See my Jewelry at

The Holiday Sale at Studio 307

307 Seventh Ave, Suite 1401

between 27th & 28th St.

New York City

Monday Dec. 14th - Sunday Dec. 20 from 10 am - 6 pm

Journaling

It's been almost a week and true to the promise to  myself that I would post, here I am. Not much to say today. Coming out of a rough time emotionally but working it through and through and through..... I've been doing an online journaling class with Stephanie Lee and it has been wonderful but I think draining for me as well. I would encourage anyone interested in journaling to take her online course. She's a fantastic writer who has much insight and very thought provoking exercises. I signed up for the second go-round which starts in January.

Last night when I couldn't sleep and was ruminating over and over and over about every bad thing I could possibly think of, I got up and started writing in my journal. I wrote for almost an hour. Poured my heart out, cried, said some things that really scared me. But then I started feeling better. Towards the end of the mostly negative writing I turned it around and finished up with a few positive things to carry me off to sleep, finally. I did get about 3 hours, not nearly enough for me but felt better today than I have in a long time. Today I wrote pages and  pages on the bus in the pouring rain waiting for all the people to get on and off and finally making it to Broadway to catch the train.

So the moral of this story is 1. I had way more to say than I thought 2. keep up my daily practice of writing in my journal 3. get a good night's sleep tonight 4. write to heal

Flow of Grace

detail

Flow of Grace was one of those pieces that came together almost effortlessly about two weeks before my last show opened in mid September. The day I gave my artist's talk in October, it sold and happy though I am about that I feel a little hole in my heart for this piece that I never got to live with. The title, Flow of Grace, was taken from a CD by Krishna Das that I love. I just loved the title and the way it made me feel. I need more flow of grace in my life and as soon as I finished this piece I knew that would be the title. So thank you Krishna Das for the title and your beautiful music. I recently got to experience him in concert in NYC and it was incredible and the music profoundly moving. I will be taking a workshop with him and Sharon Salzberg in January. Can't wait for that.

Back to My Roots

Paper Quilt

Detail

I made this printed paper and fabric quilt about a month ago based on a class that Melanie Testa taught using recycled items such as cardboard, string. corks, etc. I love printing on paper and fabric and do it a lot with the mixed media collage class I teach.  The individual blocks were machine stitched together then layered with cotton batting and back. The binding was hand stitched and I really want to add some hand stitching in a circular pattern (what else!) but that will come some evening over the long cold winter when I have some extra time.

I have sewn for my whole life starting at about age 5. My Grandma Smith was an excellent seamstress but I don't remember her teaching me. I just picked up a needle one day to make some clothes for a doll and later taught myself to use a sewing machine when I was 12 and started making clothes. 

Quilt making came later when a friend taught me the basics of traditional patterns. This was back in the late 70's to early '80's when Art Quilts were just getting their start and I felt the calling to design my own quilts. I had quilts in a bunch of shows but soon tired of the labor intensive process and abandoned quilts in search of a more immediate process. This led me to being an apprentice at a handmade paper mill and making that my main medium for a number of years. Slowly I incorporated found objects into my work and they eventually won out over the handmade paper to become the stars.

Coming full circle I started playing with fabric again about ten years ago making much smaller quilts that didn't take as much time but were still incredibly satisfying to make. I probably have at least 20 small to medium sized quilts in various stages of finish that I will one day exhibit together. It's funny, I still have people from when I was known as a quiltmaker that ask me how my quiltsmaking is going and soon I can say, "really great and I'm having a show at......."

Onward

Sleight of Hand

Mirror, Mirror

Plunge (detail)

Plunge

Here, at long last are some images from my show Transformation, which came down this past Thursday. I sold 7 pieces! and surpassed the goal that I had set for the amount I wanted to sell. Thank you Christine Kane and Gailann Bruen and Lisa Call for setting me on the right track.

Thursday was a sad day for me. I always have a hard time with transitions and taking down a show is high up there with "what do I do next?" and "how do I top that?" Well the thing is I don't have to top that. I just have to keep moving on, to the next goal, the next show, the next event and make them the focus so that I don't feel this big empty hole in my life.

So moving in the right direction I am participating in a craft show called Handmade in New York on December 12th from 11am to 5pm at St. Anthony's Church on the corner of Sullivan and Houston Sts. in NYC. I will have jewelry, scarves, fabric bags, cards and other paper goods and some small artwork. Hope to see you there! Tell me you saw this blog post and I'll give you a 10% discount on your total purchase. 

Another way for me to move forward is to start posting on this blog again regularly. So my promise to myself is to post at least once a week, more if time permits. See you again soon...

September 2009 Show

I am happy to announce a show of my art work this September at Hudson Guild Gallery ll in NYC. The opening reception is Thursday, September 17th from 6 - 8 pm.  All are welcome!

    Transformation: 

Mixed Media Collage, Painting & Found Object Sculpture

by Liz Curtin

at

Hudson Guild Gallery ll

119 Ninth Ave. between 17 & 18 St.

New York, NY 

September 17 - November 11, 2009

Opening reception: Thursday, Sept. 17 from 6-8 pm

Artist's Talk: Thursday, Oct. 22nd from 1-2 pm