4 pm

Across the Grand Vally art studios are open and ready for viewing.  Sponsored by Art Space & Open Studios. www.artspacecolorado.org

What’s coming in θ©ΤoßΣΓ?

Color Matching: This is designed for dyers who are interested in experimenting with color matching. This is set up as a challenge rather than as instruction. Prizes for the person or team of two who get the closest matches. This is where “close” counts. $15  October 13^th, 11 am-3 pm or 5:30-8:30 pm

I’m heading to the Kokopelli trail to ride my bike for 5 days so the Creek will have to fend for itself. Back after the 25th or thereabouts. October 20th-25th

Preview to November First Friday at the Art Center in Grand Junction

Silk Painting

November 1st Friday at the Art Center where Artists demo their work and I’m one of them.  See you there!

November 11, Friday It’s 11-11-11 and a perfect time for a party. Begins at 4 pm and runs into the evening (say 8 pm). Bring food, beverage, sounds, songs and a desire to help me bring lots of Color to Color Creek. Everyone can paint (no talent required) small prayer flags for me to string and hang from the ceilings.

Some photos from the Marbling Class and silk painting classes. Catch up the fun next go round.

Black on White

Color Sunday, Color Creek & New Classes

There is so much to learn about Colorado and the Grand Valley. Color Sunday is this weekend complete with a Color Festival in Mesa and a welcoming of the change of colors welcoming fall. The colors are a little late this year but Color Creek hopes to pick up that slack by showing off new classes on the schedule that do nothing but add color!

Make sure you click on the Calendar link with this blog. That’s where the schedule is listed. The calendar is dynamic so check often for updates and new postings.  In fact – let this blog (and classes schedule) find itself automatically sent to your email by signing up with your email address on the right side of your screen.

Instructor and class of the Month.

Marbling Sue K of Zingmarbling is visiting from Alaska for a couple of weeks. She did an impromptu demo yesterday here at the Creek and treated the dozen folks who came to the magic of marbling on fabric AND her killer Creme Brulee and Tamarind Creme-filled sandwich cookies.

Mark your calendars for Sue’s full on Marbling class.  Tuesday, September 27th, at one of three separate times. Because we can only fit 4 at a time, we’ve scheduled 3 sessions. – 11:30-1:00 pm, 2:00 -3:30 pm or 5:30-7:00 pm. $35 includes

• a silk scarf  is included (you can purchase additional scarves for $5.00 each)
• marbling practice
•  handouts on the process
• (maybe) cookies and a great time.
• If you already have silk fabric (no larger than 8×54 strips) or silk scarves (no larger than 8×54) please call for prepping instructions.

Color Creek up and Running in Grand Junction, CO

Welcome to Color Creek’s first Colorado posting. The Creek and I left Alaska in April of this year and I have been very fortunate to find space in Jane Alderotto’s The Fabric Arts Studio. There is wonderful space for classes, workspace and outdoor hanging lines. Fortunate! fortunate! fortunate!

Coming up this month -

September Teaser: September 13th, 1 pm-3 pm and 6pm-8pm. Teasers are short 1 or 2 hour play times with subjects you might want to know something about but don’t want to invest a lot of time or dollars into.  All materials and playtime included. This month’s topic RESISTING THE DYE .  Bring along your own things to work on (i.e. t-shirts or fabric. Any natural silk, cotton or wool). $15.00.

Every month Color Creek will promote a topic of the month.   All ages are welcome and it’s a good way to explore a topic without committing time and materials.  You are welcome to bring fabric, shirts or other small fabric items for the dye pot.  These will also be project driven – good stuff for making fun presents or use as projects for down the road.  We’ll add as inspiration strikes.

Introduction to Silk Painting: September 20th, 11 am-2 pm & 6 pm-9 pm. This is a wonderful way to find the magic of putting color to fabric. Mary will teach you the “ins and outs” of Gutta Resist – a way to draw on fabric that separates colors from one another.  You don’t need to know how to draw. Lots of patterns are available to trace on to the fabric so that you can take the stress out and just enjoy the flow.  Cost includes all materials and a silk scarf.  3 hours.  $40.00

Color Creek on the Rise

The tables are done

The Yoga gals have creative day at the Creek. Beautiful

Painting on the new frames in the new space