to dye for: opening reception at visions art museum

August 3, 2016

Tah Dah!
It really happened!

imageMy work was in a real, live museum. A lovely, tiny, well respected museum that showcases textile arts. I have five works  (four new one older) included along with four other amazing artists in this exhibit. I admire all of them and their work.imageHere is the first thing you see as you walk to the reception desk and peek in the door to the exhibit.
imageThen this. The artists were invited to come early and take pictures before the reception officially started. Because of that “no taking pictures” thing right there on the sign, I suppose.imageTurn to the right and you see the rest of my works. It’s wonderful to see them all hanging together.
imageHere is a view – backed out just a bit. Sue Cavanaugh’s beautiful shibori forms captivated me.imageAnn Johnston’s work, as always, was richly layered and textured and yet elegantly simple. Did I tell you hers was the second book I bought when I chose to do this thing with cloth and art. What I wouldn’t have given to see her there as well. Through the door on the end was Jane’s exhibit. Please go HERE for a video walk through of her work, with Jane herself.

I have a confession. I know it’s irrational but I spent the weeks leading up to the opening reception of the To Dye For exhibit with my stomach in knots. No reason. Just that the last two solo show exhibits I’ve had just happened to fall on those miraculous and rare days in NC when it snowed. Nobody (except for artists who are super excited to have work in a show) ventures out of their house when it snows in NC. No snow tires, no road learning equipment, southern drivers with no experience on the road – really it IS smarter to stay inside when the roads get slick. So nobody came. Except for my husband. I had to take this picture of the entryway of the museum – just to prove to myself that people actually came.image

I know they didn’t come just to see me. One of my all-time favorite artists, Jane Dunewold had a solo show concurrent with this exhibit and she was there. Her book, Complex Cloth was my first purchase when I decided I wanted to make art from cloth. She is one of the kindest, most generous spirits I have encountered. It meant the world to me to be able to tell her so and her kind words (about me to another attendee) brought me to tears. I love her.

image

And I’m so very grateful to my good friend Jamie Fingal for spending the day with me. I didn’t tell her, but I was relieved knowing at least one person would for sure be at the opening and say something nice about my work. Jeannie Palmer Moore also had some amazingly fantastic works in the exhibit. It was so much fun to see her again!

imageThe no-nonsense side of my head was telling me the whole time how silly the anxiety was, and how it didn’t matter if anyone stopped to take a look at my art or not. The success was in the making of the work. The actually finishing it and the putting it out there. 98% of the time that is the only voice I ever hear and I really don’t worry about things. Getting in to shows or not, winning awards or not, they don’t really phase me much at all. But an opening reception? Whew. What a ride!

1 Comment

  • Reply
    Lisa
    August 4, 2016 at 11:36 am

    Lyric, congratulations on your show at Visions! LOVE the photo of you with Jane D. Have to say, the 2 workshops I’ve taken with you (Surface Design Sampler and Abstractalicious recently in Asheville) have rocked my art world. You are an excellent teacher and fabulous artist, of course they packed that lovely little museum.


Notice: Undefined variable: consent in /home/lyricki/public_html/wp-content/themes/hawthorn/comments.php on line 49

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.