Outside the Margin

Last weekend I headed to DC for my third showing in roughly a month. It was wonderful. I guess the third IS the charm.

Outside the Margin Exhibit is on display in the upstairs gallery at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, MD. It was beautifully hung and I was excited to spend time with all of the other pieces. This show was totally in my wheelhouse and I was in it along with some of my other favorite artists!

I was even more excited to know a handful of people there and talk to them about their work and mine. The opening was exactly what I had hoped the Williamsburg show would be. While the show in NY was inspiring, it was also overwhelming and crowded. I had a hard time connecting with anyone and even lost my friends as soon as I walked in the door. This was a much different experience, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The curator gave a passionate speech about his selection and the four winners. It seems he had a tough time narrowing down the four hundred entries. He is the caretaker of the Smithsonian’s Artist Books Collection. We are lucky to have someone who cares so much doing this job for all of us. You know, the Smithsonian houses OUR art and OUR culture. And I miss greatly the hours I would spend there while living in DC.

As I was checking out Ceci’s work in the vault room, the curator came in and I introduced myself. In his speech, he had mentioned that each artist had only one piece in the show. So those represented should feel honored. Wow! Well, I knew that I had two pieces. He immediately knew who I was and pointed that I had two pieces. I thanked him and told him what an honor it was to be selected TWICE. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. Granted my little radiator book is teensy, tiny. He also complimented my ingenuity on my rose window, seen above.

Throughout the night, I shared the following story. When I made the rose window in 2010, I thought it was going to be an actual window. I bought a piece of custom cut glass in Northern Virginia. I finally realized I had no idea how to create anything with glass because I work with paper. That led to the collapsible shape, which I like to tap in my hand like packing cigarettes. I love how satisfying it feels in your hand and it is not delicate unlike most of the other works in the room.

On the Saturday drive home, I was bursting with energy and on Monday morning, I began rearranging the furniture in my house. Granted I also had the best sleep I have had since August 2012 on Friday night. But I do believe it was my excitement from the weekend that finally freed up much of my energy.

This fall has been a really great and busy month showing my art. I am so grateful. Please check out the work in NYC and DC through November.