Collage Diva

WCA-NH Spring Meeting

It is time to sign in and pick up your 6x6 tiles.

We had a great turn out for the Women's Caucus for Arts Spring Meeting.

There were a lot of familiar faces around the table...

as well as many new faces.

Sue Whittaker gave the president's update. Go Sue!

Laura Morrison gave us an update on upcoming exhibitions and presented ...

Gail Smuda with a lifetime membership.

We are grateful to Gail for starting the NH chapter. We have a vibrant chapter with approximately 100 members and many opportunities each year for women artists to exhibit.

Shirley Stokes talked about "Saving Our Treasured Chests" a benefit to help those in need of oncology related services due to breast cancer.

Plaster torsos were available to artists to alter and return for auction.

Here is an example of one of the beautifully painted chests that will be auctioned on June 13, 2012 at Hart's Turkey Farm in Meredith, NH. For more information or to make a donation contact: Shirley Stokes at (603) 682-0799.

Each year a scholarship is awarded to one woman enrolled in an art program. Pictured here is Jill St. Pierre a student at the NH Institute of Art. She shared photos of her gorgeous ceramics work and her recent experience traveling and studying in Japan.

Great food and conversation is a part of every meeting.

To learn more about the WCA-NH Chapter, visit www.wcanh.org.

Find us on Facebook, HERE.

I'm working on a spiffy new website for the chapter. My launch date will be in early May.

If you are an artist in NH, I highly recommend this group. They are supportive and fun!

Hope to see you at the next WCA exhibit!

~ Kathryn, Collage Diva

Dig It: Locally Grown Art

The NH Women's Caucus for the Arts currently has an Eco-Art Exhibit at The Framers Market Gallery titled, "Dig It: Locally Grown Art." Local food is the inspiration for this crop of fresh, new artwork created by the New Hampshire Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art (WCA/NH).  Artwork featuring vegetables and vegetable gardening, PYO strawberries, food preservation, factory farms vs. local farms, farmers markets, chickens and organic food all have their place at the table in this exhibition juried by Christine King, owner of the Framers Market. 

"I love vegetable gardening  and I love art so this is a perfect fit for my gallery," says King. "To keep it really local, I am also donating partial proceeds from the sales to the New Hampshire Common Ground Garden Project, a terrific organization that gardens with kids from the Manchester Housing Authority and the Boys and Girls Clubs. They also work with families at the Pine Street Community Gardens in Manchester." 

Laura Morrison, co-chair of exhibitions for WCA/NH and organizer of this exhibition notes, "Local/Organic Food was the central theme for this call for entries and we received a wide range of art and subject matter which accurately reflects the membership of WCA/NH. What I love about this group of artists is that they are all so different in their art practices, yet they remain united as a group encouraging each other keep true to their own artistic visions." 

 
Pat Davis

Sue Whittaker and Ethel Hills

Suzi Richardson

Carol Currier

Suzanne Pretty

Deb Claffey

Patricia Edsall

WCA/NH promotes the advancement of women in the visual arts through exhibitions, networking, education and scholarship opportunities. WCA welcomes artists working in any media at any stage of their art career. Founded in 1995, the New Hampshire Chapter has been creating exhibitions throughout the state for over 15 years.. More information about WCA/NH can be found at www.wcanh.org. For more information about the Framers Market, call 668-6989. To volunteer or inquire about The NH Common Ground Project, contact Julia Mawson at Julia.Mawson@unh.edu.

 

Down and Dirty Postcards

 

{click on the photo to enlarge}

At the annual spring meeting for the Women's Caucus for Arts. We made mailable art. Postcards were altered using a variety of cool papers, stamps, and ephemera generously donated by Melissa McCarthy. Each participant will get one of these postcards mailed to them. I can't wait to see which one lands in my mailbox.

For a closer look at all of the postcards, check out this slideshow.

To learn more about the Women's Caucus for Art and to become a member visit: www.wcanh.org

Free slideshow design made with Smilebox

Women and Art

Yesterday a number of women artists from around the state of New Hampshire gathered for the Women's Caucus for Art Spring meeting.

It is a great opportunity to visit with other artists. The connections are always so inspiring.

Our chapter is among the largest in the nation and the most active. Just last year there were seven opportunities to exhibit. There are other opportunities too for mentoring and community outreach.

After the order of business was done, we listened to a presentation from a Elaine who shared her experiences traveling and volunteering with the Martha's Vineyard Fish Farm for Haiti Project. Elaine brought self-portraits drawn by her fourth grade students in Laconia, New Hampshire to share with a class of 10 year olds. She had the Lilavois students make their own self-portraits which will be shared with her students back home fostering the beginning of an on-going relationship of friendship and discovery. I was reminded of the struggles in Haiti. The photos of the tent cities tugged on my heart. It was so good to hear how the children were so clean and the people of Haiti value education so highly. As a group we talked about sponsoring a child which makes it possible for them to attend school. To learn more about the important work of the Martha's Vineyard Fish Farm for Haiti Project, visit their website: www.fishfarmhaiti.org.

After our meeting, presentation, and potluck lunch, we created mailable art. Each person altered a postcard and will receive one randomly in the mail. I can't wait to see which postcard will be arriving in my mailbox.

Swing by my blog tomorrow to see the postcards.

Interested in learning more about the Women's Caucus for Art? Visit: www.wcanh.org

Women and Art

Last night I had the pleasure of getting together with some of my very talented friends for dinner, art, and a movie. We are all members of the Women's Caucus for Art - New Hampshire Chapter. In a small corridor connecting the Red River Movie Theater's concession area to the viewing room was display of art. Pictured here is my friend Linda who can't resist touching Laura Morrison's delicious fiber art. The other lovelies in this shot include from back to front: Laura Morrison, Sue Whittaker, Linda Basha Brookshire, and Aline Lotter.

Here is a sampling of some of the wonderful art that was on display. It is a show highlighting the work of our chapter's board members.

I am so grateful to have connected with this group of women who inspire me in so many ways. I am grateful for the community that they foster. I am grateful that they have welcomed me into their very special circle.

Today I want to introduce you to one special, dear friend who was there last night. Folks, meet Linda Basha Brookshire. I love the story of our first meeting. I will never forget it. It was last spring at the annual Spring WCA-NH meeting. Up until this point I had been an inactive member and this was my first meeting. As I arrived I headed straight over to the food to drop off my pot luck dish. Linda came right over with a big smile to greet and welcome me. When I told her that my name was Kathryn, she paused expectantly for my last name. When she heard "Antyr" she bursted out, "I know you! You are the Collage Diva!" I was stopped in my tracks. Linda was so excited and told me how she had been following my blog from the beginning. She had found my blog while searching for information about adhesives. "I don't follow blogs" Linda assured me. "Really I'm not a crazy stalker type." I could tell that she was a lovely woman and I wasn't creeped out. She told me how one night she sat down and went back to my very first post and read through every entry. I think she said she stayed up to 3:00 a.m. As she read my words and looked at my pictures, Linda thought I sounded like a lot of fun and that I would be someone she would love to have as a friend. As you can imagine I was blown away by her story. As she told me about her work, I felt a connection, a really deep connection. I thought, "I really like this person. Now this is someone I could be friends with for a long time." Last night we reconnected. Our exchange of energies, enthusiasm, and core values is a signal that says, "we are good for each other." I love you Linda and I look forward to hanging out a lot in 2011. I'm also looking forward to getting to know your husband. I can see that he is a gentle, funny, and creative guy. 

Today I am feeling grateful for the many circles of friends and the many deep connections that I have with others.

You can learn more about Linda's art by visiting her website: www.WhitePaintStudio.com

Namaste,

Kathryn, Collage Diva

6x6 Show

Last night was the opening reception for the Women's Caucus for Art annual 6x6 show. There was a great turn out. I had the opportunity to meet some new people and visit with so many artists. WCA-NH is a very supportive group. I feel pretty lucky to be plugged in! 

Here I am with my 6x6 panels behind me. (On your top left).

For a closer look at my "Get Lost" series, CLICK HERE.

Here is my friend Sue with her artwork.

It is a lot of fun to see in one space so many different mediums and styles.

If you missed the opening, not to worry. There is plenty of time to check it out.

See the flyer above for details.

To learn more about the WCA-NH, CLICK HERE.

6x6: Get Lost Series

Each year the Women's Caucus for Art - NH Chapter has an exhibit called, "6x6." Each participant is given 4 wooden 6" x 6" panels to alter in any way. This is my first year participating in the show. I designed all four panels to go with a theme I call, "Get Lost."

So often we travel the same roads each day. Our daily routines are pretty fixed. As such we can get stuck in how we view the world and how we do things. The challenge is to "get lost" and mix things up. By changing our routes and routines, we open ourselves up for new possibilities and opportunities.

Each panel is a collage made of papers I had painted. I worked with maps from my area including much of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Getting lost can involve letting go.

I repeated the figure of the woman and the use of map pieces.

I had fun playing with the map pieces.

On two of the panels the map appears in both the figure and the ground. How do we internalize the places we go? How are we connected to the roads we travel? How do they make up our own identity?

The rectangular pieces of map in this figure remind me of a spine. I carefully selected and lined up the lines in the pieces with the lines in the figure. As you follow the lines one can see how the pieces of the spine redirect the routes in the map. I liked how the words "training area" appear in one piece.

Here is a detail shot of one panel.

How about you? Are you ready to let go and get lost?

The opening reception is in one week. I will be heading up to Laconia for the show and I hope to see you there!

Cheers!

Kathryn, Collage Diva

It's day five in these challenges for November:

AEDM

NaBloPoMo

PS - Please know that I love to receive comments and I read each and every one. Since I will be super busy this month creating art and posting daily, I may not have a chance to respond to each comment. In December I'm planning on making it a month of visiting the bloggers who left comments on my site and each day I'll blog and highlight where my blog travels take me. If you would like to be a part of my blog tour in December, leave a comment on any of my posts throughout November. Of course the thoughtful comments will be the ones that will get my attention first when I head out on my blog tour.