Cheryl Rezendes

Book Cover Success!

2012-04-04T22:28:00.001-04:00

presentation for the book cover was a big hit.

of course it wasn't my presentation to make - but rather the art director of my book.

and it may change - again and again.

such an interesting process this has been.

waiting - waiting - then last minute deadlines.

my editor and the art director came to my studio to work out a color palette,

and ideas they had percolating.

i gave them pieces and

elements of color, texture and imagery.

sample swatches of techniques within an unusual color field.

i loved trying to interpret her vision for her,

in color and cloth - in paint.

in my hand

38.5" x 20"
textile paint, acrylic paint, machine quilting, yarn and collage on fabric

a work in progress - almost done.

wishing i had taken photos along the way.

very excited - been trying for years to go abstract

i love the figure and
landscape,
but have needed to push - hard
so as not to fall back into the same imagery,
same line. have wanted to get beyond the
lovely and delicate

Focus, focus, focus

2012-02-28T09:04:00.000-05:00

working on the cover imagery for the book.

the empty wine class is from last night.

but I am wondering... hmmm

is 8:59 am too early for a glass of wine???

Creative Arts Workshop

2012-02-22T14:08:00.001-05:00

I spent this past weekend in New Haven, CT.

I had gone to teach a 2-day Painting on Silk workshop at

a wonderful place called the

Creative Arts Workshop.

but

I had also gone home to the town where I grew up.

in fact I took classes at the CAW

as a youngster when it was located in the basement of an old synagoge,

and later as a teenager

I took figure drawing and painting classes in the evening

in its new facility.

my Mom knew that making art was already my life blood.

the memories were abundant.

the smells, the ghost sounds

the voices of those who taught me

years before.

I am grateful to Kate, the current director

for being so welcoming and

enthusiastic about their new fiber department,

of which I will continue to be a part of.

I am of course grateful to

my students,

who were nothing short of amazing,

and from whom I learned so much.

Day One - Applying the water based gutta-like resist.

Rita working out her design

Judith's piece

Barbara working out her design

Ellen and Judith

Rita's piece

Ellen's piece

Day Two - Painting using Jacquard Dye-na-Flow

Judith

Rita resource chart in the making

Rita's piece before the background was painted in.

Rita's piece after using Gail Callahan's Color Grid to figure out what color to use for the background.

Ellen's piece

All the lovely Ladies!

if this had been a 3-day workshop
we would have heat set the paint and
washed out the resist in class.
now we'll just have to wait to see
the finished pieces!

Marbling with Shaving Cream

2012-01-30T23:20:00.000-05:00

had a fun time this past sunday

showing people at A Notion to Quilt

how to marble fabric with shaving cream

and paint.

the only mishap was that the shaving cream wouldn't foam up.

Yikes!

thank goodness for understanding students who

went "shopping" while I darted off to the nearest store for more shaving cream.

Barbasol is the brand to go with.

New Classes and Workshops

2012-01-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

Check out my newsletter for upcoming classes and workshops.

Click here

New Studio at Home

2012-01-20T17:16:00.000-05:00

the move from my great studio in town was harder then I had anticipated.

although

working from home again has been lovely.

when I left for town 2 years ago, I gave my home studio space to my husband,

convinced him to move up from the basement.

and gave the unfinished basement to our adolescent boys.

I simply couldn't ask for it back.

so I took over the dinning room.

and if truth be told, I love it.

it is wide open and glorious.

during the day, it is all mine.

in the evening it is still all mine,

but I get to work in the company of my family.

as they walk back and forth between the kitchen and their rooms

they stop to say hi, converse and hug

the sewing area is in the basement with the boys.

they gave me a wall and shelf space.

this is all suppose to be temporary,

until we can build an out building later on in the year.

but if truth be told,

i am loving it just where i am.

Textile Paints

Thread

Unpacking

A project for the book

writing

2011-08-07T19:49:00.004-04:00

5,592 words later and the chapter on water soluble resists is done!

who knew i could talk so much.

been writing at my Dad's house lately

a great retreat with no distractions.

i do believe i can see the finish line now

will be so nice to make art again...
though the writing is lovely too

this is a page from an architectural, graduate student's thesis notebook.
very inspiring

sorry about the bad photography
i couldn't resist posting it

One more college info session to go!

2011-08-04T17:56:00.000-04:00

Brook and Clem needed a little nap.

here are a few photos i took along the way.

good to be home again.

and back to work.

today, again

2011-08-01T18:17:00.001-04:00

major lightening storm here in the woods,

loud, bright, and a crack that sounded like none other.

the smell of cap guns wafting in through the screen door as i write this book

child's play??

everything is okay.

still have power and the sun is shining. what more could i need?

time for a walk.

feeling confident that

i am going to know when to turn around

yesterday i decided to take pictures of leaf shapes as i walked,

a simple visual to calm my bursting brain!

here are a few

herein lies the problem -

my brain is overloaded
with words,

techniques, formulas and recipes,

the amazing work of other artists as i research for the book,

visuals,

my work - its visuals!

in the past, present and future,

ideas about the studio, teaching

and workshop descriptions for other locations,

family, kids and a couple of college tours in the very near future -

like tomorrow.

and boy, do my dogs need a bath!

walking and concentrating on leaf shapes
seems to be the only remedy, for now

how do you/i measure success?

i'd like to know

today

2011-07-31T14:36:00.000-04:00

had a bit of a revelation this morning. even without walking!!

i'll post about it as soon as I finish (get started!) on today's deadline.

in the meantime i share with you Julian,

and the pleasures of being a cat on a sunday afternoon

Studio Closing

2011-07-29T20:04:00.000-04:00

in 2 months - so much change and thought.

to the Maine coast with my guys and back again. many, many walks for reflection and soul searching.

my own personal form of walking meditation. no power walking,

but no strolling either. a good walk - sometimes for an hour or 2 even.

many questions. soul searching as they like to say

wish i could just keep walking, then call someone to come get me when i am done.

i am not always sure when to turn back

i am not always sure when the walking should be over

but it has been good

Dear friends, supporters and students,

After a great deal of thought, personal reflection, and numerous family discussions I have made the difficult decision to close the studio as of September 1 of this year. In all honesty, with most classes canceled due to lack of enrollment, I simply can’t sustain it. For those of you who did take classes with us, thank you! For those of you who had fantasies of taking one in the future, all of our instructors have plans to continue teaching in other locations. And for those of you who simply just loved that we were there, thank you to you as well! Your well wishes and visits were greatly appreciated!

Although I must say goodbye to the dream of a community based fiber studio, I no longer think of it as a loss or an ending, but rather a juncture. I am so grateful for all that has come my way over the past 18 months. So many new and wonderful people have come into my life, and touched me in ways I could not have foreseen when I began this venture. The studio has given me the opportunity to reconnect with people I had not seen or spoken with in years, while providing me with a wonderful and exciting venue to offer up my knowledge, guidance and skills as a teacher. A role I cherish.

For now, I will be returning to my home based studio to continue with my own personal artistic endeavors and to finish my technique book, which will be out by the winter of 2013, curtesy of Storey Publishing in North Adams, MA.

I will be teaching locally at Artspace in Greenfield, MA this coming fall, winter and spring. In CT, I will be teaching at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven beginning this winter and possibly the Brookfield Craft Center in Danbury. I am working on other locations as well. If you would like me to come to your area and know of a suitable venue, please be in touch. A custom workshop can be designed for your group’s needs. I hope to be offering on-line classes by the first of the year, as well as very small group workshops in my renovated studio at home, by the spring of 2012.

I plan to continue to keep you posted of my progress and whereabouts. Please keep me posted of yours.

Hugs and love to all of you.

Cher

still walking, asking questions

who am i as an artist?

how do i measure success? - now, today

not 10 years ago, not even 5 years ago

how do you measure success?

i'd like to know.

Right Brain vs Left Brain

2011-05-31T16:37:00.003-04:00

writing this book - definitely left brain. so technical!

sometimes i just have to take a break from that part of my brain.

still have lots of energy to write, but no left brain power left to process. such a weird experience.

i have written before. i used to write a weekly art column for my local newspaper.

500 words every week for close to 4 years.

that was different. not as intense.

plus i had the visuals to write about. now i am writing about visuals that aren't there yet.

a dichotomy for sure. but i'm loving it!

yesterday, sat down at the dinning room table to contemplate my life as an artist.

and found the flowers my step-mom gave me because my son turned 18.

so sweet!

and a beautiful visual when i needed one

i may just have to pick off these long waxy leaves to print with

Hot and steamy in Western MA

2011-05-29T21:03:00.000-04:00

the tractor's been down,

so everything is wonderfully wild and overgrown

the woods are encroaching,

green and lush

summer at long last

where's the ice cream??

please

Spring Rain

2011-05-23T12:36:00.002-04:00

Another Rainy Day

after weeks of rain, and grey mist

cold and damp.

And yet, somehow

through the downpour, miraculously

all the leaves have emerged.

And the maples

my favorite in another season, now canopy over the deck

leaves heavy with rain,

bright green against

soft and somber grey, that

could almost be pink, if you squint your eyes.

The horse in the meadow this morning, caught my eye

But was gone

when I climbed the fence with my camera.

In his wake,

he left me breathless.

He gave me

the gift of the land

the view of the barn, deep red before the mist

and the familiar hills,

almost lost to the gentle, low lying clouds.

One last time

before I headed off to the car

I searched for him.

Such gratitude, I can’t express

for his gift,

of inspiration. And because,

if I squint me eyes...

Two Gifts

2011-05-22T11:42:00.001-04:00

Last week my son Brook and I had 2 gifts from the universe in one day. Both came to us on our own road. On the way to school we were treated to the sighting of a baby red fox. He crossed the road just yards in front of our car. On the way home from school we found this little guy happily eating leaves by the side of the road.

On personal style

2011-05-21T23:40:00.000-04:00

Working on the book so consistently, day after day, and consequently not sewing, designing, painting, screening etc. has given me much time for artistic refection. It has been good.

My collage work, and my distinctive personal style within that work was born over many, many years. In comparison, my textile work is really quite new. The past handful of years have been a whirlwind of growth for me. But I realize now that is has primarily been within the boundaries of technique and new materials.

In the heat of this growth, I am not sure my style has evolved. This time away from creating visual work has caused me to step back. I have a perspective that I didn't have just one month ago. Throughout my youth as an artist, my approach to art making was to just forge ahead. But now, with age on my side, I am not certain that approach has value.

For the first time really, I feel the need to consciously choose my direction - visually. To focus and explore within a certain context. And imagery? Perhaps. Its more visceral than concrete. Somehow more instinctual then discernable. That is not to say that the visual is gone. Its just more fleeting - less defined. And I like that.

The reality is that I am still a painter. A painter who happens to have a passion for textiles and stitching and words. Do I simply just keep forging ahead? Is it the easy way out? Or the truest way out? Or really no way out?

In a group setting the other day, an artist who was new to drawing complained that her drawings always ended up looking like something. It was as if she wanted to know the secret for how to make something abstract. If only it were that easy.

These are 2 paintings by my friend Tracey Physioc Brockett. They are abstract and they make my heart sing.

I think it might be time again for a visual daily journal. Especially during the next several weeks of writing. The freedom of journaling could bring me some definition.

New Web SIte for the Studio

2011-05-15T10:56:00.000-04:00

After a great deal of work that seemed to go on forever, my son and I have launched a new web site for the studio. We've got a great line up of classes. There are photos of classes and student work to share and people can register for classes through the site! Phew! Please have a look see when you get the chance.

CherScapes Downtown Fiber Art Studios

Artist Groups

2011-05-14T16:36:00.004-04:00

I really can't say enough about how important these groups are.

As artists we tend to work alone and isolated. Unfortunately those two words in our society, have a connotation of being negative. But having some time to be alone and isolated is good for all of us, even for those who are not artists. It is a time for reflection and possible serenity or maybe even a time to be angry, if that is what you need.

For artists, that time is when we can best follow our muse. That is when the creative juices flow and most importantly, it is a time when we can safely take creative risks. It is, for me at least, a bit like going to church. I have my routines and small ceremonial tasks (like making tea and lining up my tools and paint) that will lead up to the act of creation. During that time I will ponder. I will converse (with myself). I will cast judgment (on my work), and I will forgive (myself for failing at the task). I will create and celebrate (my succeses), and I will reach out to share them with my congregation of friends, family and the world through my website, Facebook, my blog, galleries, craft shows and fairs.

With all that said, we also need to come together. An artist group can provide valuable feedback without casting judgment, and can sing our praises, so we can find the courage to venture out into the world with our work. In an artsist group we can share technical information, network and learn the important skills of developing a critical eye.

In my studio there are now 2 such groups. One has been meeting once a month for close to a year now, founded by Marcia Young of Valley Fiber Life. The other
group has only just begun. Founded by Jeanne Marklin from the Studio Art Quilt Association, the group met for the second time last Saturday. I came away inspired, refreshed and reassured. Thank you Jeanne! and Fern and Barbara.

If you don't have a group to join in your area, I strongly suggest you start one of your own. Even if you feel that you have such limited time to be creative that you couldn't possibly spare another minute, you should still be part of an artists' group. What you will come away with, will propel you forward in your work at a rate you could never have on your own.

What about you? Do you have an artists' group? How has it helped you in your pursuit of your creative endeavors?

If you need help starting one, contact me. I'll be glad to help. If you need a place to meet with your group and you are in my area, I may be able to accommodate you. So contact me.

In the meantime, happy making!!

2011-05-10T11:55:00.000-04:00

An artist whose blog I follow sheintertwines posted this poem today. I am inclined to do the same.

The Invitation
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, or if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul, if you can be faithless and therefore be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes!”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what you sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

- Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder

2011-05-09T19:49:00.002-04:00

I've been working on the book now pretty consistently all day every day now. It has been an interesting and rewarding process. Doing a demo in person allows for nuance and variation in a serendipitous kind of way. Writing technical information in a step by step process is so very different. You have to find nuance in a totally different way. It isn't like writing poetry or descriptive narratives either. I keep wondering how I can incorporate that into the book. It is so much a part of who I am as an artist. Perhaps they'll let me put bits of poetry and quotes in the margins of the book. That would please me greatly.

With all this writing I still need to visually create as well. So I started this small (at least for now) fiber collage using pieces of fabric I painted with Pebeo Steta Color and Seta Silk. The darker pieces was just a small scrap of fabric I randomly painted. The larger pieces are scraps from my silk organza jackets. In between writing and pacing I allow myself to wander over to this piece. It has been a long time since I worked this way and I am loving it! Sometimes all I do is move a few pieces around, then write again before I head back to the collage to see how it is looking.

This is the jigsaw puzzel I tell buyers about. The kind of puzzel that doesn't come with a picture of the finished piece. All I know is when the pieces fit perfectly together. Although I do have vision now of where I think it may go.

On Sunday a small group of fiber artists met in the studio to show and tell, discuss work and process and progress. They are members of SAQA.

Lovely artists and wonderful conversation that has fueled me and inspired me. Thank you.

Quote of the day

2011-05-03T10:39:00.002-04:00

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Facelift

2011-05-02T18:21:00.001-04:00

It has been over a month since Craft Boston and I am still trying to catch up. I am working on the book and I am about to launch the new web site for the studio. So stay tuned for that.

I also managed to give the blog a facelift, and spend quality time thinking about this blog and who I am as an artist. I was thinking that I would like to be posting more often and what that would mean. It could and would I think, mean shorter posts, posts that include snippets of conversations, poetry, process and the work of artists that I admire.

During Craft Boston I reconnected with Ann Brauer, a quilt artist who is from my neck of the woods. This is an artist I wrote about when I had my weekly art column at the Greenfield Recorder. I took these photos of her booth at the show and would like to share them now with you. It is a bad shot of Ann (sorry Ann!) but a good shot of her incredible quilts. Enjoy.

This is Ann's web site and her blog.

News from Craft Boston

2011-03-25T10:37:00.003-04:00

Thursday afternoon. Susan arranging the scarves.

Finished Booth

First official day of Craft Boston. Everyone tells me that Saturday is the big day of this show. I can't believe how wonderful it feels to be back in Boston. On my drive in yesterday I had a great tour of the city. And only because I kept missing my exits. I wasn't lost. I was just spending way too much brain power looking and reminiscing. Wish me luck!

Making wrap dolls with Belinda Lyons-Zucker

2011-03-07T09:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in the studio, Belinda Lyons-Zucker was teaching about making wrap dolls. It was a great group, and their results were very exciting.

This is a small selection of Belinda's dolls. Click on the image to get a better look.

If you are finding yourself sorry that you missed out on this awesome class, don't dispare.

We'll be offering it again sometime in April.

So stay tuned.

Stenciling

2011-03-04T21:34:00.003-05:00

Working on new pieces again. This is done on the wonderful silk broadcloth that my friend Jeannie Sisson and I just love. I'll have 4 colorways when I'm done. And I'll be sewing them into my short, kimono style jacket.

The purple one is the closest to completion.

More tomorrow.