Christine Mauersberger

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Little Brilliant Flowers

A few weekends past, I spent the afternoon with my great nieces.

We painted birdhouses.

And played with paper flowers.

These children bring me joy.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Textiles In A Tube 2 and how I packaged my piece

Textiles in a Tube 2 show announcement

I don't enter many shows, but this one spoke to my sense of wonder.

Hmmm, what if I made a smaller version of this piece and was able to roll it up so that it fit into a mailing tube. (36 inch long x 3 inch diameter)?

Challenge on.

Of course, I needed to make it and install the piece in my upstairs hall, photograph it and then wait to hear whether I was accepted. I thought, ok if I don't get in, I don't have to think about how I'm going to roll this up.

This is the work I entered.
It is 24 inches wide x 7 feet long and is approximately 10 to 12 inches deep.

Detail, showing the layers and reflection on the wall.

I received notification from the Riverworks gallery director, Fleming Markel, that the juror, Kathleen Loomis, selected my piece to be one of 14 that will be in the show.

Here are some images of how I worked and created the piece in my house.

I worked in the entrance hall to the second floor of my house

Yes, I do have a bit of 'red' around my house...

The great mother of all inventions is Necessity.

Owning a home that was built in 1918, previous inhabitants used all sorts of clever means to improve the house throughout its life.

I've never liked the tiles in this entrance, but now, I think they are the best asset for staging this type of artwork!

I used the styrofoam ceiling tile as the temporary "top" of the work and taped each sewed line to the tile.

I tried to photograph it in the hall, but it just wasn't working,

I couldn't get far enough away from the piece.

so, I removed the ceiling tile with the artwork attached.

Then

I used duct tape to stick it all to the ceiling in the hall on the 2nd floor in my home.

Look up, you can see the silver duct tape holding the ceiling tile up.
The tape held it all for about 10 minutes, then it fell to the floor.

I thought that if I should get into the show, I'll transfer everything to metal rods for the 'real' installation.

Well, I did get in, and I did transfer everything and make it all nice and tidy for shipping and easy (I hope) easy installation.

I also created a step-by-step document for the gallery.

Here's how I wrapped the piece.

There are 4 rods at the top of the piece, with thread lines looped over the rods.
This photo is actually the last photo before I rolled the work up to fit into the tube.

This is a picture of my floor in my living room.
I placed a piece of plastic 'tablecloth' material on the floor, then placed the first layer of the artwork onto the plastic.

Layering the work for packaging

If you look closely, you can see the 'ghost' of the previous layers below the plastic sheet.

This is the Red Tulle that hangs as one of the layers.

I decided to share these photos and write a bit about all the steps it took to create the piece, photograph it, enter it, ship it and so on.

Even when an artwork looks simple or simple-to-make, nothing is completely simple.

Thanks for your time today.

If you're near Greenville, South Carolina anytime between June 1 and July 15, 2012. Stop into the RIVERWORKS Gallery
Greenville Technical College's downtown gallery
At Art Crossing on Riverwalk in Greenville, SC

and see the show.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Emily Felderman: Re-purpused scissors and gears

Emily Felderman

Shaker Hts, OH USA

Bonsai

7 .5" x 4.5"

Private Collection

When I think of exquisite stitching, Emily Felderman's work is at the top of my list. I posted about her in 2010, showing you her small heavily stitched landscapes and leaves.

Here, she has pushed her work quite literally in to the work-objects of life.
Each of us has a favorite pair of scissors whether it is to snip threads or cut into fabric, to cut flower stems or to cut wire, no doubt, all of us have held a pair of metal scissors with the assured knowledge that this tool will do it's job.

Emily has taken these long-loved tools and changed their purpose and made them an object of desire and memory.

Do you still have your mother's or grandmothers' small embroidery scissors?

Boing

3.5" x 1.75"

Private Collection

Or a pair of kitchen shears?

Fireworks

8.25" x 3"

She has placed her stitches into the negative space in the small metal gears that her grandfather's tool box gave up.

Parrot

1.75"

Please spend time on Emily's website to explore her work here.

The artwork of Emily Felderman is included in the Small Show at the Heights Art Gallery in Cleveland Heights, Ohio through June 2, 2012.

Emily said that she was hard-pressed to determine how to display the artwork.

I like how she solved this problem.

Bug Eyes

8" x 2.5

Bug Eyes as it was installed in the gallery

Emily's work at Heights Art Gallery, Cleveland, OH

Let me know what you think of Em's work.

I cannot think of a better way to retire our most beloved scissors, can you?

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Creating Timelines with Children

Twin sisters with their timelines

I was asked to hold a small workshop with children last Friday evening. The children had their own art show at the 78th street studio space. My little workshop was an art-related activity to take place during their own opening reception.

It was held in the Cleveland West Art League gallery space where I created my installation for the 6 in Studio Show. Children from 8 local grade schools had their own art show in a larger space outside the walls of the small gallery I was in.

Most of my work, if not all, is associated with the idea of mapping my place in the world. I was asked to develop a workshop for school children where they would create a small artwork relating to my own artwork.

Thus, was born, Who Are You? I provided strips of colored paper and asked the children to write/draw a few significant life-events about themselves. In turn, I sewed the strips together. The workshop had to be something these kids could do within 10 minutes...the room was crowded!

Children and Parents reading the sign I made to have them make a timeline of their lives.

My hands sewing the strips of paper timeline pieces together for the kids

We set my sewing machine up on a table in the studio space and I spoke to each child as I sewed their timelines together. It was grand!

What I learned was that making timelines with kids gave me the chance to look into the eyes of each child, engage them with conversation about themselves, and thanked each one for sharing bits of their life with me.

I feel, think, believe, that Adults are entrusted with empowering children. Not having any of my own, I take care to be the voice of encouragement to children when the opportunity strikes.

This was one of those times.

Proud boy in front of me as I began to sew his pieces of timeline together

Here a few pieces of artwork in the Children's Art Show. I enjoyed viewing all the work and speaking to many children.

Artwork I purchased from the Children's art show. This student is is 5th grade.

Isn't' this paper mache sculpture terrific? A red boxer

Clay work

Fish bowl painting

I want this lovely piece of wire-work. I wish it had been for sale.
Simple and charming.

I would do this again. Wouldn't you?

Next time, I'd like to have an hour with one class. Discuss timelines, mapping, and expand their view about who they, themselves are.

Then make timelines in different forms...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Landfill ground-swell

If you take a walk in Wendy Park on a nice spring day

And look around towards the salt mines and the city skyline and at Lake Erie...

You may just find bits and pieces of Cleveland's past, given up by the ground as the earth warms in the spring...

Wendy Park in Cleveland is about 2 miles from my house on a plot of land at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River called Whiskey Island. The land is raised up a bit because the city of Cleveland filled the land with refuse in order to create a straighter, man-made mouth of the river in 1827. Originally, the land was inhabited by American Indians, then by a farmer who also had a whiskey distillery, and later inhabited by Irish-Americans who helped to dig the Ohio andErie Cana l.

If you ever visit Cleveland...perhaps for a workshop? You'll want to find this lost gem.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

6 in Studio Show

Flow, C. Mauersberger, 2012

I posted about a show I was invited to participate in here called 6 in Studio.

Six artists were selected to create artwork in the gallery space of the Cleveland West Art League as a great experiment for a month to work on whatever artistic endeavor we wanted.

I am pleased at the resulting works and I was more then thrilled to have this opportunity to experiment with my work on a large scale.

ARTISTS:Michelle Murphy

Christine Mauersberger

Grace Summanen

Meredith Hahn

Kelsey Leib

Laila Voss

PROJECT Juror: Dana Depew

I've posted quite a few images.

Enjoy!