A Studio Changes Everything!

A Studio Changes Everything!

I’ve been taking Louise Fletcher’s free Find Your Joy taster class and it’s been SO wonderful. First of all Louise is lovely and humble and very, very talented, but also it’s exactly what I needed to encourage me to try painting again.

My first painting after many, many years…

When I was young I wanted to be a fine artist, but the adults in my life (not just my parents) encouraged me to be more responsible (aka get a REAL job.). So I went into fashion design, hated it, then jewelry design, loved it, but ultimately found it not exactly the right fit for me, then found hand stitching, and finally Improvisational Stitching, which has been so wonderful and freeing. I love improvisational stitching, but I also know this isn’t where everything ends.  All of this I will be talking about in much more detail in my upcoming workshop: Finding Your Voice Through Exploration and Creativity.  I will be sharing my experience with art, design, and evolution as an artist; how I came to improvisational stitching, the things I continue to do, look for and try.  The workshop is all about encouraging and helping people find their unique voice.  What motivates, what awes and inspires and how to take those things and incorporate them into your art.  The workshop is personal and is the culmination of many things that I’ve done over the course of my life. We’re going to have a wonderful, wonderful time of soul searching in a safe environment, cheered on and encouraged to try things we might not otherwise try and we will talk about that inner critic.  The one who is sometimes so loud we have a hard time concentrating. Each day is filled with exercises to help us see what’s blocking us, how to work through and around those blocks (and inner critic) and move towards what we love. There are still spots open!  So sign up.
I’m a seeker, a life long learner.  I got that from my mother.  I love stretching and trying new things.  I get bored pretty quickly, so improv stitching has been fantastic as the options are infinite.  I can incorporate lots of different things into it.
When I was awarded the Artist’s Residency in France this spring, I had a studio and realized how much I needed that so I could work bigger and add paint to my pieces.  My husband early into my 2-week residency said to me, while talking on the phone one evening, “So I guess you’re not going to be able to come back from this…”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Having a studio,” he said.
“Yup.  Definitely going to be needing a real studio when I get home.”
So guess what? I was gifted part of a studio for the summer and painting was the first thing I wanted to do. And this is where Louise’s free class comes in.  It’s all about painting and I figured I’d get some prompts and encouragement to paint again, and that’s exactly what I got and so much more!

2nd attempt at painting again…

I did six of these and had so much fun!

And then I hit a snag.  I had one of those days where the voice in my head told me everything I was doing was awful.  So I did what I’ve learned to do over decades of dealing with this voice.  I kept going anyway, though I must admit there was little pleasure to be had…  and when the voice became too insistent I went back to doing some hand stitching on La Bête, which is soothing and lovely.

Gimp French Knots, Added Wool with Ribbon Roses, Feather Stitch

And the next morning I woke up and went into the studio and began working on the piece that had me down and feeling like this whole painting idea was a bad one.  And do you know what happened? I decided I rather liked it after all.
And then I decided that I wanted to try doing something I’d never attempted before.  Doing an abstract piece using a photograph as inspiration.

I tested this idea out in my sketch book first.

And then I tried to recreate this on proper paper, but the size is off and I actually like the one in my sketch book best, so that was interesting!

It became too elongated. I like the square shape that I did in my sketch book. I may try this again with a square piece of paper.

I also played with some black paper using only black, white and red paint.
Anyway, the whole experience has been nothing short of amazing and so, so informative and just beyond wonderful. I’m loving my time in the studio where I go from painting to stitching and then back to painting and now can incorporate both in my work, which feels even more amazing.  I love that as I learn new things my work changes.  I love that just because I enjoy something I don’t have to stick with just that and do nothing else.  I love that I continue to explore and grow and the work shows that as well.  
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The Artist’s Residency Begins!

The Artist’s Residency Begins!

I cannot begin to describe how incredibly grateful and fortunate I am to be able to do this 2-week residency in this Chateau in Orquevaux.  It is beyond anything I could have imagined.  I have a studio, a real studio where I can splash paint around and create pieces that are much, much bigger than anything I could have dared imagine back in my workspace in New York City.  It is like being in a dream.  Seriously.  And here’s the thing, I’m practically in tears because I’m just overwhelmed at how lucky I am to be able to do this, to have this opportunity, to have this kind of space, to be able to create without distractions, to be able to make a mess… it really is a dream come true.

My view…

My studio for the next 2 weeks.

This is the piece I brought with me and have begun working on…

And here it is a little bit later…

More will be revealed!

New: Improvisational Stitching Workshop!

New: Improvisational Stitching Workshop!

I am doing a new 5-day workshop! Improvisational Stitching!

But what does that mean, exactly? Well funny you should ask, because I’ve given it a great deal of thought. Improvisational Stitching is what I call what I do when I begin with a piece of fabric, usually a piece of hand dyed linen, with no preconceived notion of what I’m going to do other than follow the striations in the fabric and begin stitching. I don’t sketch anything out, I just begin stitching.

This is a new piece that I haven’t had time to do much with. Right now it’s just a few stitches, but eventually it will become more.

Over time the piece develops and I begin adding other elements. Sometimes I’ll add other materials, other times that means painting directly onto the fabric and even over the stitching, as I did with my piece, Perseverance.

Do you see how I painted over the green ribbon floss and then covered that area with the hand dyed cheesecloth?

Eventually the piece takes on a life of its own and then it’s up to me to follow as best I can.

Olea began as a 14″ by 16″ piece of olive green hand dyed linen. I started stitching and adding things, like the hand painted t-shirt strips to the left.

Eventually it became this, which I titled, “Olea” but my friend Anna Bates called, “After the Wedding”.

Olea: Hand dyed Linen/Cotton blend with cotton, silk, wool, sheep’s silk threads, ribbon, t-shirt & cheesecloth
This is my latest piece that I haven’t even begun stitching on, but will be soon with hand dyed t-shirt, cheesecloth and tulle.

Improvisational Stitching is so much fun! There are no rules, nothing is forbidden, anything goes. I absolutely love it!! Which leads me to the workshop I’m doing: Improvisational Stitching!

Have you ever wanted to create an improvisational piece, but felt too intimidated to start? This is the workshop for you! 

We begin with a hand dyed piece of linen, loosely woven cotton or wool. I suggest starting with a piece that isn’t too large – say 14” x 16” or smaller.  It can be a square or a rectangle.  Choose a color that you love for the background.  It can be any color, just make sure you LOVE it!  If you want to piece a background together, you can also do that.

This is a “hands on” workshop, in other words, everyone will be working and creating during the workshop with me cheering you on. Using a wide variety of threads, and other materials, we will embellish with no preconceived ideas. I will hold your hand, encourage you to explore and try new things. Each week you will be given a challenge to expand and add to your piece. This is a dive-into-the-deep-end workshop. We will have a blast.  All levels of stitchers are welcome.  You will not be alone. I will be with you every step of the way. 

Workshop Length: 5 Saturdays from 1pm – 4:30pm EDT

Date: April 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & May 1st

Cost: $500

Until my website is up and running I will be taking reservations through this blog, via my Facebook Page: Ariane Zurcher Stitching Circle and my Youtube Channel: Ariane Zurcher ~ On the Other Hand.

New: Improvisational Stitching Workshop!

Thornton Dial and His Art

There was a show at the David Lewis Gallery that my husband and I recently went to, which absolutely stunned me. It was one of those exhibits that takes your breath away. A solo show by the artist Thornton Dial. I walked in with no expectations and left profoundly moved. It was a visceral response to a work that brought me to tears. The jarring juxtaposition of discarded carpeting, remnants of fabric staple gunned down and then painted over with house paint and spray paint was exhilarating to see. There’s a rawness to the work, an immediacy, and yet the pain, the tragedy of life, the turmoil as well as the joy and beauty are all invoked.

This piece is in the entrance and the last thing you see before leaving.

Meat
In Honor
A close up of Meat
A Close up of In Honor

If you’re interested in learning more about this amazing artist, you can watch The Art of Thornton Dial.

New: Improvisational Stitching Workshop!

Acrylic on Paper

Last month I went to Hudson River Valley Arts where Jane Davies was teaching a week long workshop.  I found Jane on Pinterest, which led me to her website where she has tons of videos showing her process and work.  As with most things I find interesting, I soon became obsessed and began systematically going through almost all the videos she has created.  When I saw that she was teaching at Hudson River Valley, a place friends have urged me to look into, and an easy train ride from New York City, I decided to sign up.

It was above and beyond my expectations.  First of all Jane is a fantastic artist and teacher, which is not always usual that one leads to the other.  But in her case it does.  She gives great demos, has a sense of humor, is smart, talented, and she plays the ukulele and might even sing, if encouraged to!  The class was full, with 18 people, all strong, interesting women from various parts of the world, including Chile, Quebec, Germany, and Norway!  I didn’t get permission to post photos of any of the other women or their work on this blog, so I’m just posting photos of the work I did while there.

We began by exploring lines with different mediums and then moved on to making collage papers that we would then use in our work for the remaining days. Making collage paper is a rabbit hole one can easily become lost in!  There are so many ways in which to combine the paint, get it on the paper, scribble, smudge, streak, spray, dribble and the end results can be wonderful.  Here are a few of mine.

Collage Papers

Reluctantly and with Jane’s encouragement we began using those papers in our work, while also incorporating a variety of techniques that Jane demonstrated.  These first two photos are two of six pieces I worked on simultaneously.  The other four are still works in progress.  They are collage, acrylic paint, and ink and measure 11.5″ X 11″.

Boundaries Unobserved

Boundaries Unobserved

Murmuration

Murmuration

This next series were all worked at the same time and are collage, acrylic on paper, measuring 11″ X 11″.

As you can see, I had a great time.