March 14, 2008

Greetings,

Sending this newsletter is my last major task before going off on a week-long vacation.  Sonja will be around to take care of internet orders (and Jacques) while I am off cruising the Caribbean .  I will return on March 24^th, hopefully to more spring-like weather than we have currently.

As usual we have lots of news—new products and books in our web store and several exciting events upcoming.  I’ll start with the product news and then go on to upcoming events.

New Product News

Just yesterday we received the DVD sets of Patricia “Pokey” Bolton ’s new Quilting Arts TV series.  The series includes guest appearances from many, many well-known quilt artists including our good friends Laura Cater-Woods and Lucky Shie and so many others.  Surely these are programs you’ll want to watch again and again.  To see the full list of guest artists go to: http://friendsfabricart.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=623

We’ve also gotten many new books, too many to list them all here.  I’ll highlight just a few that really help you take fiber art in new directions.

Contemporary Knitting for Textile Artists by Ruth Lee (no relation) and Freeformations by Jenny Dowde will inspire you to incorporate knitting and crocheting into your work.  Both cover design and instructions for free form and 3-D knitting and are beautifully illustrated.  Ruth Lee’s book also covers use of innovative materials from rope to paper, plastics and wire.  http://friendsfabricart.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_37

Susan Stein’s new Fabric Art Workshop covers a wider spectrum of new techniques and materials than I’ve seen in previously available books.  She covers a wide variety of painting techniques, but also expands beyond to include using silk cocoons and rods, foils, and paintsticks.  http://friendsfabricart.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_10

We are seeing more and more interest in felting of all types and we’ve added a section dedicated to felting in our on-line book store.  Liz Clay’s new Nuno Nouveau is particularly beautiful.  Nuno is a wet felting technique that incorporates natural fibers such as wool and silk into lightweight woven fabrics such as chiffon producing soft, warm colors and textures.  http://friendsfabricart.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_103

We’ve also recently restocked our supplies from Stewart Gill.  We’ve got the full selection of colors available now on the Byzantia, MetaMica,  Alchemy, and Galactica paints, as well as their Mini Mezze paint sampler sets.  In addition to restocking on the fusible films and Artaglio stamps, we’ve added many more of their stamps to our product line.  We’re sure you’ll want to check them out.  Not only do these stamps provide wonderfully detailed images, but each sheet includes at least 5 or 6 images that can be cut out mounted (if desired) and used separately.  When you consider that, they are quite a good value.

Here’s just a sample.  To see the full selection, go to:

 http://friendsfabricart.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9

Upcoming Events

So much going on…

• The Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios had its soft opening on March 1.  Tomorrow, March 15^th, is the official opening bash. 
  
  Please join us for the "Auspicious Beginnings," art show and the official opening of The Loading Dock Gallery, this Saturday, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The show features works from Western Avenue artists:  Donna Berger (A 301), Laura Gawlinski (512), Heidi Jackson (325), Majorie Layman (328), Paula Richards (326) and Gay Tracy (322). Each of these exquisite works demonstrates the individual artist's unique style, color scheme and subject matter.  Additionally, there will be a full range of items available for purchase in the gallery store-- jewelry, sculpture, prints, fiber arts, drawings and paintings--including jackets, scarves, and wall art from Sonja and Ann.  Light refreshments will be served. 
  
  We are also happy to announce that The Loading Dock Gallery now has regular gallery hours for visitors:  Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Web site: http://theloadingdockgallery.com/index.html

Ongoing now through ?? – If you happen to visit the Massachusetts State House in the next several weeks, try to visit the conference room near Senator Panagiatokas’ office.  Sonja’s Forever and Ever fabric collage series is hanging there through the state’s budget-development season.  Lowell ’s senator has works from local artists displayed as a way to highlight the area’s creative economy.

March 29^th Sonja and I are splitting up to cover two events.  Sonja is heading to The Material Girl's Quilt Guild for a workshop on “Adding Sparkle and Shine to your Quilts.”  They’ll be meeting at 9 am at the First Church , 15 West St. , Leominster , MA . For additional information, contact Lynn Thibault at 978-537-7461.

• March 29-30, Ann will be vending at the Thimble Pleasures Quilt Guild Show at Nipmuc Regional High School , 64 Pleasant St . , Upton , MA .  Hours are 10-4. 
• Open Studios at Western Avenue – happens again on Saturday, April 5. There is still space available in our April workshop:  

Image Transfer Techniques
April 5, 2008 10am-12 Noon & 2-4pm

Sign up deadline March 29, 2008. Maximum 5 participants.

Incorporating photographic images into quilts & clothing has become increasingly popular. In this workshop we will try several techniques for transferring photos to fabric so you can see which work best for different image types and which give the look you like. Bring several photos or other images to work with.

$125 covers all materials.  This is a 4-hour class with a 2-hour lunch break to allow time for you to get lunch and visit the rest of the artists in the building.

On Saturday, April 26 Ann is putting on her previous day-job hat and offering Marketing 101 for Artists, a one-day workshop to introduce fundamental concepts of marketing and how these concepts apply to selling artwork specifically.  Open to all artists who desire to sell their work, it will develop a marketing mindset to help create desire for your work.  The workshop will consist of brief presentations, small group discussions and individual work.  At the end of the day participants will have developed a first draft marketing plan including marketing objectives, a target audience definition, priority messages for your audience, strategies for getting your message out, and a pricing strategy.

Place: Western Avenue Studios – third floor open area. 

Time:  10-4 with an hour break for lunch

Cost:  $20 for any Lowell-affiliated artist; $30 for other artists

Registration deadline:  April 21.  Send a check made out to Friends Fabric Art to the address below or to pay by credit card stop by studio 304 or go to http://friendsfabricart.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=68  Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the workshop for you.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Jumping ahead to summer plans:

Quilt/Surface Design Symposium 2008 – June 14-27 we will be vending again at the 19^th annual Q/SDS at the University Plaza Hotel in Columbus , Ohio . Q/SDS offers a wonderful series of 2-9 day classes by world-class teachers including our good friends Rayna Gillman and Susan Shie.  You can take anything from a two-day session on Easy Soy Wax Batik to a nine-day Master Class.  We urge you to check it out.  http://qsds.com/mainsite.php We’ve made many great friends in the two years we’ve vended there.  We look forward to seeing them again and making new friends.

August will be a big month for us.  As we’ve mentioned before the Lowell Quilt Festival happens August 7-10.  That’s always big for us.  Two years ago Sonja and I had a joint exhibit at the COoL Gallery on Market Street in Lowell .  This year we’re thrilled to announce that we will be doing another joint exhibit at The Loading Dock Gallery.  The title of our show is Fluid Blue.  Again we’ve set ourselves a challenge to represent that theme—Sonja through wall art and Ann through her wearable art jackets.  We have a great beginning.  It’s so thrilling for us to be working together on an art project again.  We’ll keep you posted.  For progress and thoughts between newsletters, go to Sonja’s blog http://friendsfabricart.blogspot.com/  

Workshop Schedule May - August

Shiva Paintstiks

May 3, 2008 10am-12 Noon

Sign up deadline April 26, 2008.  Maximum 5 participants.

Just like oil pastels, but for fabric! Play with the many ways to use paintstiks to easily create patterns on fabric. Do rubbings with stamps, rubbing plates, Indian woodblocks, and ordinary objects. Brush pigment on like paints through a stencil or over a masking tape pattern.

$50 covers all materials.  We’ll create 4 fat quarters (18”x22”) of cotton cloth.

Paint & Screen-Print with Thickened Dyes

June 7, 2008 10am-12 Noon & 2-4pm

Sign up deadline May 31, 2008.  Maximum 4 participants.

We’ll discuss various ways to mix and apply thickened fiber reactive dyes. Print abstract patterns using silk screens with temporary masking tape designs. Print detailed images with Thermofax screens.  Play with painting thickened dyes on wet and dry fabric.

$125 Covers all dyes, one 8.5x11” Thermofax screen, & 2 yards of cotton broadcloth. This is a 4-hour class with a 2-hour lunch break to allow time for you to get lunch and visit the rest of the artists in the building.

Gelatin Mono Prints

July 5, 2008 10am-1pm

Sign up deadline June 28, 2008.  Maximum 4 participants.

A simple printing plate made from unflavored gelatin allows you to capture incredible detail from plant material, textured cloth, and other such items.  We’ll use fabric paints to create positive and negative prints on cotton fabric and paper. 

$75 covers all materials.  We’ll create at least one yard of cotton fabric.

Optional:  Bring items you want to use in printing such as leaves; these objects should be thin and expendable, as they will get covered with paint.

Altered Board Books

August 2, 2008 10am-12 Noon & 2-4pm

Sign up deadline March 29, 2008. Maximum 6 participants.

Turn a plain book into extraordinary art with paints, fabric collage, fibers, metals, and more.  Choose a theme such as a family holiday. We can make color copies of your photos to use them in your book without ruining the original photos.

$125 covers all materials.  This is a 4-hour class with a 2-hour lunch break to allow time for you to get lunch and visit the rest of the artists in the building.

Mixing Media

August 9, 2007 10am-12 Noon & 2-4pm  (Special workshop during the Lowell Quilt Festival.)

Sign up deadline August 2, 2008.  Maximum 6 participants. 

Explore exciting possibilities to add dimension, texture, and shimmer to your art projects. Work with fibers from barks to silk cocoons to bamboo. Mold and shape PaperClay and Model Magic. Add shimmer and shine with foils, Stewart Gill paints, metal shim, Angelina fibers and Glitterati film.

$125 covers all materials.  We’ll create several Artist Trading Card (ATCs) or fabric postcard size pieces.  This is a 4-hour class with a 2-hour lunch break to allow time for you to get lunch and visit the rest of the artists in the building.

Workshop Registration Information

These new workshops require pre-registration at least a week in advance.  To register you can call us at 978-458-4200 or go to our website http://www.friendsfabricart.com/Workshops/SaturdaySeries.html Enrollment is very limited, so don’t hesitate.  If at least one person signs up, the class will be held.  Registrations cancelled with at least 24 hour advance notice will receive full credit toward a future workshop. NO REFUNDS OR CREDITS will be given for registration cancellations with less than 24 hours notice. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Well I think it’s time to get back to making some art.  I have two jacket ideas swirling in my head that I’m anxious to start on before I go away and lose the momentum the ideas have right now.

Warmly,

Ann, Sonja, Ole and Jacques—the artists and the dogs