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Well, I finally got some images to show you that I am indeed part of all these things I tell you about and definitely not an imposter!  What this means- I got the pictures from my friend from all the past month events.  So now you may imagine along that you were there….  Look- there is you next to me and my dad (above)!  You are so cool!

My gallery talk went really well this week and I had a modest group of lovely people there.  It was a comfortable chat with some of my favorite people.  I talked lot about where architect’s daughter evolved from and how it can to be in Arts Lehigh.  I can’t really rehash it so much for you however what I can do is upload the lovely exhibition statement that was hanging outside the room (see below).

My suggestion is to read the exhibition statement in my voice and look at the pictures and imagine being there.  If you come to this website on any type of regular basis, you have some creative inclinations and can certainly try to envision the event.  Regardless, it was really nice- so nice that I would make a little button about the day and wear it to remember always. (dear sweet reader, I am in one weird mood today).

Anyway, there are pics of that lovely day BUT WAIT…. there’s more!  And yes, I do notice the trend of wearing black to every event.  It’s weird.  But I need to buy and iron so I can iron my other, more colorful clothes. 

The next group are from the beautiful Friday window tour with the One Stone Collective.  There really couldn’t have been more beautiful of a day (except for maybe this week where the weather is totally gorgeous….. but that was the first beautiful 70 degreee weather days that we had).

Anyway, here you can put some faces with names.  The gals were great and, as you already know, were a total hit!

 (ugh, I so need a haircut)  This is me introducing the group.  In the pic behind me you’ll see- (left to right) Bea, Corey, Merissa, and Meghan.  Unfortunately this is the only pic Meghan appears in but she was a great presence that day!

Merissa talking about her work- and not talking about how her hair is so much better cared for than mine.

Corey with her attentive crowd in the reflection.

Bea talking about her work.  She told me before the tour that in her research for her work she found out why pencils are yellow.  It’s actually because when pencils were just going into production in the late 1870′s, doors opened to China as an industry trade potential.  Yellow is a royal color in China and therefore in honor of the Chinese and good relations with them, the first pencil company created yellow pencils.  Wow!

I’m a sucker for a blurry picture every time.  This is in Marcie’s installation.

Below, you can see the great group that collected in Chores for the final reception (before we headed off to have dinner at Nawab).  We did not discuss my hair at dinner however it is maybe all I’m thinking about now that I look at these pictures.

No rest for the weary yet, stay tuned to my final preparations for the Red Show opening up this Friday!  Details to come! 
I’ll also post the professional pics of the installation when I get them.  sssooooooo much better than mine!

Well peeps, here’s a sneak peak at the very last day of my show (if that makes any sense).  Please come see my talk tomorrow (Wednesday, March 31) at Arts Lehigh (230 West Packer Ave) at 4pm.  It would be great to see many, many smiling faces there before I dismantle the show this weekend. 

It’s a bit bittersweet and I’ll be surely nostalgic about the process and perhaps even about the past ten years of my life and career.  I’ve been thinking about this work and why it began, while sorting out how I present the show.  I also have been thinking about some of the responses I have recieved thus far about the work.  It’s a weird testimony about acceptance.  If you look at my work 10 years ago, I could not even acknowledge myself.  Eight years ago, I presented a brutalized version of who I am.  Five years ago I was fragmented.  And beginning two years ago, I became layered, whole, and a structure in progress.  I hope to address that tomorrow.  How- I’m not sure yet, however I promise you, sweet reader, to be honest forthright, and answer any questions that come my way.  I’m a bit nervous this “reception eve” but looking forward to pushing the new work forward. 

The past few days, a few changes have occured and I have been struggling to maintain steady nerves about them.  I can only expect that this will process, come to a place where I can understand it, and flush it self out.  I am sure that in talks to come you can say you heard it here first.  Change is happening (and I knew her when………. *sigh*)

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Oh sweet readers!  I have carried around my portable card reader for days now hoping to update you on the sites and scenes of my art life.  It just seems that there aren’t enough hours in the day at times!

Believe it or not, March is almost over and all of my Women’s History Month hullabaloo will be over.  It seems to be a blink of an eye.  This weekend Chores comes down.  Here is a quick tour of the show even though you should really see it instead…..

Putting this show together certainly had it’s challenges however it really began with Karla’s piece that you see here (and it seems it something shifted and I didn’t notice when I photographed the piece- eek!).  Her piece is entitled “A Weight That Hung Between Us.”  It is about a close familial relationship that depicts fragility and severity in the same breath. 

Her photopolymer prints are derivative of the same theme however question the facade of domestic perfection and what lies within the walls of the home.  They are beautiful whispers of a memory.

Another anchor in the room is “Return” by Christina Day.  This incredible piece recalls the architecture of the home where she grew up and coincedentally the walls are painted the same color (what luck!).  This alludes the to what in our own interiors are areas to consider and areas that are closed off.  Within the differentiation of area, this implies a contrast between familiarity and alienation.

Chrissy’s “Refractions” are introspective treasures of memory.  She takes found compacts and personal effects and applies images of vast area to them.  It reminds me of a memory most cherished.

Kimberly Scola has a wonderful piece that juxtaposes the historical propriety of samplers with a suggestive overture.  It’s a beautifully stiched piece that seems to knock most viewers over when they read it.  I love that!

Andrea Gaydos Landau creates what she calls a “dust print.”  This is a piece made entirely from gathered dust and creates an image that seems to invite more particles to gather. 

Here is her statement…. I think she says it much better than how I can!

I am interested in presenting work that confronts the viewer with an experience that is both spatial and visceral.  By using materials that have a mundane and residual nature is suggestive of a process of addition, division and expansive megalomania, which has its own internal logic.  I want to evoke a visual slippage from accumulation to deterioration and from beauty to base, all to blur the distinction between object and subject.  By building or compiling, an accrual of bits reveals information of a new order, maybe an entirely new object or material, or exposes the subtle possibility of an alternative cosmology.

Sarah Edmonds creates lovely work that suggests day to day labor.   Above is a drawing entitled “Systems (3).”  Below is the installation she created from ephemera and stitched fabric.  I truly think that the photos do not do it justice.  I also wanted to print Sarah’s statement for her work because it’s poetry is something not to forget.

First there is a mountain then there is no mountain, then there is

First there is a mountain then there is no mountain, then there is 

Caterpillar sheds his skin to find the butterfly within 

First there is a mountain then there is no mountain, then there is

First there is a mountain then there is no mountain 

Before posting this entry, I do want to acknowledge that there were two film pieces included in this show done by Katina Sossiadis.  There were a great addition to the conversation- one a fictional short film about a women struggling in her domestic environment and the other, a documentary about women who are “late bloomers.”  Look her up!

For more information about all of these wonderful women- check out their websites:
www.karlastingerstein.com
www.chrissyday.com
www.andrealandau.com
www.chezsucrechez.com
www.katinasossiadis.com

More posts to come soon…. check back!

Hey there, readers….

In case I haven’t mentioned it in a while- ONE STONE WILL BE IN TOWN TOMORROW!

I’m looking forward to hearing the ladies talk about their work.  And I can’t help to admit that I’m nervous about facilitating something like this.  I think what does help is that I actually just served on a panel today where I talked about how to make it in the arts (wait, have I made it??).  This was at PennState.  I was going to take a picture for you from my little post on a stage with my little name card that read “Heather Sincavage, Creative Arts.”  I sat between a mechanical engineer and a state trooper and told the audience about my wacky life.  It was good though- I tried to express the dedication it takes to make a career out of this and the perseverence one needs.  But really folks, this post is not about me.  It’s about coming to hear One Stone tomorrow…. and the skills I learned today about running a “panel discussion.”  I promise to not be stuffy and I promise the One Stone gals will be fun to chat with.  How great is it to talk straight to an artist about “what  the heck were they thinking when they made that?”

And you know I will cover it on an upcoming blog but really, wouldn’t it be more fun for you to just come out, meet the girls, and ask them for yourself?  Yup, so much more fun!

Oh and if that’s not enough for you…. there’s a reception at Chores afterward.  Cookies.  Coffee.  What could be better?

Be there or be square (read the above flyer that I stole from their website for locations).  Tour begins at Tallarico’s at 4:30.

Wow! Two posts in one day!!

I wanted to forward a film still of the video that is used in the room.  I absolutely adore the “ghosty” effect that I was able to achieve and I have to say I am absolutely obsessing over doing more with video!  OBSESSING!! (and maybe obsessing over buying that new Mac I’ve been wanting).

The great thing about it is that this installation as sparked such an avenue of work that I would like to explore.  Of course, this now steps even further outside the box of marketable work but I guess I don’t care so much anymore.  I honestly couldn’t believe I was able to achieve such a quiet breath into the room I created at Arts Lehigh.  I’m not patting myself on the back- I just was absolutely intimidated by video technology and thought it would be so far beyond me but I guess the approach should be much like I have learned photoshop- using it to suit my needs as I need it.  My brain is so busy churning away at new work and no rest for the weary- Red Show opens in the next few weeks!  I’m thinking of being a maniac and creating another small piece derivative of the Arts Lehigh piece.  Let’s see how my energy level holds up.  I’m still reeling from a bit of exhaustion.

Much more to catch you up on the days to come…. my missing camera resurfaced yesterday.  I have pictures of my amazing students (affectionately entitled “the popcorn kids”) to show off; need to show you images of Chores; AND talk about my trip to the Fabric Workshop a few weeks ago.  My life may be nuts but it’s actually pretty fun!  I so could never be contained in a cubicle!

One quick reminder: the One Stone gals will be back Friday to do the window tour of their work for “Archetypes: These Role(s) We Wear.”  It’s not to be missed.  FRIDAY, MARCH 19.  BEGINNING AT TALLARICO’S (Third Street Bethlehem) AT 4:30PM.  RECEPTION TO FOLLOW AT BANANA FACTORY (yet another chance to check out Chores!)

Well, sweet readers, the long haul is complete however I don’t publish a finished image for you.  You need to come to my show to see that!

My first image is from where I last left you.  This  is the beginning of Plan B- and the beginning of hours sitting on that ladder making “onion paper.”  It’s been quite the process  and one where I have needed many hours of help in folding and sewing paper to attach to my sugar pieces.  I actually am quite happy with this solution and think it is more interesting than the initial sketch I envisioned for this wall.  So, go me!

After applying all the paper to be torn I then painted the floor and then set it all to dry for Sunday….. a reaaaallllyyyyyy long day.

Sunday morning I started in on finishing the onion paper then started the “scaffold” section of the room.  I actually wasn’t worrying about it so much UNTIL…..

…………I projected the video just to get the gist of how far the scaffold needs to go and the video looked completely stupid.  Now the video itself didn’t look stupid.  It was how it was framed on the wall.  I couldn’t get enough distance from the projected wall and have the scale of the image in proportion.  Now I had to redirect.  I moved the projector around the room and finally came up with a sufficient place to place the projector and maintain the character of the video’s presence.  I’m very happy with the result however it shifted the entire focal point.  And where I needed to build out the scaffold.  I guess one lesson here is about rolling with the punches- and listening to the work and what it wants (as Adriano would say).  I think it’s good to not push it.  I didn’t have time to fight it.  I was tired and sore and maybe even stressed over not being prepared for the week of school.  I don’t think my shoulders left my ears all day!

So finally, while in the home stretch, I was happy with where it was going.  The structure of the room maintained all the character that I had envisioned and I think I did it without tears- even when the big sugar broke.

The finally installation tally is as follows:

yards of fabric: 36
yards of paper, 36″ wide: 150
feet of wood: 33
number of nights sleeping on site: only one
number of cups of coffee drank: countless
number of times I watched “Pride and Prejudice”: 4
number of times I watched “what the bleep do we know”: 5.5
how many hours cursing sewing machines: way too numerous to count

To see the final result…….

PLEASE COME SEE MY SHOW, ARCHITECT’S DAUGHTER- MARCH 15 THROUGH MARCH 31
CLOSING RECEPTION: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31; GALLERY TALK AT 4P
ARTS LEHIGH BUILDING, LEHIGH UNIVERSITY, 230 PACKER AVE, BETHLEHEM

Well dear readers, I have a little bit of bad news to report- PLAN A (of a 10×12 foot piece of sugar to go up on the walls) has not worked out so much.  It seems my mere wishing for arid climate in the room didn’t work out as much as I thought it did.  We (yes, I needed some mega help on this) moved the piece up to the wall only to have it break.  It seems that the middle wasn’t dry- even though the edges were as tough as nails.  And even though I have been mounting damp sugar this week- it was way to damp and it pulled itself apart.  I am however very proud of the non-melting down that I did…. no tears, not even a curse word (but I did give a piece that broke off in my hand a little toss of frustration). 

So PLAN B it is.  What else can I do, I guess?  SO it’s “onion paper” to save the day….. lots and lots of onion paper which isn’t a bad thing because I really love how it has been coming along.  See below.

So BIG transformations to happen today in the room.  I may regret this tonight- however I am taking the morning easy and going in at noon.  I’m a bit spent and need to feel fresh and up to it.  But I figure I can spend the morning plotting and scheming how to lick this thing and not make it an allnighter for the show’s opening.  Here’s a little bit of a secret: I do love a late night in the studio and seem to do well under a bit of pressure.  I don’t really want to make that my MO (is that how you would spell that out?).  I’m nervous since there is so much yet to be done…. however so much to be done that I have certainly done before (aside from mount a projector somewhere within a room).  I can do this, right!

OH and I do have to report- I did get the hang  of my video editing thing.  It may not be Avatar but it’s pretty close to what I wanted.  If I have time before the closing, I would redo it.  There is one missing component that I love but would have had to restart in order to apply it- live and learn though, right?  I’ll try to post a still later.  It’s really pretty….. oh and the funny thing is that I recorded my footage while watching Iron Chef.  I edited the imagery without sound so when I popped it into the dvd player last night, I listened to Alton Brown narrate my footage of “intended introspection.”  Hahahahaha…. Sorry, won’t be in the room for you to hear that.

Ok so I’m going to go chill a bit, drink some coffee, and watch a little tv before taking on this day.  And when was I going to get the memo it’s Daylight Savings Time?  Really?  Oh Father Time, I had no idea you were the trickster!

ps.  I’ve seen so much more traffic on my blog this week.  Thank you for reading!  Please feel free to comment away- I’m so happy to hear from you (and if you feel so inclined, pass along my blog to a friend- I do wax poetic from time to time which is far more interesting reading than the blow by blows of my day)