Want To Be A Textile Artist, or Any Artist? Here's Some Helpful Tips!

28 Apr Want To Be A Textile Artist, or Any Artist? Here’s Some Helpful Tips!

Posted at 17:52h in Art by Deborah Main 0 Comments

“Bits or Pieces?” by Fiber Artist Marie Welsch. $100 Available at ArtSpace in Round Rock

With my 60th Birthday now behind me (boy was that Garden Party a blast…thank you to all who stopped by to help me celebrate!) I can now refocus on my textile artwork, blog and upcoming shows and sharing other artists work with you. It has already been such a busy spring with many exciting exhibitions happening all at once for which I’m incredibly grateful.There is only 1 – 2 more weeks to see my artwork in person at both Round Rock Arts gallery ArtSpace Fiber Exhibition till May 1st and Texas State University Round Rock IMAGINE Exhibition till May 6th. So please stop by.

These past three weeks have been jam packed with my 60th Birthday Garden Party, the Peacock Alley Austin Grand Opening and my first group Fiber Arts Exhibition at the Round Rock Arts gallery, ArtSpace, in Round Rock Texas. This is only my 3rd exhibition as a textile/fiber artist, as I just started applying to art exhibitions last summer. (See my 1st exhibition Artists Interpret Red post HERE).

It’s a very exciting journey for me because I love color and texture and textiles and all things vintage. So it was a logical conclusion to realize that I was going to be happiest being a maker and creating my textile art. I still do wholesale and have my work in several wonderful boutiques, showrooms and galleries across the country, but going the art route has been like coming back home.

For this week’s Texture Tuesday, below are a few key decisions I made this past year that might help you in your art or design career and some images from the Fiber exhibition.

The Anastasia with antique French beading and trim, vintage mink, chain, and Chanel beads, vintage Lace. All atop two vintage cocktail dresses. Available at ArtSpace in Round Rock.

Apply to art exhibitions NOW: What are you waiting for? I applied to my very first art exhibition last summer when I launched my new website Deborah Main Designs and to my surprise got one piece accepted in the Round Rock Arts “Artists Interpret Red” exhibition (check it out on my blog). I was overcome with excitement!!! With Austin as big as it is now, over 1 million residents, it’s nice to still have small bedroom communities like Round Rock and lovely galleries in which to get my start. So if you’re wanting to exhibit go online to CAFE Call for Entry which is a wonderful website listing open calls for art entries across the USA. That’s how I discovered the little Round Rock ArtSpace gallery‘s Call for Art. (If I can do it, so can you!) Congratulations to my friend Jillian Simmang of Simmang Design who’s jewelry artistry just got accepted in an upcoming Dimentions 3-D exhibition at Round Rock ArtSpace; opening night is First Thursday, May 4th, 5:30 – 7:30!
Take an online workshop or course: I took a 4 month online course last fall called Art Career Success System which completely opened up a whole new world to me in art. Sure, we all see opportunities for zillions of online workshops, courses, seminars, but THIS one is one that was not only worth my investment but helped get my art career going. I have a resource book to refer to when I need to come up with new ideas and a wonderful Facebook group filled with supportive artists to help me along in my journey. HIGHLY recommend!
Join a local artist association: When I did my first ArtSpace exhibition in Round Rock, it was so liberating to not be lugging pillow art to and from a show. All I had to do was walk in and there was my piece displayed on a pedestal. Then the first person that came to the reception (Lori Bier, Director of the Austin Fiber Association) walked right up to me and said “Are you a member of the Austin Fiber Artists Association? I immediately said, “No, I do not make my own fibers.” To my surprise, I learned from Lori that you do NOT have to make your own fibers to be a fiber/textile artist! I joined immediately and am getting to know many local fiber artists. After the Round Rock Arts IMAGINE Art Exhibition at Texas State (which is still up until May 6th!), I now feel like I’m beginning to make new friends in the art world and it feels really great. Several of the Fiber Artists were in the IMAGINE exhibition and 4 or 5 of us are in the Fiber Arts Exhibition currently at Round Rock Arts.
Become a member of a local art gallery: Long story short. One of our assignments in the online art course was to reach out to local art galleries. I have always been intimidated by Women and Their Work, probably from preconceived notions I developed years ago for no good reason. So, my challenge was to call them. To my surprise again, I was greeted with such warmth and excitement by program director, Kristin Moore. It was amazing! She encouraged me to become a member and I immediately joined the Art Divas group. I soon met countless women artists at fantastic events!

Meeting new people, making new friends, learning about art, and being able to exhibit in Art Exhibitions has opened a whole new world to me. I’ve always been interested and collected art, but this takes my work to a whole new level for me…all because I did the above 4 things (even though I was afraid to).

It’s exhilarating to have my Textile Artist journey start around the time I turn 60 and begin a brand new decade. I am SO excited about this next chapter in my life and will be sharing all the different art, design, fashion, charity, nature, and travel adventures I participate in. And I’m taking suggestions because my goal is to do SIXTY BRAND NEW THINGS in my 60th year. So this year for me will have many “firsts”!

The countdown begins. Please share your ideas of something I should put on my bucket list of 60 NEW things to do! One of them is coming up in May, the WEST Austin Studio Tour, but more on that in my Pillow Talk newsletter. To hear the latest news about upcoming exhibitions and a brand new showroom, please sign up for my quarterly Pillow Talk HERE. Spring one is coming out next week, after May 3rd. Thank you for reading my blog!

Please enjoy the photos of art and friends at ArtSpace’s Fiber Arts Exhibition and stop by Round Rock’s quaint historic downtown to see the art yourself. I was so honored to have two of my most challenging pieces, The Anastasia and The Jett accepted into this exhibit. Back next week with interviews of artists for WEST! Till then, have a wonderful weekend friends, XO PG

Tie details by Fiber Artist Anita Kucera.

“Tied to Music” by Fiber Artist Anita Kucera

Susan Axel’s Grandfather, grandmother as a child and then grandmother as an adult, photos all created on silk.

ArtSpace Director, Kris Whitfield, me and a long time award-winning Fiber Artist, Miranda Stewart.

Here are two beautiful photographic works of looms by artist Linda Dyches. I zoomed in because my photo of her photography pieces was distorted. “Blue Tartan” is on left and “Just Beginning” is on right.

Fellow Fiber artist and new friends Susan Axel Bedsaul, me and mixed media artist, Carlie Pearson.

“Burlap Multiplied” by Fiber Artist Susan Axel Bedsaul. Fiber-reactive dye on natural jute burlap. $175

“Stalagmites” , silk and linen blends, by Fiber Artist Susan Hoopenworth. $375

My 3 textile art pieces from left to right, The Eleanor, The Jett, and The Anastasia. Starting May 13th, you’ll be able to see them in person at my open studio during WEST Austin Studio Tour.

Artist friend Carlie Pearson and me next to The Jett, which features a metallic vintage belt on layered lace with snakeskin textile poufs and beaded necklace.

Volunteers Jim and friend having fun with a photo bomber behind them. Everyone is so Texas friendly at Round Rock Arts. In fact, it has been Jim who constantly encourages me to apply to ArtSpace exhibits!

Vickie, Jane, and one of the board members of ArtSpace. Vickie coordinated all the art for the 9th Annual IMAGINE exhibition still going on at Texas State University at Round Rock till May 6th.