Normally a person doesn't need two large suitcases for an informal visit, but that was the best way to carry fiber art for my brief exhibition at Strings Attached Yarns in downtown Dayton. We set up the work on Thursday, October 20 and had a reception that evening. Once we had the artworks placed, the shop owner Kristen Maddox and friend Margot and I kept finding beautiful yarns that set off the colors perfectly. So we piled skeins of harmonizing yarns near the stretched canvases--an unexpected and charming addition to the display.
Kristen is the lady in black, and Margot is wearing a shirt I dyed and painted for her.
We had such a good time setting up the artwork--and of course customers were coming in and out, so it took a while.
I lived in Dayton for 15 years in the 1970s and '80s. It was lovely to greet old friends that evening and to talk about this new career of mine. The most frequent comment was, "I've never seen anything like that."
I take it as a compliment, of course.
In addition to the finished works, I took along my piece in process, "Grenen", which includes a lot of knitted elements. This gave me something to stitch on when we had down time during the week, and a way to talk about artistic process with the knitting enthusiasts. For the most part, these accomplished knitters had not considered their work as potential art material, nor as something to be distorted, pulled and stretched to to create a curve or a ridge. It was a fascinating encounter.
Grenen is coming along nicely. Quite a lot of stitching and embellishing still to come, and have to figure out the finishing, but I'm happy with the progress.
So now, back to what passes for normal. Does it go without saying that I bought yarn at Strings Attached? But that's another story for another quilt.