"Containment" Opening

______This past weekend I had my first solo show in a gallery owned by an instructor at a local college. The gallery itself is actually an old church which received a facelift a while back: the floors were refinished, the walls were heightened, and lights were added to the ceiling, but the exterior still retains its weathered white paneling and gothic peaked windows. In conclusion, it's a rad-tacular space, dudes and dudettes.

______There was quite a crowd at the opening, as the gallery owner knows quite a bit of artsy inclined folks over on that side of the state, and a few of my dedicated friends who lived one or two hours away came by, too, which meant the world to me. I encouraged everyone to touch whatever they wanted at the beginning--because everything is made from super tactile fabrics, are sparkly and definitely meant to be inviting.

______And but of course, the world's most supportive parents were there! That's right--Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were at my opening.

______I kid, I kid.

A Beginning / The End, 2015, 10' x 13'

fabric, fiber fill, piping, beads

______I was able to put in the two newest pieces I've created since graduating college in the show, which was wonderful since they've been sitting patiently in my parents' house until they could be assembled opposed to staying stacked like floppy pancakes on a chair nobody ever sits on.



______For those of you who follow my Instagram, I'm sure that you've seen the little balls I've been hand-sewing (as well as the swirly bead trails and such that have accompanied them), so here they are in their final, large-format form! I'm slowly but surely learning about the physical characteristics of particular fabrics as well as their costs... I found an incredible Etsy shop with hand-dyed velvet and I'm a wee bit enamored with them.

Pepto Chew, 2015, 5' x 3'

fabric, fiber fill, beads, piping

______Putting everything up was fairly stressful, mainly because a) I had gallery assistants and I felt a little awful having them wait on me when I didn't require their help and b) I was filling the space entirely by myself. I've had pieces in shows before and even a duo show, but never my own show. It made me realize where there are gaps in my work, and how I need some smaller pieces to accompany the larger ones and to really figure out a network between specific pieces. Long story short: I got lots to do.

______I feel like photos never do my work any justice since fabric shines in waves, as well as them not showing the reflectivity of the beads within the ball-pod-thingsIhaven'tnamedyet. But whatevs. Onto the next project!