ACC Baltimore ... here we come!

(Above:  The packed rental cargo van!)

Last December Steve and I traded in our Scion of a small Ram Promaster cargo van.  It's a great vehicle and gets the same gas mileage as the car did.  It is large, large enough for me to haul artwork for solo shows and other art adventures but not large enough to transport the 10' x 10' Pro Panel booth for ACC Shows (American Craft Council.)  This morning we picked up the BIG rental van and moved my 4' x 8' wooden table out of my studio at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios and into my new "home" sewing studio.  There is absolutely nothing left in the old location! 

(Above:  The interior of the packed cargo van ... showing how I suspended the Pro Panel walls.)

By midday, we had the cargo van fully loaded.  This included suspending the Pro Panel walls above the artwork.  Why is this important?  Well, in the past the walls were on the very bottom, directly on the van's interior floor.  This loads easily but it certainly makes the set up difficult when arriving at the convention center.  We need the jigsaw puzzle carpet units and the walls FIRST, not as the last things to come out of the unloaded van.

Using heavy chain, strong metal "hooks", and two pieces of PVC pipe, I rigged the suspension system.  I also tied the entire unit together with rope.  I hope this works.  If it doesn't (and falls onto the framed artwork), we'll have a problem ... but all the weight/strength indicators for the chain and hooks were significantly above the actual weight of the walls.  Tomorrow, we pull out of the driveway and head north to Baltimore! We're ready!

 
(Above:  Flicker Feather IV. 11 1/2" x 15". Image transfer on fabric with self-guided, free-motion stitching attached to the face of a wooden frame with plenty of screws, nails, and assorted hardware.  Click on image to enlarge.)

Earlier this month my solo show, PLAYA: A Month in Paradise, opened at Anastasia & Friends gallery on Main Street. I met a lovely lady at the reception who commissioned a small version of my Flicker Feathers art quilt.  I honestly didn't think I would be able to start the work until after the ACC Baltimore Show.  Between getting ready for the show and moving my studio, I thought I wouldn't have the time.  Yet, Steve and I were days ahead on the move ... so much so that on Sunday, Valentine's Day, I was finally able to STITCH IN MY NEW STUDIO!  I wanted this occasion to be special.  Thus, I put the Flicker Feather under my machine ... finishing it over the weekend.

(Above:  Flicker Feather IV with its new owner.)

The new, camera-shy owner came right away to pick up the artwork!  If this isn't the perfect way to inaugurate a new studio and start off the week of an ACC show, I don't know what is!

(Above:  Our son, Mathias Lenz Dingman, on the billboard of the Hippodrome Theater for Birmingham Royal Ballet's production!)

Talk about perfection ... this picture is certainly worth a thousand words!  Plus, I'm linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber artwork.