Ideal packing and other news

(Above:  Lunette XXVII.  Inventory # 3981. Framed: 22" x 28". $495.  Click on any image in this blog post to enlarge.)

Later today Steve and I will pack the rental cargo van for tomorrow's trip to Atlanta for the weekend American Craft Council Show at the Cobb Galleria.  I'll be in booth 1408, same location as last year.  Right now, most of the booth is sitting by the back door ready to be loaded.  After all, we did the ACC Baltimore Show less than a month ago.  It made no sense to lug the Pro Panel walls upstairs to the spare room/storage area.  We'll do that next week!

(Above: In Box CCXCII.  Inventory # 3979.  Framed:  33" x 21".  $550.)

Since the Baltimore show, I've been making work to replace some of the things that were sold ... especially since having an even number of certain works is important when packing the cargo van. My larger pieces fit nicely atop the booth walls only if loaded in pairs.  If I have an odd number, the stack gets wobbly ... which isn't the best way to drive over bumps and uneven pavement!  

(Above: In Box CCXCII, detail.)

The smaller works fit into several boxes with carefully cut pieces of corrugated between each one.  I like the boxes to be full ... so that they don't shift back and forth during the drive.

(Above: In Box CCXCII, signature block.)

 So this post is the result of the work I made to fill the boxes and keep the stacked artwork "flat".  This is likely a strange approach to making art, but it works for me!

(Above: Seasonal Leaves: Winter.  Inventory # 3980.  Framed: 25" x 19".)

It is probably obvious ... but the decision to make Seasonal Leaves: Winter is because I sold "winter".  How could I go to Atlanta with just Spring, Summer, and Autumn?  LOL!

(Above: In Box CCLXXXIX.  Inventory # 3976.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.)

The rest of this post is the smaller works made during the last two weeks.  I'm amazed that my "In Box" series is approaching THREE HUNDRED.  It seems like only yesterday when I started.  At the time, I thought it impossible to reach one hundred, the goal my mentor Stephen Chesley suggested as an exercise in the exploration of color, theme, design, and artistic voice.  The series still inspires me and I've been offered a solo show at Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury, NC with this work.  The show will run from September 9, 2017 through February 3, 2018.  I will be making all new work for it ... including a new twist.  I'm going to explore circles ... which will not be framed but gently tacked to the wall as if a constellation of orbs.  I'm excited!

(Above: In Box CCLXXXVIII.  Inventory # 3975.  Framed: 19" x 15". $235.)

(Above:  Bucket List, fiber vessel filled with ripped, rolled, and stitched pages from 1940s issues of National Geographic Magazines.)

I'm also happy to report that Bucket List was accepted into All Things Considered IX: Basketry in the 21st Century, a national juried show presented by the National Basketry Organization.  This show opens at the American Art Company in Tacoma, WA and runs from July 20, 2017 through March 30, 2018.   

(Above:  Our Baby Beloved, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt.  34" x 33".  Photo by Jeff Amberg.  Crayon grave rubbing on a vintage child's garment; vintage tablecloth and buttons.  Hand stitching with self-guided, free-motion machine outlining of the letters.)

Plus, Our Baby Beloved was accepted into the biennial Sacred Threads, July 7 - 23, 2017 in Herndon, Virginia.

(Above: In Box CCXC.  Inventory # 3977.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.)

I am linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber artwork. 

(Above: In Box CCXCI. Inventory # 3978.  Framed: 19" x 15". $235.)