All the fussing is over. I finally realized this milestone in my career: a solo show in an art gallery!
There were times over the summer when I didn’t think I would be able to create enough art to fill this big gallery space. I knew I couldn’t give up, so I just kept working. When I pulled everything together, I had 27 pieces of art to hang.
What a relief, especially considering that this past month we had to deal with 2 hurricanes in as many months. Its all good. I’m please with how everything looks.
If you happen to be near Raleigh, I hope you get a chance to visit my exhibit at Page-Walker in Cary, NC. My artwork will be on display through November 24.
“As Nature Speaks, a dialog with an art quilter”
Featuring the artwork of Nanette S. Zeller Oct 11- Nov 24, 2018
Page-Walker Arts & History Center
119 Ambassador Loop, Cary, NC 27513
Seriously, there’s no time for this. I spent a lot of time this week worrying about and preparing for a hurricane. We’re expected to experience the outer bands of Hurricane Florence as she makes her way into the Carolinas. The weather forecast calls for tropical storm levels of rain and wind.
Everything is secured, we have “plenty” of water. Thankfully I live in a neighborhood of supportive friends. We have each other’s backs. There’s nothing more for me to do except continue prepping for my exhibit that will open on Oct 11. So as long as we have electricity, I’ll be quilting the last pieces of artwork.
This week is merely a reminder that you can never plan for everything. When things get out of your control, just take a breath and make the most of what you have. As my dad would say…it will be OK.
“As Nature Speaks, a dialog with an art quilter”
Featuring the artwork of Nanette S. Zeller Oct 11- Nov 24, 2018
Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary, NC
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I really enjoy thread-painting. It makes better sense to call the technique free-motion embroidery, but thread-painting is a more commonly used term. “Painting” with thread is very similar to traditional hand embroidery, something most people are familiar with. When I do free-motion embroidery, instead of hand-sewing, I use a sewing machine to apply the stitches. In hand-embroidery, you move the needle across the fabric and in thread-painting you move the fabric under the machine’s needle.
Last week I used a thread-painting technique to create fern shapes that I stitched to the tree quilt I’ve been working on. I created the ferns by stitching them onto water-soluble stabilizer that was secured in an traditional embroidery hoop. I drew an outline of the fern shape on the stabilizer, then went to town applying stitches with my sewing machine. When I finished stitching the shapes, I un-hooped the stabilizer and soaked the stitched motifs under running water. The stabilizer becomes gooey as it dissolves under the water and eventually all that’s left behind are the embroidered threads.
Once they were dry, I stitched the ferns to the base of the trees. The shapes add a nice 3-dimensional effect to the overall design. With this addition, I pretty-much finished the large tree quilt that I’ve been working on these past few month. I trimmed it to size and now just need to hand-stitch the facing (aka: finished edge) it into place. I also think I’m going to use some hand embroidery to add some additional pops of interest to the ground cover. I find handwork relaxing, so I’m going to take my time adding these final details.
I dabble in genealogy and really find connection with a Mexican tradition called the “three deaths.” Our first death is when our bodies cease to function. The second death is when our body is lowered into the ground. And the 3rd death is when our name is spoken for the last time.
Last week I wrote about my curiosity regarding the longevity of my art quilts. In that post, I was basically contemplating the three deaths , not some unrealistic concern about becoming famous. As I do genealogy, I love discovering a relative who’s been dead a very long time. I sense that when I find them, that they’ve been resurrected.
For me after I’m forgotten, I hope every so often there’s a quilt or 2 hiding somewhere which resurrects itself (me). Realistically, textiles are a very fragile medium to work with. There are so many factors which can destroy them into piles of thread and dust. As I prepare for my solo exhibit later this year, I’m thinking about what this all means … to be making things.
I’m near completion of a piece I’ve been working on for awhile and it struck me that there are things getting buried during the construction. I’ve added a lot of thread painting to this piece. This week, when it was time to quilt it, I had to cover up the back-side of the stitching. It amazed me to see how my stitching created its own art piece.
It makes me think that maybe, this process of creating can also experience it’s own stages of life and three deaths. My thread painting was once an active part of the process, but that is over now and buried behind layers of fibers. When you see the finished piece, the thread work does not take center stage as is does on the back. It becomes blended into the layers of fabric, color and quilting. This secondary art piece I unintentionally created is likely never to be seen again. So, I thought maybe if I leave it’s picture here, it might live a little longer.
Creative Goddess by Nanette S. Zeller. Created spring 2010/disassembled 2014
I wonder why people create. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. There are some of us who create for the pure joy of making something, there are others who make to give away, there are some who create things to make a statement, and even people who create hoping to be seen.
Recently I’ve been making art quilts which are meant to be statements pieces. In making my art I’ve also realized I do it to be seen. It may sound a little narcissistic, but why else would you put in a purposal for a solo show or enter an art exhibit? You obviously have something you want people to see otherwise you’d keep it from hanging in public view.
Some of this for me is also about leaving a legacy. When I die only 2 things will remain: one is people’s memories of me as the person and the other is any object I’ve created. Memories fade fast, but material objects created by a person can last a very, very long time.
Have you ever watched the Antiques Roadshow? On the show, people bring in their “finds” and are educated about the object. I am always so fascinated when the expert starts sharing the history of the people who created the piece. I’ve seen it with paintings, furniture, jewelry, and all sorts of objects. They tell stories about the object and stories about the creator. Sometimes the expert can recite facts from over 100 years ago. How exciting that the artisan is still being remembered for what they did so very long ago. There’s a legacy.
Do I really expect my work to last centuries? No, absolutely not. I use textiles. There are things I can’t control about longevity. I’ve seen quilts from the last century made from beautiful silks or cute little calico prints which have disintegrated over time. They didn’t know back then that some of the dyes which colored the fabrics would eat away at the fibers or would fade so badly that a bright red fabric would turn tan.
We’re much more cautious now and the textile industry tests their products. Do I really know for sure that the materials will survive 100 years or more? No. Sunlight can be suicide to any fabric (I keep my textile pieces stored in a dark closet). I can only hope that the fusible products, synthetic adhesives, fixatives and starches, or even the dyes in the fabrics don’t contribute to decomposition. But really, I don’t stress about these things.
As much as I would love to think that 100 years from now one of my art quilts will be considered a prize possession, I know that’s unlikely. I do take caution in what I use. I don’t knowingly do things that will damage my art, but I don’t obsess about the archival quality of a product I’m using. Like a memory, I know in time what I make will disappear.
I have always enjoyed learning. Learning doesn’t always have to mean learning a physical or intellectual skill. Sometimes you can learn about yourself and what works for you.
For example, the past several months I’ve been working on and blogging about a new art quilt inspired by a visit to Muir Wood National Monument. This piece is huge and, at times, a little unruly. Two weeks ago, I found that I was getting very frustrated with the progress of this piece. Because I really wanted to get it finished, I kept trying to plug along with it.
Every piece I make is unique and requires different techniques to accomplish my vision, therefore I’m not very systematic about what I do. As I progressed on this piece, I realized I was super tense working on it. Little obstacles kept appearing that made me re-think my path forward. During my most intense frustration, I posed a question to an online group asking them what they do when they feel this way: “Do you keep going and fight through the frustration?” or, “do you call a time out, put it away and start working on something else?” I got mixed responses, but most seemed to agree walking away was a good choice.
I’ve always tried to drive on, but this time I had other small projects I could work on to allow a temporary break from the large quilt. This week I put the Muir quilt under the needle again. Its amazing how my attitude has changed. I’m once again excited about stitching on this quilt top. I learned something new about my creative self – stepping away is a good thing. Sometimes deadlines keep me from having this luxury but, I also don’t think I do my best work when I’m stressed. With this experiment I learned something new about myself: I can and should take a break when I need it.
Knowing how you work and what you need to succeed is owning a very valuable tool for your productivity. Do you pay attention to your feelings when you work? You know, it’s never too late to learn.
I’m working on the thread painting stage of my latest quilt. Here’s a view of the back.
I’m not too concerned about how pretty it looks from this side, because in a little bit I will be covering it up with the batting layer and backing fabric. Once that’s finished you’ll never see this view again.
This quilt has been a bit of a challenge (sometimes they behave that way). While I was working on the foliage, I noticed something visually happening with the background. It truly bothered me, so I had to think about it for awhile. What do I about that issue? Hmm?
I don’t make cookie-cutter quilts designs. Its layer, upon layer of processes. Each quilt deserves a different treatment because I’m trying to represent different subject matter. You just can’t build a tree the same way you build a bird.
Some of my techniques are similar, but I’m literally winging it on every quilt. That’s why it takes me so long sometimes to complete these larger pieces. I have to look at what I’ve done and figure out how to do what’s next.
The good news is I’ve moved passed the tree foliage and I’m working on texturizing the tree trunks with thread painting. The problem has apparently been solved for now. Progress.
Today I went had an artistic play date. In town, we have a local movie theater which plays artistic films and produces music and theater events. Its one of the cool things about this town.
Today the theater played the biographical documentary “Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing.” I guess I should have paid more attention to my art history, but van Gogh’s story was somewhat of a mystery to me.
I knew van Gogh’s iconic artwork; his self-portraits, “Sunflowers,” and “Starry Night.” I didn’t know how tortured his life history was. Sadly he only sold very few pieces of his art while he was alive. But, he was loved and cared for by his brother, Theo. If it wasn’t for Theo and his wife, Johanna, Vincent may have never had such fame.
The story was timely because, lately I’ve been thinking about artist drive and muse. What drives people to create? Today, Vincent would have been classified manic-depressive and his treatment would have been different than it was in the late 1800’s. I wonder, if Vincent was alive today, would his medical treatment have interfered with his creative drive? We will never know.
I guess my take home lesson from my outing today is that there’s a reason we have artistic energy. If we’ve found our muse, then we should create our art. It doesn’t matter what the obstacles are. Its important to embrace the energy, if only for your own satisfaction.
Most of the time I work alone. Except for a very few successful artists, I think most of us do find ourselves wearing all the hats in our businesses. Besides creating art, we are responsible for scheduling, advertising and promoting ourselves. It can be very challenging to manage time and resources, but it also can be very rewarding to know that our success (or lack of) is the product of your own hard work.
The reality is art is a business. You need to know about marketing, press releases, and managing money. Now with social media, there’s an even bigger challenge of learning how to use the Internet as a promotional tool. Unless you can afford to hire someone to do all this for you, you won’t get far ignoring the options.
With all the online activity I’ve been focused on lately, it was a nice surprise to see a old fashioned paper postcard with my art on it. What a nice break for my to-do list to have someone else create this and so nice to see something so well done. It made me proud to be participating in this upcoming exhibit, Palustris: Celebrating Longleaf Through the Arts .
This exhibit is also rewarding for a more personal reason. It represents my life living in North Carolina. I arrived here knowing nothing of this sandy landscape. I went to grad-school to become a biologist and worked with endangered species which live in these sandhills. And now, as an artist, I am sharing this knowledge through my art and helping educate people about the fragile natural communities in which we live. Several of the exhibiting artists are also my friends. We share the same appreciation for the longleaf pine ecosystem. I am honored to have been invited to participate and also appreciate the efforts of those tasked to produce and market this event. If you have the time, come visit and help us celebrate longleaf through the arts.
Palustris: Celebrating Longleaf Through the Arts
April 6-27, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday April 6th, 6-8pm
So its time for me to start a new art quilt. I guess you could say that I’ve been working on this one for over a year already. I was inspired to make this during a visit to California I made almost exactly 1 year ago.
As with all the art work I make, this one is not going to be a “cookie cutter” design. I’ve decided to do some piecing of the background this time. Trying to get the fabric to have this curve (see photo) took a bit of effort. I had to sneak back to my sewing roots and experience in traditional quilting. Oh dear, I even needed to match seams when I sewed the wedges together. The process of making this quilt top reminded me of how much I don’t love this part of quilting.
Thankfully, I had enough fabric to accomplish the task and extra thankful that I didn’t make a mistake cutting. Yikes! Its not easy for me to buy fabric here in this little town. If I ran short on fabric, it would be weeks before I could move forward on this project. Or I’d have to re-group on the entire construction concept. Lucky for me, it all pieced together smoothly.
All the fussing is over. I finally realized this milestone in my career: a solo show in an art gallery!
