PERSONAL GROUNDS, Charleston....through October 10

(Above: PERSONAL GROUNDS, my solo exhibition at The City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC. September 10 - October 10, 2010. Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

First and foremost, THANK YOU....to everyone who left a blog comment, sent a Facebook or email message, visited the last post, participated in the Decision Portrait Series, and especially those to actually came to the reception last Friday night at The City Gallery at Waterfront Park in downtown, historic Charleston, South Carolina. It was a magical evening!


(Above: The exterior banner announcing PERSONAL GROUNDS....including twelve of the Decision Portrait images. Click on this or any image in this post to enlarge.)

My parents flew in from Slippery Rock, PA late Friday afternoon. Steve dropped me off at the gallery and went to pick them up. This gave me time to take lots of photos of the exhibition. They are posted here....in no particular order....except that the first floor appears before the second floor as you scroll down. Pretty much, these pictures are posted in the order in which I snapped them while walking around the space. Then....I posted photos of the chiffon banners and finally some shots of participants posing with their portraits. I think I managed to get each portrait into at least one picture.


(Above: The interior signage, my Self Portrait, and a monitor on which the eTV segment featuring me in my studio working on the exhibition pieces plays on a continuous loop!)

I'm presenting an "artist's lecture" on Saturday, October 2 at 2 PM in the gallery. It is free and open to the public. I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to say yet. It has been suggested that I use the available power-point technology to introduce my other fiber work and then guide a brief "tour" of the exhibition. Sounds like a plan! (Of course, I don't exactly know how to create a Power Point presentation!)


(This photo and those immediately below were taken on the first floor of The City Gallery at Waterfront Park. Click on any image to enlarge.)

One of the best things that happened during the reception was a surprise visit from my sister Sonya and her husband Vipin. I had no idea that they were coming. They left at 6:30 AM and drove like maniacs all day, arriving around 7:15 PM. Sonya's decision is called Youngest Child. The image includes my Dad and they posed for a photo in front of it. We later had dinner at Magnolia's.



On Saturday we visited Fort Moultrie and friends on Sullivan's Island before going to the Three Mule Inn by the soccer stadium on Daniel Island. We cheered our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes on to a victory over the Miami Hurricanes.



Yesterday my parents flew back to Pennsylvania. Steve and I returned to Columbia where I spent the rest of the day working on "In Box" and "Faux Stained Glass" fiber pieces for the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville....photos of these pieces are coming!



In closing....THANK YOU to everyone involved on-line and in person. It's been great! If you are in the Charleston area during the coming month, be sure to visit the exhibition! (KEEP SCROLLING DOWN FOR MORE PHOTOS!)






























(Above: This is the stairwell between the first and second floor. I selected I Buckled Up! for this location because it was the one place where a single portrait would likely be seen in isolation. It is also the one decision we can all make that might actually save our life! BUCKLE UP! Click on this or any image in the post to enlarge.)


(Above: This photos and those immediately below were taken on the second floor at The City Gallery at Waterfront Park. Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)


















(Above: This image is the view seen when exiting the elevator! Click on image to enlarge.)















The images below are of the 45 sheer chiffon banners hanging in the 2-story, central space. Each banner is free motion machine embroidered with "decisions"..... like "Should I wear the red shirt or the blue one?" or "Is it time to put Mom into an assisted living facility?" or "I can text and drive!", etc. Click on any image to enlarge.



















Below are casual photos taken during the reception for PERSONAL GROUNDS on Friday, September 10. Click on any image to enlarge.


(Above: This is Steve and I posing in front of the Decision Portrait of his parents. It is called Cold Turkey and includes the stitched words: We quit smoking after 40+ years. The original photo was taken 29 years minus two days beforehand.....our wedding day!)


(Above: Steve posing with the portrait of his parents.)


(Above: Jeannie and I posing in front of her decision: Making a Difference with stitched words reading: Helped found a public charter school.)


(Above: Melissa Bush posing in front of her decision: Argentine Tango Dancer! PS....She returned to Columbia that evening in order to DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY!)


(Above: Dolly Patton posing in front of her decision, Lasik Eye Surgery.)


(Above: My Dad and my youngest sister Sonya posing in front of Youngest Child with the stitched words: I took over the Family Business.)


(Above: Cindi Boiter and Bob Jolley posing in front of their decision: First Love with the stitched words reading: I married my high-school sweetheart. Ditto.)

(Above: Interns Haley, Anndell, and Alex who helped with the installation an with the reception. By the way, the flowers here came from my sister Wanda (aka 25 Years Sober, on the second floor!) and her husband Reinhard who live in Munich, Germany. Thank you!