Marriage

My son got married last month! Nick and Megan asked me to create an artwork that would hang in the sanctuary of the beautiful First Parish Church in Bedford, Massachusetts.

The size of the piece was limited to 5' x 3' so that it could also hang in their attic apartment in Somerville, a place with limited vertical wall space.

Here's the piece in progress in my studio.

I decided to also create an installation from birch branches that I cut from downed trees near Alewife in Cambridge -- "marrying" my current 2-D and 3-D art directions and filling the sanctuary space a bit more fully.

As I wrote for the wedding program: Marriage is a fiber art installation created by Margot Stage (aka Nick's Mom). The fabric trees represent Megan and Nick, while the surrounding white birch symbolizes their families and friends who support and celebrate their union.

It was a beautiful ceremony, shining with love, and filled with blessings for Megan and Nick!

Northeast Prize Show 2011

I'm thrilled that my piece Waters of March # 3 was accepted by juror Theodore Stebbins for the Northeast Prize show. Stebbins is curator of American Art at Harvard University's Fogg Museum, and selected 111 pieces from over 700 submissions. He wrote about the show, "I was, truthfully, amazed at the quality overall. I found more honesty, more love of art, more beauty than I had a week before among the five hundred booths at the Chicago Art Fair." High praise, indeed!

Northeast Prize Show 2011 can be seen through June 16th at the Cambridge Art Association's two galleries. Kathryn Schultz Gallery at 25 Lowell Street and University Place Gallery at 124 Mt. Auburn St. www.cambridgeart.org for more information. My piece is at the University Place Gallery.

Enjoy!

Art in Nature at Fruitlands Museum

From now until mid-November you can visit the fabulous Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA and enjoy this outdoor sculpture show on their 210-acre landscape. I'm thrilled to have 2 pieces in this exhibit -- Falling and Pod Veils.

It was a cold and windy day in March when David and I installed Falling.

Fruitlands curator Mike Volmar helped me install Pod Veils -- we were both on extension ladders leaning against the pine bough, so no photos of that act!

Here's a link to an article about Art in Nature in the Metrowest Daily News. And when you visit the show, don't forget to vote for your favorite sculptures!

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/arts/x511177534/Accentuating-the-excellent-at-Fruitlands-Museum

Fibrous Forms: Bereft

The sixteen pieces that comprise Bereft each represent a person I knew (or a person that someone I love knew) who passed away between February and July 2010. The title "Bereft" and the concept evolved from an email exchange with Gillian, who's partner Bobby died quite suddenly of pancreatic cancer. These pieces, created with fiberglass window screen, fabric,thread and beads, simultaneously commemorate and celebrate each individual spirit.

Fibrous Forms: Untied

After creating a commissioned piece entirely from silk neckties, I was left with a big pile of "tie innards" -- strips of cloth in shades of white, ivory, sand. In the middle of one night, an inspiration came to me to use accordian folds and then string the folded fabrics together on a piece of red embroidery thread. Once in a while a red bead snuggles in a fold. I made this piece with the hope that the shadows would add another element to the whole -- and it worked!

Fibrous Forms in full

We had a fabulous time creating Fibrous Forms at the 119 Gallery in Lowell. Here are two views of the full room, with images of individual works to follow shortly. Photographer and friend Adrien Bisson took these fabulous shots. Click on the image to enlarge.

Fibrous Forms

My husband, David Crane and I are getting ready to hang/install our 2-person show, Fibrous Forms, at the 119 Gallery in Lowell. This is an incredible opportunity for us to work together, and for each of us to push our work outside its usual boundaries. David has been using wood in "fiber-like ways" and I've been making 3D pieces with cloth. Together we're doing an installation from pussy willow branches off the tree in our backyard, and another using crocheted threads and strips of wood (that's our postcard image). The show runs from October 19 - November 13, with a reception October 30 at 3 pm. Hope you get a chance to stop by! Directions and more info at the gallery's website www.119gallery.com