Solo Show: behind the scenes

It’s down to the last few weeks of getting ready for my solo show. I would love to see you there if you are nearby Cary, NC. I’ll post the information below. In the meantime, let me show you how I’m finishing up all the details.

All year I’ve been working on a series of embroideries. I screen printed the linen with mill wheels then sealed the edges with fray check so they don’t ravel.

The linen is backed with a six inch square of wool felt the machine stitched. After that I just made up the designs as I went along.

I’m so grateful that I don’t get car sick. I’ve made a whole stack of these on buses, airplanes, and car trips.

More in the next post.

Stone, Water, Time

Artwork by Lyric Kinard

Poetry by Maura High

Maura High’s eloquent poetry and Lyric Kinard’s striking textile art come together in fluid harmony as they explore interactions between stone, water, and time. Inspired by the form, function, and beauty of historic mills and grindstones, Maura and Lyric riff off each others work, They’ve created a thought-provoking conversation with this collection, using both the written and the visual language.

Opening Reception

Friday, July 26, 6-8pm

Gallery Walks + Sit and Stitch

come knit or stitch and chat with Lyric

Tuesday, July 30, 7-8pm

Saturday, Aug 3, 10am-12pm

Thursday, September 18, noon

Poetry Reading

Wednesday, September 11, 7-8pm

Final Friday Art Walk

Friday, August 30, 6-8pm

Cary Art Center

Open Hours Mon-Sat 9am-10pm

101 Dry Ave, Cary NC 27511

For Your Inspiration: Air and Water

 

 

 

 

Sketch-a-Day 19

At a lecture.

Sketch-a-Day 18

At the beach

Sketch-a-Day 17

At the beach

Sketch-a-Day 16

 

Several years ago (at least four or five) I purchased a fantastic set of DVD’s. The Structure of Man by Riven Phoenix. The production isn’t high tech – but the instruction is SERIOUS.  If you go through and do the lessons, learn the formulas (it’s all about formulas!) – you will be able to draw the human figure from the bones out.  Granted they are visual formulas about proportion and placement – not math and numbers.

 

Me? The way my life is – I’m still on lesson 10. There are over 100. I’m a little stuck here on the complexity of this piece. I need to buckle down and just do it over and over. In a short enough time that I don’t forget everything I did last time.

Lyricisms: On Being Blind

“I have learned that what I have not drawn I have never really seen, and that when I start drawing an ordinary thing, I realize how extraordinary it is, sheer miracle.” ~Frederick Franck

photo by Julia Wade Photography

I’m half blind

It’s true. I vividly remember being five years old and getting my first pair of glasses. As I came out into the shopping mall I was shocked to discover that the big colorful blobs above each store front were, in fact, words. The details I had missed had meaning. It felt like stepping into a new world.

To this day I still feel as though I need a different language to exist in the world without my glasses. I put on my glasses each morning and finally feel connected and awake. For me, it’s all in the details.

When I’m drawing I see things differently

These days, I’m finding that I feel half blind without my sketchbook in hand. If I’m not drawing something, figuring out how shapes go together and at what angle to curve each line, I feel as if I’m not really seeing what is there. It feels as if my pen is a pair of glasses, giving me the details I need to understand the extraordinary meaning and beauty in everything around me. The world is a magical place seen through the eyes of the artist I am intent on becoming.

“You are not stuck where you are, unless you decide to be.”  ~Dr. Wayne Dyer

What tool are you lacking?

 Where is your blind spot?

What skill or technique, what way of thinking, is keeping you from fully connecting to the world of your own unique vision and art? Often we get frustrated with our perceived lack of ability to create the visions in our minds’ eye. It’s too easy to say “I can’t” or to say “I’m stuck” and to simply give up. Understand that giving up rather than doing the work is YOUR choice.

You can choose to not be stuck!

Stop and take the time to figure out what tool you need to help you move forward then do what it takes to add that tool to your kit. It takes work, time, and effort to master a new skill. Sometimes it takes an instructor to teach us the techniques we lack. Sometimes it takes the encouragement of a supportive friend or mentor to keep us going when we get discouraged. Always, it is a decision to plod along one small step at a time towards your goal. There might be missed footings and detours, but each step will take you closer to your goal of becoming an artist.

You can do it. I know you can!
~Lyric

This essay is from my most recent newsletter, Lyricisms. If you know someone else who might enjoy this please feel free to hit that little button up on the top right and share this via FaceBook, email, or Twitter. I’d appreciate it! If you would like to subscribe to the Lyricisms newsletter- you can do that here.

Links:

Frederick Frank

Dr. Wayne Dyer

Julia Wade Photography

Sketch-a-Day 14

Sketch-a-Day 13

Summer Wonder Salad

 

Summer Wonder Salad

3 cups watermelon

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup feta cheese

2 Tbsp scallions

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

 

chop, mix, chill…. divine!