Women at Prayer exhibition

While my Wailing Wall piece is currently in Savannah, it is also in an on-line exhibition. The Episcopal Church has a feature on Women at Prayer with many beautiful images.
http://ecva.org/exhibition/WaP/WAPindex.htm   
Mine is here    http://ecva.org/exhibition/WaP/025-BarbaraMitchell-WAP.htm

"Prayers at the Wailing Wall" on national tour

My "Prayers at the Wailing Wall" is on the road again. It is one of 25 art pieces from the 2013 Sacred Threads exhibition going on tour, and will be at national shows in Savannah in March, Denver in April, and Seattle in May. I'm so pleased this piece continues to be shown.

PEN Women Show at Artists on the Bluff

Artist Reception this Sunday, February 2 from 2-4pm. Join me and other members of Pen Women at our annual art show. Location is Artists on the Bluff, 571 Park Ave, Bluff Park/Hoover AL 35226. The show will continue through Wed, Feb 26. Hope to see you soon.

Happy New Year

Best wishes to all-- hope 2014 is an amazing and creative year!

Holiday Bazaar

Join me and shop local this Christmas while exploring what's new in the Forest Park and Avondale area. I'll be selling my knitwear, jewelry, purses, and cuddle quilts inside Beloved Community Church on 41st Street. Sat 12/14 11am-6pm and Sun 12/15 12noon-5pm. Great opportunity for seeing items hand crafted by local artists-- see you there!

Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. My piece, "Light of the World: The People Who Sat in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light" is included in the Advent edition of Behold Magazine from Logos Productions. I'm grateful to them for having such a beautiful magazine, and for Sara-Scott Wingo, whose sermon inspired me to create this piece.

ADC Fine Crafts Show

Please join with me this weekend as Alabama Designer Craftsmen present our fall show at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.  Preview night is Friday, 6-9 pm; regular show is Saturday and Sunday.  There is a raffle and I've donated my art quilt "Swimming in Pure Color"  -- lots of bright blues and yellows.  Hope to see you there!

Bluff Park Art Show

Bluff Park Art Show is Saturday, October 5. Please come see me at my booth -G10.
http://www.bluffparkartassociation.org/

Sacred Threads On the Road

Exciting news today about my new art work, Prayers at the Wailing Wall, which will be in the Sacred Threads exhibition.  Forty of the art quilts, including mine, were juried into an additional exhibition and will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for an additional showing.  This will be at the Sunderland Gallery in Omaha from September 15 through November 10, 2013.  What an honor to be selected for this show.   

Sacred Threads 2013

I am pleased to announce that I have an art quilt accepted into the 2013 Sacred Threads Art Quilt Exhibition.  This is a national show, held in Northern Virginia just outside Washington DC.  Please see this link for more information:  http://www.sacredthreadsquilts.com/   As described on their website,  Sacred Threads is an exhibition of quilts exploring themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, peace/brotherhood, grief and healing. This biennial exhibition was established to provide a safe venue for quilters  who see their work as a connection to the sacred and/or as an expression of their spiritual journey.  The objective is to create a dignified exhibition of artwork that touches on both spiritual and personal levels all those who view it.

The piece I submitted, Prayers at the Wailing Wall, is based on an experience I had on a recent trip to Jerusalem.  Although I had read about the wall, I was very moved to actually be there.  It was memorable to join with others in prayer, and to see the written prayers that were tucked into the niches between the stone blocks. 

If you are in the DC area in July, I hope you will stop by to view these art quilts.

Alabama Designer Craftsmen Art Show

I'm joining with fellow members of Alabama Designer Craftsmen for a group art showing at Soon-Bok Sellers Gallery. The opening reception is Sunday, March 10, from 1-4pm. Everyone is invited. This is the same gallery where I was part of the PEN Women exhibit last month, but I'm showing different work this time. The show runs through March 29th.

PEN Women Art Show

I was pleased to win a first place ribbon at the PEN Women Art Show. Visit the Soon-Bok Sellers Gallery, 571 Park Avenue, Birmingham (Bluff Park area) 35226. The opening reception is Sunday, January 27th, and the show runs through 2/26/13.

Leeds Arts Council Gallery - Opening Reception

Beginning next Sunday, August 5, I’ll be the solo/ featured artist at the Leeds Arts Council Gallery. The opening reception on Sunday is from 1.30 – 3.30. The LAC Gallery is located at 8140 Parkway Drive. From Birmingham east on I-20, take exit 140 onto US 78 east. Follow US 78 to Downtown Leeds. The gallery is on the left side of the street. More info at http://www.leedsartscouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=62   and   
http://www.leedsartscouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=61
(lower part of screen.)
In addition to works you may have seen previously, I have newer works in this show that were shown at the Orange Beach Arts Center, plus one new piece that is the largest work I’ve done. It is a landscape and you may know how much I enjoy working on those.
I hope you’ll be able to come next week. As always, thanks for your support of my artistic journey.

www.Barbara-Mitchell.com

Solo Art Show

Sometimes our dreams come true, and sometimes things happen that are beyond our dreams. Almost five years ago, I quit my good government job because I wanted to work full time on my art. My goal was to create art that is meaningful to me and to others. In terms of "success," the most outrageous thing I could think of was to be accepted into the Bluff Park Art Show. I had attended that show for many years and knew it was of high quality, yet the odds of being accepted seemed slight. Happily, I've been juried in for the last two years and hope to continue showing there.

In November, I was approached by Gerda Carmichael, a noted local artist, about having a solo show at the Birmingham Unitarian Church. I happily accepted and my work is on display there now, and will remain through the end of April. The Artist Reception was held this past Sunday and I was so pleased with the event. Thanks to Gerda and the church members for presenting such a lovely feast. I really appreciate all my family and friends for coming out to support me. What fun to see so many people from different areas of my life interact, and I was especially happy that everyone seemed engaged and intrigued by my work. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged my on this journey; who knows what will happen next!

Craft in Alabama

I've just returned from Orange Beach and the opening reception for Craft in Alabama at the Orange Beach Arts Center. Thanks to Juli Jordan for inviting me to show and for creating such an interesting mix of art and artists. The reception was lovely and many people turned out to support the arts. The evening was so pleasant with good food and wine and conversation. My work in this exhibit will remain until March 17, just after the Orange Beach Festival of Arts March 10 and 11. Here are two links:
http://www.orangebeachartcenter.com/exhibits.php
http://www.obfoa.com/

Art Shows for Winter/Spring 2012

I hope 2012 has started well for you. I've been invited to show my work in two galleries in the coming months. I've created some new pieces for these shows, and look forward to the opening receptions. Both are exciting venues that are new to me, so I like the idea that some new folks will be able to view my work.

I was pleased to be invited to show my artwork at the gallery in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Birmingham. The church is at 4300 Hampton Heights Drive in Homewood, near I-65 and Green Springs off West Valley Avenue. The worship space is lovely, with two long walls of glass and views of trees and mountains, and two long walls of gallery space. It is great to have such a large space with neutral walls and lots of light. The opening reception will be Sunday, February 12, from 2-4pm. This is my first solo show, and I'm very happy to be exhibiting here. My work will be here for the three months of February, March, and April.

If you have a beach trip planned to the Gulf Coast, you may also see my work featured at the Orange Beach Art Center January 20 through March 17. The center is at 26389 Canal Road in Orange Beach. I was invited to be part of an exhibit called Craft in Alabama to showcase artists who use traditional methods to create contemporary art. A couple of fellow members of Alabama Designer Craftsmen (ADC) are also participating in this show. Please see
http://www.orangebeachartcenter.com/exhibits.php for more information. If you check the link, you will see my piece "Exploring Turtle Island" at the top of the page.

I'm looking forward to the shows and hope to see you at one or both receptions.

Fall 2011 Art Shows

What an unusual year this has been. I am pleased to be showing my art again and I have three shows in the fall.

I am participating in a group show at the Gallery at Birmingham Botanical Gardens during the months of September and October. The gallery reception will be Friday, September 23, from 5.30 to 7.30 pm. The reception is open to all and will feature my fiber art work with some other artists who work with clay, glass, intaglio prints, gourds, and jewelry. I hope you can stop by for a little light food and wine to enjoy while viewing our art.

On October 1 I will be showing at the Bluff Park Art Show. This is a great show always held the first Saturday in October. See www.bluffparkartassociation.org for more info. The show is from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Admission, parking, and shuttle rides are free so you have more money to spend on art!

As a juried and showing member of Alabama Designer Craftsmen, I will also be at our annual Fine Craft Show the Saturday and Sunday after Veterans' Day, November 12 and 13.
See www.alabamadesignercraftsmen.com for additional information. Show times are Saturday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and Sunday, 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. For many years now some of you have been coming to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for this show and I hope to see you again this November.

Sacred Threads

I am so pleased to have one of my art works accepted into the national art quilt show "Sacred Threads." "Eclipse: Moving Through the Darkness" is one of my personal favorites and I am happy to share it with a wider audience. It can be viewed as a realistic view of an eclipse, but I think most people relate to the way our lives have periods of darkness. As with all my work, the visual rendering is an expression of part of my personal journey. "Eclipse" will be on display during June and July outside Washington DC; please see http://www.sacredthreadsquilts.com/ for more information. When you look at the website, you can view selected pieces from earlier years in the Gallery section. I have admired the work shown by this organization for some years, and I'm happy to be included this year.

Exploring Turtle Island

ECVA has an online exhibition called Open Studio. This is an opportunity to see works by artists of many different media. http://ecva.org/exhibition/OpenStudio2011/OS-2011-Thumbnails.htm

You can find a copy of my work here: http://ecva.org/exhibition/OpenStudio2011/051BarbaraMitchell-OS-2011.htm

I really enjoy doing seascapes; this was the first time I did the scene from an underwater perspective. I tried to hint at sunlight coming through the water onto the community below.

Purses

A local store called Alabama Goods asked if they could carry my line of purses. This shop has moved from Pepper Place to the downtown area of Homewood. If you're in the area, stop in and see my purses and other items. Everything in this store is hand-crafted by an Alabama artisan. Shop local! Support your local artist!