Catherine Whall Smith

“Nor’Easter: The 44th Annual Juried Members Exhibition has been elevated and expanded. “Our mission for this exhibit is to expose contemporary visual arts to a wide audience and highlight the exceptional work of emerging artists in all media. To take it to the next level, we moved to an online application and jury system that allowed artists to submit multiple works, larger works, and installations from across the country. We received 745 entries, from 321 artists and 18 states, including California, Minnesota, and Louisiana. The 98 accepted works will be on display Oct. 12-27, 2013, and awards will be presented to first, second, third, and juror’s choice at the opening reception on Sunday, Oct. 13. (1:00 – 2:30 p.m.) This year we introduce a new award, Visitor’s Choice that will be chosen at the end of the exhibition. We hope you will join us and submit your vote for your favorite. Many thanks go to this year’s juror, Lexi Lee Sullivan of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. ”  My best,  Douglas Hyland   Director”  New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut

2013 – Connecticut Women Artists present the 84th Annual National Open Juried Exhibition at the Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich CT.

This Art Exhibit runs from August 31 to September 27, 2013 Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7, 2:00 – 4:00 pm; Awards Ceremony at 3:30 pm 
Venue: Converse Gallery, Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, CT. This event is free and open to the public. The gallery is handicap accessible.  

This national exhibit enables Connecticut Women Artists to feature the work of numerous talented women artists in Connecticut and across the country. It is an honor to have one of my pieces “In My Own World #1” hung with the work of the participating CT and National women artists juried into this show by Douglas Hyland, the Director of the New Britain Museum of American Art; who will assign awards for excellence totaling $2,200.00 in cash and prizes on behalf of Connecticut Women Artists.   www.ctwomenartists.org

The gallery hours are: Tues – Fri, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm, Sat/Sun 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Please call (860) 887-2506 for directions, admission fees and general information.

SHOW #1 – “Out of the Loop 2013” a juried show at the West Hartford Art League will show case out-ot-the-ordinary, contemporary fiber works that advance traditional techniques.   SHOW DATES:  February 7 – March 3, 2013. Opening Reception:  Thursday February 7, 2013, 6-8 p.m.  Check out their website http://www.westhartfordart.org for Gallery Hours.  WHAL is located at 37 Buena Vista Road, West Hartford, CT.  My triptych “Gold Hay #1, #2, #3 (28H x 84W inches) shown below has been included in this show; as well as another of my pieces titled “Rolling in the Hay” – check it out!

SHOW #2 – The 69th Annual Connecticut Artists Exhibition at The Slater Memorial Museum at the Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, CT.  SHOW DATES –  February 10 through March 22, 2013.  OPENING RECEPTION; Sunday February 10, 2013 from 1 -3 p.m. Gallery hours at http://www.slatermuseum.org – Show includes Paintings, drawings, mixed media, sculpture, and graphics including photography.  One of my works from my “Views Country/City” series will be included in this show – check it out!

Because I enjoy the tactile sensation of hand stitching, I quilt all of my art work by hand. This hand work changes the drape of the piece as more hand stitches are applied to the three layers.  Hand quilting also makes the art work very portable.  So recently my husband was driving, and I was quilting and all of a sudden my favorite silver Tailor’s Thimble (a thimble without a top) popped off my finger and fell to the side of the passenger seat near the door.  Since I couldn’t reach the thimble, my thought was that I had to be careful when I opened the door to get out, so that the thimble wouldn’t fall out and be lost.   Soooooooo as I get out of the van to do a little food shopping – a shopper notifies me that something has dropped out of the van – I look – and there are my gloves on the ground – and my favorite sterling silver thimble nearby.  I think “great there is my thimble”. – So as I pick up my gloves and get ready to get the thimble – my husband drives off in our Toyota Van.  And, as dumb luck would have it the Van’s rear wheel goes DIRECTLY over the thimble – and as they say it is now “AS FLAT AS A PANCAKE“.

Here is how it looks next to a regular thimble.   So what are the chances of that happening???