"Things With Wings" opening last night at the Three Graces Gallery, Portsmouth,NH.
A bit over two and a half years ago when I started this blog I had just begun to sew in earnest. I was making all sorts of things, but soft toys seemed to be what excited me most.
After sewing for a few months a local baby store began selling my bears and I was thrilled, but when they sold out, that was it – I just didn’t want to make twelve more of the same toy.
Then I started selling pieces at Indie craft stores and high end gift shops and that was cool because I could make one or two of each pattern and they didn’t expect a dozen of the same thing.
And I did some local craft shows, and quickly learned that I really don’t like doing craft shows. The most popular item on my table were the sock monkeys and I began to feel so angry that out of every creative thing I’d made the sock monkeys, which were really nothing special to me, were flying off the table. No more craft shows for me.
In March of last year I had my library show and got a taste of what it was like to put pieces on display in a gallery-type setting and it felt so good, and nearly everything sold. When the show came down at the end of the month, I was a bit at loose ends. What to do next?
And then I realized that I wanted to be free to make things that didn’t take just two hours to finish, or six hours even. Things that were really complicated and would be unsalable unless in a gallery (do you remember this crisis? the "gallery or gallery gift shop" crisis? if you do, bless you that you’ve been readying my blog so carefully and for so long!), but I didn’t have any sort of gallery lined up to show them in.
I figured I would plow ahead anyway and I held on to everything I made in the hopes of building up a body of work to show at some later time.
And last night that time came, and it has only just begun. It really was incredible to see things I’ve made hung on two different galleries’ walls in the same night, in two fantastic shows. I feel now like I’ve figured out where to go. Doing this is what I should do now. I’m an artist. Hurray!
"Ode to Cornell – What Would Joseph Do" juried show opening last night in Salem, MA.
One more picture from the shows here.
Congratulations! Your birds look wonderful!
They look so wonderful, and I am so happy to hear that you feel like you’ve finally found your niche. I think that can be one of the hardest things for an artist, something I’ve been struggling with.
And, in true artist style, of course you had to wear black to the opening 😉
How exciting! Even better to have already sold one! I think it’s great that you’ve found something you love doing, you can’t ask for more.
I remember the gallery versus gallery gift shop crisis. I’m glad you landed in the gallery, you so deserve to be there.
Congratulations – what an accomplishment! The collection looks amazing. Do you think you’ll continue to do mostly theme-based work from now on?
Abby! That’s so fantastic! Mazel tov! What an accomplishment (I’ve just left a 7 year career as a gallery director, so I know from experience).
I contacted the gallery the other day, BTW, and haven’t heard back from them, but I didn’t realize it was so close to the opening.
Way to go!
Brilliant.
Congratulations Abby, the shows look wonderful.
Amazing to think that just a few months ago we were talking about Cornell, and then your work ends up in a gallery in tribute. Serendipitous, methinks!
The work looks wonderful. And so do you!
Leah xxx
Congratulations! What a wonderful place to be in life. Hopefully I’ll catch up to you on the path to finding one’s calling.
although I must admit that I haven´t read your “gallery or gallery gift shop” crisis, but I can imagine the feelings and thoughts you had. So Congratulations to the successful gallery shows!
although I must admit that I haven´t read your “gallery or gallery gift shop” crisis, but I can imagine the feelings and thoughts you had. So Congratulations to the successful gallery shows!
Congratulations Abby! Your work looks perfectly at home on those gallery walls. I’m so happy for you. 🙂
Weeeee!!! congratulations Abby!!!
I have been reading that long (and longer!) and I’m SO proud of you! LOVE it all.
congratulations…you’ve done a bit of everything, realised what you do and don’t like to do and stuck with it. that takes some guts and determination. well bloody done, and how wonderful to have two shows on at the same time! 🙂
opps, and i forgot to mention, the work looks stunning! 🙂
Congratulations! So inspirational!!!
Your installation looks fantastic.
Congratulations, Abby! You deserve this!
looks beautiful. how wonderful to feel that you’ve really found your place.
Congratulations! You certainly are an artist. And a wonderful one at that.
Congratulations! And thanks for sharing all of it with us, it’s been wonderful.
absolutely, you are an artist! congrats on a great year and the wonderfully exciting path you took to get to “now”. the first of many shows to come. i love your art!
It has been wonderful to follow your journey and to hear about your latest show. Congratulations!Your work looks amazing in the gallery.
I’m not going to be able to afford your work when I am finally able to buy something! Congrats!
I saw your show in Portsmouth this weekend. I was so thrilled to be able to see the birds in person, since I’ve ben watching them emerge on your blog. They were so wonderful! Congratulations on your successes and I hope to be able to see more of your work in person as time goes on.
so great to see you living your dream!!! yay.
congratulations abby!!!!!
so completely deserved. 🙂
and the pieces look simply amazing.
AbbyJane, your pieces look wonderful on display! They are beautiful and unique and deserve to be shown.
Congratulations AbbyJane, it looks incredible. Continued success!
PS I can relate so much to your feelings on your work in this post too.
Congratulations! And your work looks so good on display!
Wow! I found your blog just now, thanks to Mimi, and think your work is sublime! I really mean that. I see a lot of art on the web and yours really gets me (or I get it!) I’ve just begun my own blog but have little to show for it at present. Having lunch with Mimi today and will thank her for introducing me to you and your wonderful work! And all while she naps! amazing woman you are! Geri
Hurray, hurray! Now everyone in the arty (non-bloggy) world can see how fabulous your work is too.
Just amazing! Congrats! You deserve it for all your hard work and amazing art!
Congratulations! I haven’t been reading that long having only found your blog a month or so ago. But I have been schlepping around your archives. I just love your work. You’ve given me the desire to start creating my own plushies in the near future.
You were always an artist! Yeah!
I surfed onto your site and fell in love with your birds and your work!!
Congrats on your show!
Okay once again I haven’t been around in a while but many congrats to you. This is fantastic – how far you’ve come and that you’re truly doing what you want to be doing. How many people are still hopelessly making the sock monkeys just because they sell? Hats of to you for living a dream. And as for me, I’ve finally got a blog to link…Kate
Abby it’t so amazing to see all the beautiful birds you have made. I love your work. Congratulations on your show!! 🙂
I love this post and I’m so so happy you wrote it. I’m so happy for you which is a little weird for someone who doesn’t know you except through this blog. But really, I am. Your story and work are very inspiring. Thank you for sharing that with us.
well congratulations, you deserve it and OF COURSE YOU’RE AN ARTIST!!!
on a different subject? do live in Salem? I love that place… infact, a piece of my heart will always be there… (I spent some time in Salem back in the late 90s…)
Anyway, good luck for the future.
what an amazing story, inspiring for all of us who are striving to become artists in our own right. i’m so glad i got to see the pieces IN the gallery. they look truly gorgeous. congratulations.