Brooklyn Family and how has it been so long?

Dearest blog readers,

It feels like I've been on staycay, as it's been so long since we've talked. Balancing multiple trajectories (teaching, making art, research, planning, curating, Bushwick Open Studio visits, gallery meetings, art openings, design projects) + the Brooklyn Half Marathon have left me aflutter.

But I'm back.

Here is a rendering of my Brooklyn "family" in 3D - my pregnant alter-ego, my imaginary dog sharing the story of the night we met, and Bedekah, the imaginary friend of my neighbor's daughter and of little girls all over Brooklyn.

If you've really, really missed me, you can find me this Sunday aka tomorrow, 6/8 at TAC's 5th birthday celebration at the Small Works invitational show on the second floor. I am showing two of my 3D figures. Plus, there will be collaborative art making/weaving, and preparation of a new sewing seeds garden.
505 Carroll Street, Brooklyn, NY.

Your Heart Unfolding into Mine...

Final image - "The gentle unfolding of your heart into mine..."

Unfolding Heart in process

In experimenting with unconventional books in fabric, I am planning to layer another piece of fabric on top of this one with parts of the heart cut out and then sewn back on as flaps that can be lifted to reveal the stitched heart underneath, which you see here.

Suture

Connective Thread at Sweet Lorraine Gallery

This coming Saturday, January 9th, is the opening for Connective Thread, a group fiber exhibit curated by Joetta Maue, a Brooklyn-based embroiderer. You can see her work and learn more about the exhibit here.

If you are in the New York area, I encourage you to visit Red Hook, Brooklyn to check it out. I can't wait to see the installation. The images on Joetta's blog are very promising.

The exhibit is in the Sweet Lorraine Gallery, an artist studio building. The exact address is 183 Lorraine Street, 3rd floor. The closest train is the F to Smith-9th Streets, and then it's a bit of a walk under the BQE. (In fact, this area is part of one of my many running routes.)

As an added bonus, Joetta has invited artists who applied and were not accepted into the show to hang a piece for the night of the opening. I just may join in. 

I am looking forward to a night of inspiring fiber art, and to mingling with my artist peers.

Mapping my run on the snowy banks

Much to my disappointment, I have not been able to run outside for the past two days. The first snow of the season left the streets slushy, icy, and wet, with huge banks of snow on the corners. I actually ran on the treadmill, which is a poor substitute for an outdoor run.

To honor my love of running while the sun rises, I posted this map yesterday morning on the Boerum Hill bulletin board. As you can tell, it was not yet light out. 

I was disappointed to discover that my two previous maps had been removed. Where did they go? Who took them?

I need to find a more permanent space for my maps. I am working on reaching out to arts organizations that help artists produce public projects. I applied for a slot to talk to some of the administrators of Creative Time, a NYC-based non-profit that produces public art projects. The next one-on-one artist counseling sessions are being held at PS1 in January. I have no idea what my chances are of being picked for a meeting, but I am excited about the possibility.

Disappearing Man Makes More of an Appearance

The disappearing man is coming into view, becoming better defined, more present. I am loving working with the image...As soon as I get down to his feet, I will add in the text.

He is my dream of the love I want...although my dream definitely includes someone who is present and available the majority of the time (we all need some time away sometimes).

Long live the French knot!

Rock, paper, scissors

Your desire for self destruction trumps my love.

Dream with you

My dream is to quit my design job, and start my own business. When I say I want my own business, what I mean is that I want to be my own brand: IvivaEmbroiders, Iviva Fiber Artist, Iviva Olenick, etc. 

Right now, I feel as though I have three jobs: a full-time job as a designer for a menswear company; an artist; and an embroidery workshops teacher. I love everything I do, but I am always thinking about my other jobs when I am engaged in one of them. This causes me stress. I don't feel satisfied. I feel as if I cannot give everything of myself in any one situation, and I am constantly drained and frustrated. It isn't fair to me, or my students, that I feel this way.

I need to make a change, and am working towards being my own boss.

Thank you to the friends and family members who believe in my work. Thank you to the friends I feel comfortable enough with to share my hopes and ideas.

You Were My Marathon

I've been running since I was fourteen and joined my high school's track team. 20 years later, running has taken on new meaning for me. I love it. I dream about it. Everything feels heightened when I run  - thoughts, sensations, memories. I especially love a challenge: wind, rain, difficult terrain.

Last spring, I went into a running craze. I was gradually increasing mileage, and my runs were primarily on hilly areas and on broken sidewalks. I had to dodge dogs, bikes, construction, broken glass, ambling pedestrians.

Around the time my runs deepened, I also had to extricate myself from someone I really loved. To this day, I know for certain he does not get how I was feeling. I finally figured this out recently. My devotion to running was somehow tied to my devotion to the idea of him. I know the two were connected.

Now, it's finally cool enough for running to feel right again. My body has healed from a torn muscle, a tiny muscle that connects the pelvis to the thigh, and from some distress to my pelvic bone (if it sounds painful, it was -- I could barely sit for three months).

I have a different perspective on the man I was running to and from as well. 

When I meet other runners who say they've stopped running because of an injury, I tell them I've had injuries, too, and that a break from running is like a breakup from someone you love dearly and are used to being with nearly every day. I finally realize that my relationship with running is a marriage. I plan to be running as long as I can stand and walk. There may be periods that are more intense than others, years when I run farther and faster, in more difficult locales. But I will always run.