Virginia A. Spiegel

Cyber Fyber ATC

I swore I would never make another postcard after the hundreds for FFAC’s Postcard Project and I’m not too keen on ATCs at the moment either. But how could I resist an artist who makes 163 fiber postcards and 130 fiber ATCs and then commits to exchanging them all, mounting an exhibition of those received in exchange at a gallery, blogging about the whole process and more?

Here’s the official blurb from Susan Lenz about her CyberFiber activities:

CYBER FYBER is an exhibition of international fiber art scheduled for January 8th through 20th, 2009 at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios, 808 Lady Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, USA. The brainchild of Susan Lenz, this exhibit will focus on the supportive, global community of fiber artists with whom Susan regularly shares new techniques, contemporary approaches to textiles, and finished work by Internet websites and blogs. The exhibition will include three primary areas: Fiber ATCs (Artist Trading Cards); fiber postcards; and the work of several invited artists. The exhibition will also include FIBER DAY and ATC trading day. From the beginning, Susan Lenz is documenting CYBER FYBER on a blog/journal.

If you are a fiber artist who has an active website or blog, go visit Cyber Fyber and celebrate Susan’s vision by participating.

I have a soft spot in my heart for artists who have a vision (a mission!) and are willing to do what ever it takes to make it happen. I sent artwork to the International Fiber Collaboration for covering a gas station and now I am supporting Cyber Fyber by exchanging the postcard below and the ATC at the top of this post.

Postcard for Cyber Fyber
Materials include velvet fabric threads (a friend sent me the frayed edges from her work with velvet scarves), tulle, Mistyfuse, hand-painted fabric, Tyvek, tissue paper, gel medium, acrylic paint, watercolor paper, colored pencil, ink, mystery sparkly stuff from my bag of sparkly stuff, ribbon yarn, thread.
Techniques: Make a sandwich of painted fabric, Mistyfuse, velvet, sparkly stuff, tulle - cover with Teflon sheet and fuse. Stitch. Cut petals from painted/screenprinted paper that has been collaged with Tyvek, tissue paper. Stitch. Apply colored pencil and marker. Edge with ribbon yarn. Sew to mat board.

Cyber Fyber ATC - Shown at top of post
Constructed from pieces of collage used in postcard. Sew silver piping to edges of two pieces, zigzag stitch the two pieces together. Cut. Collage. Stitch. Sew to cardstock.

My niece, Jenny, and my Dad at our 2006 ACS Relay For Life. And, yes, now it’s “Thirteen Years and I’m Still Here” for my Dad.

It’s always hard to set a goal for fundraising. When I started Fiberart For A Cause, my first goal was $90. That may have been underestimating the power of fiber artists and Karey Bresenhan, our honorary chairperson and Director of the International Quilt Festivals, just a bit.

This year my goal is to raise $30,000 by August 1.

We are over 20% of the way there thanks all the generous people who donated to special promotions for and subscribed to Art, Nature, Creativity, Life as well as the very generous donation by Iris Karp (Attached, Inc.) of 20% of the proceeds of all Mistyfuse ordered at Mistyfuse.com during December.

Onward and upward! What can you do to help achieve $30,000 donated to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause by August 1?

1. Subscribe to Art, Nature, Creativity, Life for a $25 donation to the ACS through FFAC. Donate $50 or more and be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate to Flourish!

2. Become a patron of a generous artist during the Invitational Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberart on March 10-13.

3. Donate a collage to Collage Mania II. Deadline for jpegs: April 1

4. Go crazy during Collage Mania II on May 5 and 6 and add some great artwork to your collection for a minimum $80 or $40 donation. Feel free to donate a little more; all proceeds go directly to the ACS.

5. Enter Breaking Traditions: With One Voice art quilt exhibit curated by Lynn Krawczyk. Your only entry fee is a $10 donation to the ACS through FFAC.

6. Become a business Promotion Partner with Fiberart For A Cause as Iris Karp of Attached, Inc. and Jane Davila of Flourish! have done.

7. Be VERY generous as an artist and donate a percentage of your sales to Fiberart For A Cause as Karen Stiehl Osborn is doing from now through February 15.

8. Shop the Fiberart For A Cause shop on CafePress. There are two NEW sections: With One Voice and Boundary Waters Mosquitoes.

Fiberart For A Cause is truly an international effort by FIBERART patrons and artists to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. We have already donated over $140,000 which makes my initial $90 goal seem pretty funny. Thank you for your ongoing generosity and support.

Color Bowls - Two
Del Thomas
23″ h x 17″ w x 3/8″d
Commercial cotton prints, cotton batting, cotton thread, fusible.
Fusing, machine quilting.

Del created this artwork specifically for the Fiberart For A Cause Reverse Auction. Glorious!

Del’s quilts are known for their vibrant color and graphic appeal. Her artwork has appeared in magazines, a calendar, traveling exhibits, major and minor quilt shows and two solo exhibits.  Many of her art quilts are in private collections.  Her work was included in the books America From the Heart and Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project.  

Del is also well known for her Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection, comprised of more than ninety quilts from artists around the world. The Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection is available for loan to museums and galleries to help promote art quilts.  Read more about Del and her artwork on her blog.

The Reverse Auction opens March 10 with fiberart from ten invited artists. You can read all the details and see previews of three other donated artworks here.

All the artwork with the minimum donations for each day of the auction will be up at the end of this month. The 2008 Invitational Reverse Auction promises to be a VERY successful fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, with 100% of the proceeds being donated directly to the ACS through Fiberart For A Cause.

Perfect
Cynthia St. Charles
7.5 x 9.5 image mounted on 8×10 recycled backer board.
8×10 Black mat included

THIS WEEK’S TECHNICAL TIPS:
1. The deadline for receipt of Collage Mania jpegs is April 1, but a little FYI. The sooner you send your jpegs and have them accepted, the closer your collages will appear to the “top” of the Collage Mania pages. I am making up the pages as collages are accepted and there will be 11 collages per pages. I’m on page 5 now. One collage will be moved to the Page 1, Collage 1 spot after Collage Mania closes - more on that closer to May.
2. I have added a tip from Cynthia St. Charles on securing collages to backings and a note about new acceptable mounts/backing to the FAQ here.

On to the art!

The opening collage above is by Cynthia St. Charles who sent a total of seven collages, many containing recycled materials. This collage includes recycled printed email on paper, overpainted, printed with original handcut rubber stamps, and photoscreen prints made from photos from her backyard bird sanctuary. You can see all seven collages on Cynthia’s blog post here

Fuchsia
Debbie Smith
10″h x 8″w x .5″d; mounted on 10″x8″ mat board

This artwork by Debbie Smith, a member of Fiber Art Traders, packs a lot of interest in a small space. Materials include: Peltex, silk, felt, gold wrapper from bon bon, seed beads and leather.

Bearing With Me
Morning Dove Shelton
8″h x 10″w; created and mounted on 8″x10″ artist canvas panel

This evocative work by Morning Dove Shelton, also a member of Fiber Art Traders, includes batik fabric, fabric paint, dryer sheet, glitter, stamps, fabric, paper, yarn and a bearing. You can read more about the meaning behind this artwork on Morning Dove’s blog here.

Fantasies
Emmie Seaman
6″h x 6″w; mounted on 10″x8″ mat board

Emmie sent three very different, all very cleanly constructed, collages; this one features a photo image, foil print, and commercial cotton. You can see more of Emmie’s artwork on her website.

Sun Please
Inge Reinholdt
7.5″h x 10″w; mounted on 8″x10″ Bristol board,

Our international donations continue with two collages coming from Inge Reinholdt of Denmark. Materials include fiber, thread, and paint. Many of us in Northern climes know exactly what Inge is talking about in this artwork.

Collage Mania will be held May 5 and 6 with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. ALL collages will be available for review one week prior to the event. The minimum donation on May 5 is $80; the minimum donation on May 6 is $40. Click here for more details.

I do have a thing about milkweeds. I took this photo just last week. The seeds are attached to silken threads that spill out of the pod like a waterfall. I’ve never seen seeds at this stage so late in the year. The next day we had thirty MPH winds and all the seeds were dispersed. They probably landed in Tennessee.

The Garbage Day Project resumes after a short winter hiatus due to darkness and I’m having a little The Garbage Day Project festival of sorts to celebrate. Check out the new logo, Amazing Things A Garbage Truck Can Crush, new Garbage Art and lots of other interesting things in the world of garbage, art and recycling.