Tonight, I will slow down for an admittedly drowsy bit of time and try to catch up on the events and activities in the studio.
A magnificent deal came my way on a new embroidery machine. In fits and starts, including a trip to the shop, I have begun using it. There is a learning curve, but it is not too steep. It works like any other embroidery machine...except you have to set up the thread-to-needle assignments. It is a bit fussy.
It allows me to sew up to 10 threads with no spool changes. What a wonder! Mostly I have been doing color studies: stitching identical designs with identical thread choices on different color fabrics to see what happens.
I rearranged the studio to make room for the new machine. In anticipation of the need for more wall space to work large, I finished drywalling the garage. I have one really long wall out there...over 14 uninterrupted feet. Now to get it heated...or designate it the spring-fall studio extension.
I applied for the Guggenheim fellowship earlier this fall. It is unlike any other application. You practically write a memoir : about 8 pages of narrative about your career and 3 pages about your proposed project and beyond. No resume. No artist statement. And you have to provide 3 references. BUT no pictures...until asked. I was asked! So I have been combing through jpgs, trying to find the right sequence, the right story. It is a big-deal-lot-of-work! I cannot tell you how many hours this has all taken...and it is not done yet. You can see my progress on picture selection etc. at http://susanhenselgrantapplication.weebly.com/
The body of work I did with my son, I DWELL IN IMPOSSIBILITY, will be exhibited at the Phipps Art Gallery in Hudson, WI as a solo show, in October/ November 2019.
The EROS DRAWINGS are on exhibit in Wyoming, Minnesota for this month.
And the Art of Giving Project continues. More artists books have gone to collections: Pratt Institute of Art in NY; Brooklyn Museum of Art; and now Long Island University, NY.