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Erie Art Museum Spring Show

Taking a break from my gushing over my new love of rug hooking, I want to share how great this year's Spring show was.  Every spring, the Erie Art Muesum hosts an art show that is open to artists who live within a 250 mile radius of Erie.     With no entry fee, it's very popular to enter and a great honor to get accepted.  That said, depending on who the guest jurist is really reflects how strong the show is.  

I'm happy to say that this year's juror, Keliy Anderson-Staley, curated ...

Wonderland, Miriam Schapiro, 1983

 Over the years, I've written posts ranting about how nobody gets what we really do.  I'm mean sure people might understand what a quilt is.  What they don't get is the blood, sweat and tears that goes into a quilt.  Okay, so that's a little dramatic...but really have you met me?  Realistically though, it's that extra "something" that makes quilt making much more than a simple craft.  It's definitely an art form no matter if you do

detail, The Bitter Nest, Part II

One of the First Rooms of the Paris:1874 exhibit

 Okay, show of hands...who here when you think of art history, think immediately of impressionist paintings?  I wouldn't doubt that out of all art movements, impressionism is by far the most known and beloved.  I know, that's where I started my art history journey. It's still one of my favorites.  I think it's partly due to the fact that it's representational (which also makes it approachable) without being too stuffy.  Plus, the colors and the subjects just capture moments in everyday life that let ...

You wouldn't think that living outside of Erie, Pennsylvania would be a center of culture. And it kinda isn't.  But it kinda is.  Really, we're within an hour or two of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.  Plus 3 hrs out of Toronto. As well as 2.5 hrs out of central Ohio.  Yes, you read that right ....central Ohio.   Central Ohio, for you not in the know, is a hot bed of quilting.  Not only is there a plethora of quilt stores, quilt groups, retreat spots but also there is The Dairy Barn Art Center (home to Quilt ...

 I really think it's important to feed your inner creative soul.  I know that sounds "artsy", but it's true.  I think after preaching this so much at home, my husband has finally gotten it.  That's why I wasn't shocked when he dragged me out to the Erie Museum to see the latest exhibit, Summoning the Wind, by Qian Li.  

The Erie Art Museum was never this powerhouse in the art world.  Lately, though, I can see that it's upping its game bringing in some really nice exhibits as well as developing its own.  Qian ...

My time with the Durham Art Guild (DAG), as an artist in residence (AiR) has come to an end. It was bittersweet, excited about the new opportunities in front of me (more to come) but sad I won’t see everyone as often. I can highly recommend this 6-month (ish) artist in residence. I got so much out of it.

I learned a lot about myself through this residence, which could be in part due to the fact I had a lot to learn about being a full-time artist for the first time ...

Dorothea Lange, Seeing People Exhibit

 Okay so here is this week's tip....don't think you can take a quick 2-day trip to Washington DC and not come home exhausted and your mind a big creative blur.  We only saw 2 museums, The National Gallery and the National Museum of American History and it still was stimuli overload. It wasn't just the museums which were amazing in themselves, but also the whole National Mall area.  We took the metro in from Arlington, VA, and popped up in the Federal Triangle station which is the middle of 10 ...

Dorothy's Lange

This week finds me traveling to Washington DC to visit the National Gallery.  We love the National

Dorothea Lange, Formerly enslaved woman, Alabama, 1938

Women Ironing, 1884–86. Edgar Degas

First I want to say a big thank you for all the kind words I received over the last couple of months.  This has been the first significant break I took from blogging and it was really needed.  I've learned that my creative journey has had its ups and downs over the years, and it's okay.  To quote my friend, Rhonda, just "Don't give up",  So I'm not.  

I'm officially back in my studio!  It's funny to get back into your studio and think, "Okay, where was I ...

One thing that came out of the Pandemic of 2020, is the fact that I will NEVER take "Date Night" for granted ever again.  This week's installment was one for the books!  One night a month, the art scene in Erie comes alive to host a Gallery Night.  Galleries and small business open their doors to show off what's new. 

First stop, was the Grounded Print and Paper Shop.  Ever since I've heard about this place, I've been dying to visit.  It's a former machine shop warehouse located in a neighborhood where people have been ...

Blessed with good weather, my husband and I decided to spend a day in Cleveland to do some of my favorite things. We started with a visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art, went on to dinner at the Siam Cafe, and finished with Peter Mayer's Star's and Promises tour.  (Peter is the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffet and we've been going to his Christmas performances since 2006).  I had never been to The Flats in Cleveland where he was playing and boy I'll need to go back for some more exploring!

I took a circuitous way home from the Retreat. I had something to drop off, and I wanted to visit the art show where my friend, Helen Anne, had a couple of pieces hanging. Thank goodness for the GPS, or I wouldn't have made it! All those country back roads, some of which were pretty basic with gravel and barely a road as far as I was concerned, but it was the back way to get to The Hobby Horse. There were many trees down in that area, and that road was definitely closed after this storm. Fortunately, everything ...

What a great day I had. I got in the groove and spent the day listening to an audiobook, which I'll tell you about in a second. I made leaps and bounds in progress for the homework this weekend, and I think I should be finished by lunch, which means I won't be running around at the last minute to finish up stuff. Yeah me!! 

I used to live a pretty sheltered life when reading novels. I had a "few" authors that wrote book series (about the same character), and I would read almost exclusively those books. Some ...

After spending two weeks straight in this old Victorian, it's fair to say that I'm suffering more than a little bit of cabin fever.  For once, Erie has escaped most of the bad weather that has played havoc with the rest of the country.  So I'm thinking that this weekend is a perfect time to get out....welllll.... what is consider "out" during a pandemic.  Unfortunately, my state can't seem to get it's act together and very few people are vaccinated, so most restrictions are still in place.  

Despite that, the museums are open for ...

So for those not in the know, mid century is a style of design that roughly spans from the 1930's to 1960 ...

What a fabulous day. Some time spent with friends - wearing masks and social distancing, of course. But hey - the pandemic does NOT mean you need to be confined to your house and does NOT mean you can't visit with friends. Let's get out there and accept the new normal. We should NOT and will NOT let this pandemic get us down. Get OUT of the house.

I know that some people are more cautious than others, due to health or family or whatever. And we each need to make our own decisions as to how we get used ...