19 Aug Have You Seen Deborah Main’s NEW Artwork and NEW Website?

© Deborah Main, Vintage French Textiles & Trim with 1930’s Brooch. Mixed media on pillow form, 20 x 20. (Available at Round Rock ArtSpace, Round Rock, TX. Exhibit runs through August 27th; special art exhibition pricing – $549.00)

Artists Interpret Red

I’m excited to share with you that one of my textile art pieces was accepted, and is exhibiting now through August 27th, in the Round Rock Arts’ ArtSpace. I announced the Opening Reception two weeks ago, and let me tell you – the art exhibition was the most exhilarating new experience for me!!

The exhibition, one of many that are held each month, was in historic downtown Round Rock at ArtSpace which is right next to the Main Street Plaza where children can be seen running through the water play fountain. I have a confession to make –  in all 35 years I’ve lived in Austin I had always passed through Round Rock, but never actually seen its downtown.  It’s delightfully quaint with just two blocks of tree-lined streets and beautiful Texas limestone buildings dating back to the early 1900’s.

What was so unique about this exhibition experience for me, was that it was my very first juried art exhibit that I’ve applied to, and been accepted, in a local art gallery.

Please indulge me, as I’d like to share with you a little bit about the exciting process of how I created my art piece.

I don’t know if you remember the last summer Friday Flowers & Trim post I did a couple weeks back, but I announced the exhibit and showed a little behind the scenes inspiration for the piece I was submitting. It featured a beautiful silk textile in a raised chenille diamond pattern and an intricate 1930’s ruby red rhinestone brooch in a gold tone, rope-like design.

My immediate thought when I discovered the “Call for Artists” for Artists Interpret Red was:

“Red? No problem. I LOVE red!”

So I was inspired from the get-go by the title of the exhibition and the color red, one of my absolute favorite colors.

The silk textile inspiration: 

The 1930’s brooch inspiration: 

With all that inspiration, here’s how my art piece came together:

• I pulled out beautiful red and gold vintage French trim from my collection,
• started weaving it in and out of a wide velvet ribbon. (I’m a continual learner of ribbon manipulation techniques, but was grateful to my dear friend, milliner Laura Del Villaggio of Milli Starr, who helped me brush up on my skills.),
• then I remembered a vintage French red damask I had (and this is the part I love the most about creating art with textiles!) that would work perfectly for the front of my piece.

• before I knew it, I had created a diamond pattern on the front to complement the diamond shaped silk textile on the back, (Another confession – it also covered up some not-so-perfect sewing I did. Yup, still learning that skill too!)
• wove vintage brass chain in a Chevron pattern right down the middle,
• added Czech crystal glass beads to the trim and round red and gold thingies (not sure what they’re called??) on the corners,
• and found the perfect golden silk ribbon flower to serve as the bed for my favorite 1930’s rhinestone brooch, for which I had always wanted to create a special textile art piece some day. And this art exhibition was the perfect opportunity!

Not knowing much about the ArtSpace or historic Round Rock, I was honored to have my work among many talented artists and thrilled to see tons of the community come out for the event. It was packed!

Many thanks to the wonderful volunteers there, to my dear friend, interior designer Hjardeir Dunn, for coming out to support my very first art exhibition, and for all the fun new art appreciators I met that special evening.

Me and my dear friend, and long-time supporter of my work, Hjardeir Dunn.

There are several more images at the end of this post, and you can still catch the exhibit “Artists Interpret Red” through August 27th.  Here are a four pieces of art currently displayed at the exhibit.

And last but not least…..drum roll please….I introduce you to my brand NEW website, Deborah Main Designs!

Deborah Main’s NEW website:

My brand NEW website has officially launched!! Yippee!!! It’s like giving birth and I’ve been in labor for 6 months.  I’d like to give a very special thank you to:

• my webmaster, Beth Been, of Groovee Fortune, for her patience and for executing my exact vision for my new website.  As her motto says “Some day you’ll need a web page” and Beth has always been there for me,
• business consultant Georgina O’ Hara Callan, for her no-nonsense, straight-forward business acumen in moving me and my business forward,
• friend and mentor Brandon Smith, of D Coop Media, who said the magic words “Promise me you’ll talk to an art consultant before you launch your new website!”,
• art consultant Alyson Stanfield and Debby Williams for writing of Art Biz Coach,
• Allan Bamberger of Art Business for more writing and editing,  and
• many, many dear friends, Laura Del Villaggio, Lisa Stark Walsh, and Clark Batchelder.

The NEW website also, coincidentally, marks a NEW direction for my studio Deborah Main Designs, which I will be talking a lot more about in the coming months.  The main change is my collections are now Series, like Linen and Wood and Essential Decorative, but there are, and will continue to be many changes in how I present my work to the world.

I’m thrilled to announce that I no longer want to, nor can, compete with decorative pillow manufacturers, because I am not a pillow manufacturer. Each of my pieces is meticulously handcrafted in Austin, Texas, USA. It’s quite liberating to finally realize the direction you need to be going. I’m embarking on a NEW journey, to truly discover myself as a textile/mixed media artist.

In many ways, it’s finding my way back to the roots of why I started making luxury decorative pillows in the first place in 2004.  The pillows of Deborah Main Designs have always been and always will be my expression of art.  You can read about my textile art in the new About section HERE.  And you can shop for my work HERE. Or reach out to me for a commission or custom order at inquire@deborahmaindesigns.com. I’d love to work with you! Just finished this  “Pretty in Pink” commission, from a vintage lace cocktail dress, for a client last week for a special gift for her best friend’s birthday:

It takes a village to raise an artist and I will be writing more about this new journey I’m on in the coming months. I hope you will come along with me as I continue to learn and grow from each of you.  Enjoy the rest of the photos from the Round Rock Artspace Exhibition. I hope you’ve had a fantastic, refreshing summer. Thank you for your continued love and support! XOPG

Me and my work here with textile artists and Fiber Artist members Miranda Stewart on my left and President of Austin Fiber Artists, Lorraine Bier on my right. Both delightful! Many thanks to Lorraine who invited me to join Austin Fiber Artists association.

Unique photography by Jerry Thomas Smith. Pottery too; artist unknown.

Fiber artist Miranda Stewart here with Round Rock Arts Council Board Member Glenda Morrison.

Miranda Steward (left) showing her intricate textile artwork in the center, to Austin Fiber Artist president, Lorraine Bier.

Artists standing by their artwork on display.

So nice of one of the Round Rock Arts Council’s board members to speak about the exhibition and invite the artists to stand by their work for all to see.

This wonderful red dragonfly was the largest piece by far at the exhibition.

Encaustics by artist Bryan Kuntz, whom I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with, along with his lovely wife.

Artist Lucian Richards and his wife next to his artwork. I love the splash of white in his painting.

New friends that Hjardeir Dunn and I made during the exhibition, the delightful couple Amy Heath (also an artist) and her Belgian husband Paul.