I’ve just been accepted into a super fun juried show here in Chicago!
The juror chose my Wirehaired Me mixed media sculpture for the new Tickled Pink virtual exhibition at Woman Made Gallery.
The show runs all through July and includes a wide array of artworks.
Also: join me at two special events:
- Instagram live featuring show curator Veronica Clements interviewing me about my art and my creative process: Sunday, July 9, 2 p.m. central time. Join us: my Insta handle is @artistanne13
- Tickled Pink Bingo, the evening of Saturday, July 29, 5 – 7 p.m., at Woman Made Gallery – I will attend this event
Show Up Online Now: Check It Out
You can get an early look at the show right now. It’s already up online. Do check out my artwork at https://womanmade.org/artwork/anne-nordhaus-bike-10/.
The show runs July 1 through 31.
About Tickled Pink
Tickled Pink presents work in many media by 68 artists from across the United States as well as the UK and Korea. The show addresses themes of joy, humor, and color and the importance of being radically optimistic – even in a cynical world.
Juror Veronica Clements envisioned a show that’s “cheeky” and helps viewers explore their own ideas about happiness and the power of optimism.
“As visitors immerse themselves in this virtual showcase, they are invited to reflect on the ways in which they navigate the complexities of the world, finding moments of delight and laughter amidst the challenges,” Clements said. “The exhibition sparks a dialogue about the importance of maintaining a positive mindset, reminding us that humor and joy can serve as transformative forces, capable of breaking through cynicism and inspiring hope.”
More On Wirehaired Me
I made Wirehaired Me on a lark one day.
I was pulling out the spiral binding from an old desktop calendar so I could recycle the pages. After I got the spiral detached, I realized it looked really interesting. The intact spirals along with the stretched out bits made me think of hair, and immediately I wanted to make something out of it.
I had a small square canvas, already primed and stretched, and the metal spiral “hair” rested perfectly on top of it.
Also around this time, I’d been playing around with buttons.
You know those jars of buttons we all keep around, long after the clothing they came from has worn out or been tossed or given away? We ended up inheriting a motherlode of more buttons after one of my husband’s uncles died; after organizing them all by color, I was intrigued by how much life and energy the buttons had.
So I pulled out all the button jars to see which seemed to want to come out to play.
I found two special buttons that looked like eyes: black outlines that mimicked our eyes’ irises, with white centers for contrast and two little holes each to give a sense of pupils at the center of each “eye.” Suddenly, a face took shape when I put the buttons on the canvas, so I sewed them on at an angle to simulate the “not perfectly straight” and “asymmetrical nature of every human face.
Then I added three little buttons in a vertical row to suggest clothing, perhaps a nice blouse. I really love these three, as they have rounded, “puffy” surfaces and look good together even though one is a different color. Somehow, the green one in the middle makes this piece sing.
Perfect.
So I sewed them on, and Wirehaired Me was born.
She’s a little playmate who looks at me with a little soul that says, “Let’s play!” (And she loves showing off her look: being in Tickled Pink is a kick for the wirehaired one.
You can see my artist statement about the piece as well as my current art bio on Woman Made’s page featuring this artwork.
I’ll Be On Instagram Live July 9
Tickled Pink curator Veronica Clements will interview me on Sunday, July 9, at 2 p.m. U.S. central time.
To connect with me on Instagram, follow me at @artistanne13 (or use this link: https://www.instagram.com/artistanne13/ )
This special live chat will last about seven minutes. Veronica will ask me about my artwork in the show as well as my artistic process. It’ll be a fun conversation, and I hope you’ll join us.
Tickled Pink Bingo
As part of this show, Woman Made Gallery will host Tickled Pink Bingo on Saturday, July 29, 5 – 7 p.m., 2150 S. Canalport Ave., No. 4A-3. All are welcome, drinks provided, with a $5 suggested donation.
I will attend the bingo party, and if you’re in Chicago that evening, I hope you’ll stop by to play and say hello.
In the meantime, there’s a monthlong Tickled Pink July Bingo going on. Super fun, this July Bingo Challenge will be featured on Woman Made’s Insta, @WomanMadeGallery. Here’s the special bingo card created just for the show:
About Woman Made Gallery
Woman Made Gallery is located at 2150 S. Canalport Ave., #4A-3, Chicago, IL 60608.
To enter the building once you arrive, dial 354 at the main entrance off the parking lot. To contact the gallery, call 312-738-0400 or email general@womanmade.org.
Regular gallery hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.
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