Thursday, April 28, 2011

"Close at Hand" show at Terryberry Gallery, St. Cecelia Music Center




















"Close at Hand" - A Contemporary Approach to 
Traditional Textiles and Folk Art

Jennifer Gould:  Embroidered Monoprints 
  and Art Dolls
Ann Willey:  Rug Hookings and Acrylic Paintings

Opening Reception:  May 6, 5:30pm-8pm

Show:  May 6- June 30

Terryberry Gallery
Lower Level
St. Cecelia Music Center
24 Ransom, NE
Grand Rapids MI 49503

Open: Monday- Friday 9am-5pm
Call 616-459-2224 for weekend or evening hours

annwilley.com and JenniferGouldDesigns.com

PLEASE visit Ann's website at AnnWilley.com to see her delightful and enchanting paintings and small rug hooked pieces.  She and I have had two annual shows together at YT Galleria (966 Cherry, Grand Rapids) in November/December for the last 2 years.  Our work goes so well together.  This is the first time I've exhibited my hand printed/painted and embroidered pieces.  This is also the first time that her textile work and my dolls/embroideries have been exhibited together so this should be a wonderful show.  

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Square Headed Women with Attitude

Ms. Tutti Fruiti
 I've been experimenting with a variety of  techniques to create a more 3-D appearance on my pieces and celebrate spring.

Ms. Tutti Fruiti was an exploration of lengths of yarn sandwiched between water-soluble stabilizer and then stitched.  Jazzy Woman has hand printed fabric I did last summer and red embroidery I did this winter; and just to make her more musical, she has red jingle bells on her head.  These pieces, plus 8 more are for Synchronicity Gallery in Glen Arbor, Michigan which opens on May 7 this year for the summer and autumn season.
Jazzy Woman

Now I'm working on embroideries and dolls for the Terryberry Gallery (lower level of St. Cecelia Music Center, downtown Grand Rapids) which opens on May 6.  I'm sharing the show with Ann Willey (www.annwilley.com).  She and I have had a 2-person show at YT Galleria in Nov/Dec for the last two years, but this show will include her rug hooked pieces.  We're very excited!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Boisali Biswas' Perpetual Garden in Winter

You may remember Boisali's Perpetual Garden that I posted in October, 2010.  She recently sent me images of her Perpetual Garden in Winter.  Quite an inspiration to gardeners, but especially to those of us living in the North where snow and cold still rein supreme.  I know Spring is coming because the birds are twittering as though they're choosing mates.

Check out Boisali's gorgeous textile pieces on:  
http://ebiswas.zenfolio.com/p396889493

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Mother and Child III

I've just finished this piece for which I am very proud.  She's the third in the series of a woman holding a baby who's in a cockle shell.  This one was done for the "Celebration" show, an annual juried show at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Grand Rapids. (The dress was white cotton knit shibori dyed in brown/black.)  I won SECOND PRIZE (tied with Ron Head for his bronze sculpture of "Mercy", a pieta)--very gratifying.


My life has been in a little upheaval lately (a friend of mine died and I adopted her two cats--trying to get them to acclimate to my house and my cat Sweetie Pie with all the hissing, growling, screaming; and my car/van is out of commission and needs a rebuilt transmission...) so this textile figure really gave me a lot of peace and a feeling of accomplishment, as well as gratitude for all the things I have.  
Mother and Child III

Pisces Woman 17

Way back last year on June 1, my very first posting to this blog was an image of my Pisces Woman 17 that I had just finished for a show with the Artists Alliance show at Twisted Fish in Elk Rapids (Michigan).  Well, she's in the news again and I am really proud that she will be in the "Figuratively Fiber" show at the Textile Center, Minneapolis, from March 11-April 16 and also made got on the cover of their Winter/Spring catalog newsletter.