Opening Night - Envision Gallery at Flourish Studios, Chicago

Dear Ones-
Opening Night was a dream come true!! The gallery was ALIVE with the energy of the 'LoveLights' that were being shown.

As I stood back to look at the space, I was filled with pride in the accomplishment of my wildest dreams come true. A solo show of the work of my hands. I learned that night that the 'baby steps' really do add up and the body of work comes together almost without realizing what is happening.

The evening was magical with the entertaining performance of the Imagination Theater group.

I was very blessed to have family and dear friends brave the stormy weather to be present for me at this important event. Some drove for nearly three hours to attend the gala that was an 'out of body' experience that I will not soon forget. THRILLING!

 

Cathy Hennessy Price, a Family Therapist at Flourish Studios, planted the seed last fall for this exhibit to take place and was very instrumental in making the necessary introductions with exhibit curator Meredith. With a grateful heart for the opportunity and vote of confidence, I created this 'Price Family LoveLight' for Cathy and Mark.

The exhibit will hang until July 17th. It is my hope that if you are able to experience it for yourself, you will please sign the guest book near the entrance of the gallery. Your comments mean so much.

Until next time ~

Live your Light!

Amazing Grace

Dear Ones,
I'm ba a ck ~ with great news of a new focus for my art and energy.  An opportunity has presented itself.  It is a dream come true and a leap of faith all rolled together.  A solo exhibit in the Chicago area!  WOW!!  Pinch me. The miracle of this new venture is that it came to me from a referral by Cathy, one of my Dearest Ones.
The dates have been set for an opening on June 18th.  Now the work begins; creating new art, deciding which current pieces to include, finishing the new brochure that has been in the works for months, and keeping my efforts focused on the end goal; Showing and Sharing my LoveLights.

'Kasia I Am' (c) 2009 Kasia

This mandala  'Kasia, I Am', is my new logo.  I intend to use it on my business cards and notepads, etc.  If you'll look closely, you will find my name in purple around the center red/purple 'I AM'.  I used the green background color for it's healing energy and fresh spring-like appeal.  Embedding names and words into the LoveLights is the focus of my newest work.  What do you think?

Portals Challenge

This week I met a fellow artist and friend Chris Kirsch at a local coffee shop to deliver my "Portals" art quilt.  Chris and I have been friends for many years.  We each have a passion for fiber art; love, love, love our grandchildren;  and share the belief that both the Art and the Children are Gifts in our lives.  

We belong to the Milwaukee Art Quilters Group (MArQ) and were discussing the upcoming exhibit of the group challenge - PORTALS -  at the Ben Franklin store in Oconomowoc, WI.  for the month of November.  Each year the group challenges it's members to stretch their creativity muscles with a specific theme, size, or design element to be incorporated into an art quilt.  This years challenge had size restrictions and vertical orientation, otherwise the portal itself was open to interpretation.  Being the mandala enthusiast that I am, my portal had to have a circular form to it.  Pictured here is the finished piece with its description.  ENJOY! 

Portals:  Past, Present, Future
 When we think about the evolution of this artist's sewing passion, we can see that her hands have always been busy with all types of fabrics and applications.  The embroidery projects as a young girl are represented in the recycled embroidered tablecloth that was too precious to discard.  The upholstery  fabric spiral represents the home decor projects that surrounded her family raising years and the piecing techniques that every quilter knows.  The future of this artist's passion is represented by the hand painted ultrasuede center.  The shiny metallic threads that hold this piece together and draw the viewers eye inward represents the Light of the MUSE that has been a constant thread throughout all of the different stages and is the core of this Portal.



Until next time ~

Inspiration

Sources of inspiration come as a blessing at times, surprisingly, from out of nowhere. Inspiration could arrive with a beautiful hand dyed fabric or in viewing the artwork of the children which is found hanging in the local grade school.  I  never really know for sure when an idea for a new creation might appear.

"LoveLight Nolan" was inspired by the name of our first born grandchild.  This little angel baby stirred such a love that only another grandmother could know.  I wanted to create something really special for him to remember his Kasia.

Fabric gifted from fiber artist Cindi Huss was deemed special enough to meet the creative needs of this new art piece.  The hand dyed fabric hung on the design wall for months waiting for inspiration to arrive with just the right design to bring it to life.  One day, while taking an open art studio class, I wandered through the hallways of the elementary school where the class was being held, and was instantly inspired by the kaleidoscope designs of the children's names.  The idea struck me like a lightening bolt that it would be fun to attempt to re-create this idea using fabric instead of paper.  That's the day that the"What's in a Name?" or  "Hidden Messages" LoveLights were conceived.  I immediately started playing with paper stencils to form the name mandala in the center of the dyed fabric kaleidoscope.

Playing with Cindi's fabric and auditioning others to compliment it, I came up with what I thought would be a good choice.  When I took the leap of faith to layer, stitch, and  finally cut into the layers of fabric, I had no idea what the final design might look like.  As the piece evolved, you can only imagine the awe that I felt when it finally emerged and revealed itself to me.

Here is the finished inspired piece that I feel is worthy of the name Nolan.  Can you find his name in the design?  Not everyone will be able to see it, but that's what makes this Art so intriguing, in my opinion. 

Enjoy ~

Until next time, Be Well!

Sacred Space

To find the creative mode, I need to surround myself with special music that quiets the ego, photos of family and dear ones (my angels), books that inspire, and knickknack treasures that center me.  The colorful ART collection that hangs in view and the new pieces waiting for attention on the design wall all help me to cross the threshold into the state of creativity where time does not exist.  I simply love my sacred studio space.

I didn't always have such a beautiful spot to play in, but it was always a dream and a wish.  Through the years, the workspace evolved from a corner in the basement, to a counter top in the laundry room.  When our daughter went off to college, the corner in her bedroom became my "sewing niche" on the main floor of the house. That arrangement worked fine until, like most hobbyists, my collections of fabrics and supplies expanded to overflowing the room.  There was a file-box here and a cutting table there with a pile of reference books thrown in the middle.  It was difficult to stay organized.  Gratefully, about that time we decided to relocate our home. My dream studio became a reality in a beautiful room of my own with a view of nature and furniture to house all of the fabrics, supplies, and notions.  It is an answer to a prayer, my little piece of heaven and the place where I find my bliss.

Studio Chaos

It's that time of year, when the seasons change, the wardrobe gets switched around, the summer travel has subsided, exhibit deadlines have been met, and the Studio calls for a little re-organizing.   I am always surprised by the little piles of stash here and there that are unearthed during one of these cleansing days.  I tend to be most creative when I can freely try things out and discard to the counter or floor the fabrics that just don't seem right at the time.  This translates into a freedom frenzy of creativity that must be followed by an hour or two of "re-grouping" before the chaos becomes too overwhelming.

Today I was surprised by the little pile of new work projects that was buried under auditioned fabrics from the last commission piece that has now been finished.  The discovery gives me new fuel for the creative juices to start flowing again. A new season with a fresh start!   Curiosity has me wondering where these little projects will end up, what they will look like, and whose wall will become 'home'.  Time will tell.  For now, I'm back to the task at hand until I can clearly see the floor and worktable again.

Pagenkopf Commission

 The commission pieces of the past few months have kept my creativity alive over the otherwise lazy days of summer.  It took a leap of faith the day that I contacted Cindy Pagenkopf to share with her my style of mandala fiber art and my vision for possibilities for the funeral home decor.  She was moved to tears when she actually saw with her own eyes what I was trying to describe over the phone.  The idea that "one look is worth a thousand words" really rang true in this case.  She had an idea for the funeral home, a kind of a quilt that would be used to honor the deceased during the farewell ceremony at the Angel's Grace Hospice.

So in early June, I met with her husband Kevin who is the 4th generation funeral director of this family owned and operated establishment and their staff.  This meeting was my opportunity to "show & tell" my 'LoveLights'.  We brainstormed ideas and came up with a design that would incorporate the Pagenkopf name with the center mandala that used the word "Peace", as in 'rest in peace'.  Cindy has a great sense of style and had her vision for the remodeling project that was about to take place during the summer months, so she and I immediately went out and shopped for the fabric in just the right color & texture to be used for this project.  My creative spirit was alive with excitement at the prospect of bringing forth the perfect art piece to reflect their ideas.

Once I put my hands on the fabric and started to play with the paints and threads that could be used for this project, I found myself in the "zone" and the MUSE took over.  At the final outcome, I was completely surprised and grateful that my hands were used to bring this piece to life.  It's always a mystery to me how these beautiful projects evolve on their own and I somehow get all the credit.  For this, I am eternally GRATEFUL!

What Talents do you possess and what Blessings do you count daily?

It's a WRAP!

My artist friend, Casey Puetz and I traveled to Madison, to take part in the Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) Annual Exhibit and State Art Conference on Saturday, September 19, 2009 held  at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  The conference was an opportunity for us to network with other artists of many mediums from around the state of Wisconsin.  After viewing the art exhibit which took up three floors of the Pyle Center, it touched my heart to listen to the guest speakers; Artists Henry Hawkins and Helen Klebesadel talk about their art.  They shared slides of their retrospective bodies of work and spoke of the struggles, joy, and passion of being an artist today.  The program was educational and comforting to hear first hand accounts of their inspiration, point of view, finding their voice, and how they find Joy in working on their Art.  Viewing the exhibit was sheer pleasure for my soul and it was a special thrill to see my art "Gaia ~ Fire & Water" hanging amongst all that talent.  I was proud of Casey as she received the Stateline Artists Award for "Aspen Duo".  This thrilling day came on top of the Delafield Art Walk the night before.

If you have ever taken part in a county fair, church festival, or worked a booth at a conference, you will appreciate the physical demands of setting up and taking down an exhibit. There is a certain amount of stress related to 'remembering to bring everything' and 'opening yourself up to public opinion'.  But somehow sandwiched in the middle of all that stress are hours of FUN when you see your friends, meet and greet new people, Show & Tell the Art, and then find a new home for your 'LoveLights'.  The activity is a real roller coaster ride of emotions.  Again, Casey stands by my side as we share the ups and downs of this experience.  When all is said and done, we are in awe of our journey since we started our 'Stand by Me' meetings a few short years ago.  We are so grateful to the Powers that Be for putting us together in the first place - - - but that's another story.  For now, this grateful spirit needs to rest her mind and aching body.

Until next time~
Remember that "Colorful Art lifts the Spirit!"

LoveLights

My obsession with mandalas (I see circles everywhere I go!) has resulted in years of study and exploration of these magical circular forms.  My bookshelves are full of colorful books on this subject.  I use them for inspiration in creating my version of these ancient icons which are affectionately called "LoveLights".
As was stated in an earlier post, I turned 50 with a bang!! My appendix ruptured on the night of my birthday. The upset stomach that I felt the next morning caused me to regret eating that second piece of ice cream cake.  Little did I know then what had really happened and I lay around for a couple of days thinking I had the flu.  Needless to say, when I finally was admitted into the hospital, I was critically ill and stayed there for a week!!  I learned a great lesson through this experience - - LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!  You know; that little voice that says "get help quick!"  I tried to ignore it, but when the pain grew too intense, I had no choice but to surrender to the moment and ASK for help.  The outpouring of good wishes and prayers from family and friends also taught me what it feels like to be surrounded by LOVE. It was an eye-opening, AHA! moment and I'll always be grateful for the entire experience.
 After recovery, when I was finally able to get back to my sewing, the first "LoveLight" was created.  You see it pictured here.  The black background supports the red marble mandala that is filled with the colorful butterflies all trying to get out.  (It reminds me of my spirit looking for it's voice back in those days.)  The name "LoveLights" had been revealed to me years earlier through my morning journaling ritual ~ but we'll save that story for another post.

Until next time ~
Be Well,

Kasia

Why Fabric?

My lifelong love of fabrics and working with my hands to create something from an idea, started at an early age under the guidance of my mother. She taught me how to thread a needle and soon started the journey of sewing doll clothes by hand. By the age of twelve, I was constructing my own clothing on a Singer treadle sewing machine. As the years went by, my experience as a homemaker had included all forms of sewing: home decorating, crafts, and clothing for my children.

I became an instructor at Stretch & Sew Fabrics in 1977, teaching hundreds of women the basics of sewing with knit fabrics. The introduction to the world of quilting in 1995 came while working in a quilt fabric shop where I quickly became a garment and serger machine specialist.  I taught classes in  garment construction, fit, and Jacket Jazz wearable art. The fashions that were created won ribbons in local quilt shows and had been exhibited nationally; one piece, in particular, traveled in the Hoffman Challenge trunk show in 1999. Next, I wanted to try my hand creating Artquilts and began concentrating on nontraditional designs using many of the quilt techniques that I had been using in the garments. Consequently, I discovered the joy of teaching and lecturing at guild meetings and area quilt shops.

I turned 50 with a bang!! My appendix ruptured and I was critically ill. It was during this time that Spirit touched my heart in the form of mandalas ~ sacred circles. I began to see circles everywhere I looked and naturally, they found their way into my sewing. At about this time I was invited to join MArQ ~ Milwaukee Art Quilters group and began to explore the possibilities that took my sewing hobby into a new direction. I studied Mandalas and while working with unusual fabric textures and specialty threads, began to create quilts “in the round”.

The meeting of artist/teacher David Walker, in 2003 had a profound effect on my self esteem and a Fiber Artist was born. Since that meeting I have been passionate about my mission to share my Love and Light in the form of LoveLights™ ~ my healing color Mandalas. Sharing this art in the virtual gallery of my web site gives a purpose to my LIFE. It is my hope that you will visit often, and are blessed by the work of my hands.

Until next time ~

Be Well -
Kasia