April & May Studio Vlog

March Artist Life Vlog

2018 Year in Review: The Out Front Year

On this last day of 2018, I am compiling a list of accomplishments to help me reflect. The numbers of some achievements are smaller in several cases. My artwork production level stayed the same but the nature of the pieces was very different. What is crystal clear to me after this year of being Out Front is that I am in need of a more internal based year in 2019. For me, that means continuing to maintain my volunteer commitments for Studio Art Quilts Associates and my job at the Museum 20 hours a week. In the other hours of my days, when glimmers of free time appear, I just want to make art.

2019 is going to be a year of production. A year to establish a new body of work. In January I will finally finish the last two pieces of my Transmutation series that is now going into it's third year. Quilts are not fast to produce, they take time. There are times when the pace is frustrating, but I want to honour the pieces and rushing them does not do that.

Here is the 2018 list. Links to further information about some items are listed when relevant.

Number of Completed Pieces: 5
Number of Pieces sold: 1
Number of Exhibitions applied for: 5
Number of Exhibition rejections: 4
Number of Exhibitions: 4
Number of Exhibitions visited: 11 (an increase of 4 more than last year)
Number of Artist Talks: 1
Number of Talks as a SAQA Rep: 1
Artist Residency Completed in May 2018
Press Coverage: 2 Articles in the Burnaby Now, 1 feature on Vancouver is Awesome.com
Hosted a Public Artist Lecture by Lorraine Roy
Established a YouTube Channel featuring videos about my work

In front of "Crow Corridor" one of my Pieces in the Textile Narratives Exhibit

I would like to thank everyone who reads my posts, likes and shares content and watches my videos. Being out front is not easy for most of us but being supported by all of you makes it worth it. This space will be changing in the new year as I establish a fresh website, and there will be lots more news as the days progress. For now, Happy New Year and all the best to you all in 2019.

In the Home Stretch

It is amazing that 6 months have gone by in a blink. Art + Craft is in its last two months. Last week was a blur of cutting raffle tickets, sewing on a queen size quilt binding, and assembling raffle ticket packages to go home with 328 students. I also taught a class, cooked meals and managed to come up with an idea for a future project.
The mind's capacity is at times unyielding. Why do these ideas pop into our heads when we are already filled to the brim with work?

Overwhelm has happened during the last six months more often than I would have liked. Building a new skill set is overwhelming for most people and I am certainly not an exception to that. I wouldn't change that right now though. While the pace might make me feel breathless, it feels like it is necessary to who I am as a creative being. Which I also worry makes me rather a challenge to be around right now. Often I have a sensation of pulling myself apart to reassemble myself again in my next version. I have done this before. I most likely will do it again in the future. 

So stamina, holding and breathing. Not letting my mind jump too far ahead on the to-do list. And trusting the bigger picture to work towards its logical conclusion are key right now, as I stand for a moment and pause looking down the home stretch.

Raffle quilt tickets are now on sale. Visit: https://quiltingcommunity.blogspot.ca/2018/04/raffle-sales-have-begun.html to learn more about how to purchase a ticket and support Forest Grove Elementary.

To sign-up for my newsletter or read past posts go here.

JJ

My First Artist Residency

My current days are filled with the preparations for a very special project that has been in development now for about 10 months.

Last winter and spring I wrote a grant application for an Artist in the Classroom Grant from ArtStarts in Schools whose mission is to provide innovative arts programs for young people.  My project was funded which means that I will be working at my neighbourhood Elementary school for most of this 2017-2018 school year.

My sons attend Forest Grove Elementary and being able to work alongside the wonderful teachers and staff at the school made creating this project that much more meaningful. The project is called Art + Craft: Young Hands Quilting Community. It will explore the capacity of a quilt to be both an art and functional object. For more information about the project and to follow along please subscribe to the dedicated blog: Quilting Community or on Instagram Young Hands Quilting.

Getting here has been a lot of work. Getting to the finish line of this project, May 31st 2018 will mean a lot more work. I have doubted myself and getting even this far many times. The learning curve on such an opportunity is huge. I think the key to getting through it all so far has been a driving passion to share my love of the quilted form and to connect that passion to the young people that are part of my community.

This feels like a great step towards an engaged and deepening art practice. And I will share more about this journey as it unfolds.

To sign up for my newsletter click here. For past posts click here.

JJ