stella design gallery

Giveaway: A Necklace by CicadaDesign on Jen Snyder Photography's Blog!

This is my first official CicadaDesign giveaway: http://blog.jensnyderphotography.com/?p=476

I'm so excited to be part of this week of awesome giveaways at Jen Snyder Photography. Please check out her amazing work and then visit her blog for more giveaway information.

Soledad Salame and David Brown at Goya Contemporary

Soledad Salame. Atmospheres in Blue 1 & 2, 2009.
Monoprint, silkscreen, solar etching. 25" x 68"

Goya Contemporary is opening two new exhibitions tonight--Soledad Salame's Barcodes, Atmospheres, & Islands, and David Brown's New Works.

There is a reception tonight from 6-8pm at the gallery, which is in the Mill Centre in Hampden at 3000 Chestnut Ave in Studio 214.

I am unfamiliar with David Brown's work, but I know Soledad from when I worked at Gomez Gallery at the Clipper Mill building in Woodberry. Her work is gorgeous in person--usually large scale pieces that are solar etchings or prints on aluminum (these days). It will be great to see her!

The show is up from May 12, 2010 to July 17, 2010.

David Brown, Purple Shape (corner piece), 2009.
Enamel on panel. 31" x 55"

Cicada Design

Yeah, so we're not going to talk about why I haven't been updating my blog lately. I'm embarrassed. You all can come up with your own fantastical reasons, if you wish.

I am excited to announce that I have finally opened up my own jewelry business: Cicada Design. I have opened up shop at Etsy and I'm applying for some local and regional craft shows. I'm living my dream! Ha ha. This really has been a passion of mine for years, and folks, it was only fear that was holding me back. Don't let that stop you all--learn from my mistake.

Here is some of my work (all images copyright emilie kleiner 2010. Please ask permission before using):

All work is low carbon steel and various semi-precious gem stone beads, except for the last picture, which is a vintage celluloid tatting shuttle.

I love to be creative and I know this will fill a huge, gaping hole in my soul that has been missing since I graduated from college with my art degree. I'm excited to be on this path and can't wait to make a name for myself!

Mt. Vernon Photo Walk

I've been away for a while, due to personal reasons. But now I'm back!

Last  Saturday, my friend Jen and I went on a photo walk with a group of photographers in Mt. Vernon. I went to her house last night for an "editing party" and we each selected two images from our walk to enter into the official contest.

Here are my entries:

Image copyright 2009 emilie kleiner


Image copyright 2009 emilie kleiner

Like my cheesy "watermark" in the bottom right corners of each photo? Tee hee hee. These pictures are MINE! I don't remember when the officials decide whose photo moves forward into the national competition, but it's kind of exciting. The grand prize is worth $11,000! I'll keep you posted.

Picture Plane at Nudashank

Nudashank is presenting its second group exhibition, Picture Plane:

Participating artists are:

Dan Bina (NYC)

Morgan Blair (NYC)

Michael Dotson (DC)

Allison Reimus (DC)

Tim Horjus (BMO)

Dale Ihnken (BMO)

May 15th- June 19th
Opening Reception:
Friday May 15th, 7 - 9 pm

From their blog:

"Nudashank is pleased to present our second exhibition- “Picture Plane.” This show brings together paintings that combine hard-edged abstraction with a post-digital return to pictorial space and linear perspective. Equal parts modernism and classicism, the exhibiting painters are from a generation that has been influenced by screensavers, vector graphics, MS Paint, Google maps, and Photoshop. The paintings evince the pervading luminescence of the computer screen, the digital color spectrum, and the expanding universe of virtual spaces. Flat, planar shapes are used as devices to depict scenes void of inhabitants. These paintings reflect a new, synthesized (perhaps alienated) perception of the world and how visual information is coded, condensed, flattened, and transmitted."

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Be sure to attend--Seth and Alex are sharp curators and they assemble the perfect blend of artists in their exhibitions. Also, their openings are a blast!

Pantone Espresso Set

For all you graphic design geeks out there, Uncommon Goods is carrying this fabulous Pantone Espresso Set for $45!

image via atrill.com

Real Hands of Genius

This crafter is a genius:

Image via etsy.foliage.com, copyright 2009

Because of a blog post on Boing Boing, these guys sold out yesterday. Dang.

The best part is the description, which says, "wash your hands with hands!" and that the soaps are handmade. Love it!

**soaps were made by Foliage. You can see their other listings on Etsy.com.

Rip-Off Alert: Urban Threads

I read about seventy-eleven blogs almost everyday, and I came across a very important tidbit of news on Early Bird Special. Unfortunately, a company called Urban Threads has blatantly ripped off designs, instructional demos, and even personality from Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching (who is awesome and someone I admire very much).

Please read the Early Bird Special blog post. She gives a good recap, and links to other blogs that have also reported on the issue. What I am most proud of, regarding the grassroots uprising against dishonest business practices, is the very high level of class with which this is handled in the craft community. Yes, we are outraged, but no one is nasty or hateful. In fact, there is a call for corporations and sole proprietors to work together for the common good of craft.

Show your support for Jenny Hart and Sublime Stitching--visit the web site and buy some patterns! Do NOT buy patterns from Urban Threads! Protest with your wallet and spread the word that stealing ideas from anyone and passing them off as your own is not cool.

UPDATE 5.4.2009

Now that this mess has cooled down some, and I've had time to reflect on it, I feel a little silly for a one reason (regarding my blog post): I definitely responded hastily, and out of an emotional and biased place. Once I read about even the possibility of someone being deceitful and trying to ride on the coattails of a crafter who has worked hard to develop her own portfolio and customer base, I flipped. I think that's understandable, but I do wish that I had waited until more details emerged before I posted something for all to see on the blogosphere. Now people are accusing me of possessing a group-think mentality because of my knee-jerk reaction. Yikes!

I don't know how this will all work out. I hope that the truth becomes visible to everyone, but it might not. I reacted so strongly because of my admiration for Jenny (even though I have not met her, that doesn't mean I can't be a huge fan of hers), but also because intellectual property is SO difficult to defend against the ravages of derivative work and all forms of stealing. A person's creative mind is so valuable, and when one takes the time to bring to fruition the beauty that they see, I want to celebrate it. I also want to defend it, even if I end up going against my better judgment and write a frantic blog post.

Best of luck to Jenny and Urban Threads; I hope that they can reach at least a polite understanding of what happened and move forward in a positive direction. It would be really great if this situation could serve an educational purpose for all of us in the art and craft world. I've learned my own lesson about how wildly stories can take off on the internet!

Also, Niamh O'Connor has left a link to her response in the comments section of this blog post. Please take the time to read it.

Smithsonian Craft Show This Weekend!

Impossible Pencil Pin, copyright Connie Verrusio. Image via SmithsonianCraftShow.org

I am beyond excited to be a booth assistant for Connie Verrusio at the Smithsonian Craft Show this weekend! I'll be working Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I can't wait to be surrounded by inspiring craft--I fully expect to network and come back with fabulous ideas and experiences.

Click here to see a wonderful grouping of Connie's work. Some other amazing artists who will be there are Todd Reed, Karen Gilbert, Biba Schutz, Jacqueline Sanchez, Chris Roberts-Antieau, Fritelli & Lockwood, Wendy Stevens, and Brian Becher. For a complete listing, click here.

Here are all the pertinent details:

National Building Museum
Washington, DC

Daily Admission $15

Thursday:    10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
    Friday:    10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday:    10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  Sunday:    11 a.m. to 5 p.m

Wise Guise Closing Reception at Nudashank

Drawing by Xavier Schipani, courtesy of Nudashank.blogspot.com

Wise Guise, a group exhibition at recently established Nudashank in Mt. Vernon, is having its closing reception tomorrow night from 7pm to 9pm. I highly recommend this show--my favorite pieces are by Edward Max Fendley, D'Metrius Rice and Xavier Schipani.

Nudashank is located in the H & H Building at 405 W Franklin Street on the 3rd floor.