Ginni Fleck

What’s been happening in your world? I’d love to hear from you!

Time for an update from mine… It’s been a while again.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might know that I have a garden space/volkstuin just outside of Amsterdam. It’s been one year since we took over a fixer-upper—the garden house and the garden itself. But the bones were great, so the whole experience has been one big smile, full of satisfaction.

A former student of mine, Marij Adriaens makes incredibly gorgeous textile artwork in the theme of gardens. She also writes a blog about the history of textiles. Check out her art work here.

Besides gardening, I spend time each week in my atelier working on a series of mixed-media pieces about holy women.

It’s taking lots of time. I’m learning new techniques, researching different saints, experimenting with materials, and, of course, simply getting lost in the process of making.

I’m not in a hurry, because for me, it’s about the process. But I do hope to have an exhibition in the future where I can share these holy women with you—these empowering women.

Yes, empowering…

Many of these women survived harrowing experiences. Their stories are not always the stories we hear, and I’ve become fascinated by their strength, resilience, and the very different ways they have been remembered.

I’ll be sharing more about this series in a future blog post.

In the meantime…

I’ve just made some big changes to my website. It was time for a change, and the most noticeable difference is the new photo on the Home page.

I invite you to have a look around and visit my art pages.

It’s always fun to look at other people’s artwork, but I also realized that if you see a piece that speaks to you, you should be able to easily find out more about it—and, if you wish, make it yours.

So I’ve made purchasing my artwork much easier.

Have a look. You never know what might catch your eye.

In addition….

I posted items on Marktplaats from my old webshop at super low prices, such as embroidery packets, indigo kits Textile paint, thermoscreen frames, etc. Maybe you’ll see something you always wanted to try or a gift for a friend. Check it out!

Enjoy our Fall season,

Ginni

English translation below
Hallo lieve vrienden,

Radiostilte
Na een periode van radiostilte is dit het eerste bericht dat ik verstuur als onafhankelijk kunstenaar, niet als directeur van DIY Textile School. Ik zal mijn persoonlijke kunstproces en komende tentoonstellingen ongeveer vier keer per jaar delen. Ik kan ook schrijven over inspirerende museumbezoeken, foto’s of reiservaringen. Geïnteresseerd? Blijf lezen! Als je niet geïnteresseerd bent, kunt u zich afmelden via de link onderaan dit bericht.

Mijn leven is het afgelopen jaar in rustiger vaarwater terecht gekomen. Ik hoefde niet voor mijn ouders te zorgen of naar verre oorden te reizen. In plaats daarvan woonde ik gewoon thuis, wat goed voelde, afgezien van het slechte weer.

Maar slecht weer betekent ook: meer tijd binnenshuis om te creëren, en daar kon je me vinden; in mijn studio of thuis, naaiend of vanaf de bank op mijn laptop op onderzoek.

Onderzoek
Wat voor soort onderzoek, denk je misschien. Naar mijn familie. Mijn moeder had veel familiefoto’s en memorabilia van beide kanten van de familie. Bij veel foto’s hoorden verhalen met onbeantwoorde vragen. Ik zocht op genealogische sites, stuurde vragen naar neven en nichten en ik heb mijn DNA laten testen. Het was een fantastische reis. Voor degenen onder jullie die mijn Rites of Passage-workshop hebben gedaan; dit was een voortzetting daarvan in een andere vorm. Het ging over het verhaal hoe ik ben geworden wie ik nu ben.
En nu is het tijd om mijn voorouders te eren en ons verhaal te vertellen.

Ik heb veel interactief mixed-media-werk gemaakt om het verhaal van emigratie en immigratie en de geheimen van familie te vertellen.

Ik wil graag dat deze verhalen voortleven en ik kijk ernaar uit om ze met jou te delen!

Solo expositie
Dus als je kunt, bezoek mij (en 80 andere kunstenaars) op de Open Ateliersdagen Westelijk Eiland in Amsterdam, tijdens het Pinksterweekend, 7, 8 en 9 juni (11.00-18.00 uur), Tandwaarsstraat 2, Amsterdam.
https://oawe.nl/directory/ginni-fleck/

Ik kijk ernaar uit je te zien en mijn verhalen te delen.

Hartelijke groet,

Ginni

Hello dear friends,

Radio silence
After a period of radio silence, this is the first message I am sending as an independent artist, not as the director of DIY Textile School. I will share my art process and upcoming exhibitions four times a year or less. I may also write about inspiring museum visits, pictures, or traveling experiences. Interested? Keep reading! If you are not interested, you can unsubscribe via the link at the bottom of this message.
My life has been quieter this past year. I did not have to take care of my parents or travel to faraway places. Instead, I just lived at home, which felt good, except for the bad weather.

But bad weather also means more time indoors to create, and that is where you find me; in my studio or at home, sewing or researching from the couch on my laptop.

Research
What kind of research, you might ask? About my family. My mother had many family photos and memorabilia from both sides of the family. Many of the images had stories with unanswered questions. I searched genealogy sites, sent queries to cousins, and had my DNA tested. It turned out to be a fantastic journey. For those of you who did my Rites of Passage workshop, this was a continuation of that in a different form. It was the story of how I became who I am now.

It’s time to honor my ancestors and share our story.

I’ve been creating a lot of interactive mixed-media work to tell the story of emigration and immigration and the secrets of family.

I want these stories to live on, and I look forward to sharing them with you!

Solo exhibition
So, if you can, join me (and 80 other artists) at the Open Atelier Dagen Westelijk Eiland, Amsterdam, on Pentecost weekend, 7, 8, and 9 June (11 am-6 pm), Tandwaarsstraat 2, Amsterdam, NL.

https://oawe.nl/directory/ginni-fleck/

I look forward to seeing you and sharing my stories!

Ginni

Nederlandse vertaling onderaan

Important decision
In 2023, I put a lot of energy into the Rites of Passage workshops. But there were also two crucial ‘fault lines’ in the form of two trips to the US; the first to care for my mother and the second to arrange her funeral.Lees verder

Nederlandse vertaling onderaan
Dear All,

I left for the US with the intention of staying creative – I brought some items to knit and sew, and of course there is plenty of material in America.
However, caring for my parents consumed so much time and attention that there was no room to make art. I was often tired, felt empty and sad. Then, of course I also suffered from feelings of guilt because I had no room for my creativity.Lees verder

This coming weekend is the first of three in which the Concullega’s will show their work together. Although Covid brought live exhibitions to a halt, we met via Zoom, inspired each other and made our own art while also creating a video for a digital exhibition (Textile Festival Leiden).

We all hope to see you over the next three weekends between 12 – 17.00 to share our work. I will be present the first weekend 28 & 29 August 2021 at the Huis Kernhem. Marjan van Holthe en Josien Eulderink will be available at various times over all weekends including 4 & 5 september, and 11 & 12 september, 2021. Unfortunately Diane Edes will not be present her artwork will!

We each have our own style of mixed media, fiber and craft related artwork. We tell our own stories, and it all comes together to create a highly creative exhibition. We hope to see you there!

Nederlandse vertaling onderaan

Ups and downs in Covid-19, constant adaptations to keep DIY Textile School running during the pandemic, and worries and responsibilities about the care for my elderly parents in the U.S. – it is not a good combination. But just when I started to doubt myself, wondering if I would have to give it all up, shut down the school, stop the madness, a sweet thing happened… I received beautiful handmade thank you cards that helped to remind me why I do this work, why I began this school…. Then came tears, and new, more inspired self-reflection. Big inhale….Lees verder

English text below

Covid-19 heeft alles op zijn kop gezet. Er zitten heel veel zorgelijke kanten aan, voor de samenleving en voor individuele mensen. Ook ik vind het zwaar; emotioneel – mijn ouders vallen in de risicogroep, ze zijn bejaard, hun gezondheid is fragiel en ze wonen in structureel belaste instellingen – en economisch – bij DIY kunnen we door de lockdown geen workshops meer geven. Hoe moet het nu verder met mij, met ons, met de wereld?

Lees verder

English text below

‘Het leven is wat je overkomt terwijl jij bezig bent met andere plannen maken,’ schreef John Lennon. Mijn andere plannen – dat zijn mijn kunstprojecten; en ik heb ze even op een laag pitje moeten zetten want mijn ouders hebben mij nodig. Voor wie het niet weet: ik ben Amerikaanse en mijn ouders wonen in de Verenigde Staten. Ze zijn oud en ze hebben zorg nodig. Daarvoor zijn, ook in Amerika, zorginstanties. Maar het is heel moeilijk om die vanuit Nederland te bereiken. Er zijn allerlei regels over telefonisch contact met familie. Soms mogen de zorgmanagers alleen contact onderhouden met familie in de eigen staat; familie in het buitenland is helemaal een probleem. Vanwege het tijdverschil tussen Nederland en de Verenigde Staten is het contact al lastig. Voicemails achterlaten heeft geen effect. Ze zullen – of mogen – niet zelf contact met mij opnemen, zelfs niet bij een noodgeval, zelfs niet via gratis bel-apps (vanwege de privacy-regels). Ik moet al het bellen doen. Complicerende factor is dat mijn ouders zijn gescheiden en in verschillende staten wonen, met verschillende zorgsystemen.Lees verder

English translation is below

Ik doe de Batik opleiding met Rita Trefois – twee dagen per maand les en huiswerk. Het is soms lastig om mijn andere werk te parkeren en aan de slag te gaan met was. Maar ik heb het er voor over. Zelden heb ik zo veel, zo snel geleerd. En ik heb mijzelf opdracht gegeven om elke maand een batik-werkstuk te maken voor mijn Sea Life-serie, die ik wil laten zien op Textielfestival Weerribben (14 – 16 Juni 2019).Lees verder

(Nederlandse vertaling vind je onderaan de pagina)

#1: Put everything to good use (everything)
As a teacher at DIY Textile School, creativity is part of my work – like making samples with certain techniques for a class. Until recently, I used to look at those samples as not at all relevant to my creative work. These objects were not art, they were just illustrations of particular techniques. Until one day, I realized that as an artist, I can use everything! Lees verder

We enjoyed a positive, inspiring and very busy student exhibition with over 400 visitors in two days. It was a whirlwind experience, setting up on Saturday, and opening on Sunday and 6 hours on Monday. Lees verder

Did you receive your Spring 2014 newsletter?  SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER HERE!

OR BETTER YET: Get your creative juices flowing and join us next week in our ART JOURNALING class. We’re going to have let loose and have fun! In just 4 evenings you’ll have your own art journal, bound and ready for more creative input. You won’t want to stop, believe me, it’s addictive!

Check out our Winter 2013 newsletter hier. If you don’t receive the newsletter, send me an e-mail and I will put you on our list! Thanks!
(image: Nel v/d Meijden, Textile Art & Art Quilts 2012)

Despite the buckets of rain last Sunday – 13 October 2013, we still had a great showing of 200 people to the first student exhibition of the 2-year Textile Arts Program. Among the guests were Boukje Mulder, editor of Handwerken Zonder Grenzen and Henk Lijding, author of Art Quilts in the Netherlands. Boukje immediately wrote a great Tweet and blog post about the exhibition. I think she captured the story perfectly. Henk Lijding shared about our success in his readings during the EU Quilt Championship this past week in Veldhoven. Overall positive commentary!Lees verder

The new season at DIY Textile has begon. The 2012 Textile Art group returned for the 2nd year of their program. The new 2013 Textile Art groups start this week!

But best of all, the 2011 Textile Art group will be exhibiting their final projects on Saturday – Sunday, 12 & 13 October between 12 – 18:00 at the ABC Treehouse, Voetboogstraat 11 in Amsterdam. And YOU are cordially invited! 14 students will exhibit a variety of textile artistry! Come join us for our first student exhibition!

I visited the Lace museum yesterday for the exhibit Schitterend geplooied. It was very interesting – definitely worth a visit. Although there was much to see, especially in regards to the amazing handwork of the Chinese Miao and Dong people, I found myself most fascinated by the basic things right here in Hollandlong before machinery. I say this, because the museum has a rondleiding to explain all the equipment that produces lace products. But I was most curious watching the Dutch video explaining how flax was grown, harvested and turned into linen. What an amazing long, labour intensive process, and it happened here. I don’t need to eroticise another culture. I can be quite impressed with this one!Lees verder

We had a great journey with Cherilyn Martin over the last six months. Using mixed media and stitch, students completed many beautiful works of art. Here are just a few to capture the memories.

Thank you again Cherilyn! And job well done, group!
For those of you who missed out in 2013, sign up here for 2014!

Cherilyn Martin

Thanks to all the DIY Textile students who shared their artwork during the Open Atelierdagen!  It was a good mix of various techniques, materials, and formats, as you can see for yourself.Lees verder

In last weeks Stitch Art class, Cherilyn Martin supported students in transforming their practice stitches, into mini artworks. I’m so curious to see what amazing works of art will be created by our 6th and last lesson! Here are just a few examples of student progress from our last class…

In running a business, I find myself with constant chatter in my brain of things to do, people to talk to, visions to consider, e-mails to write, etc. Sometimes, I just need to go for walks and find my center. That is my way of meditating. On my last walk, my brain was insistently chattering so I repeated to myself,  here and now…here and now…here and now.  I took deep breaths, I smelled the clean air, I stopped and took in the small buds on the bare trees, and I listened to the birds sing. I found my center.

This leaf  dropped off one of my indoor plants and I decided I wanted to embroider on it. I pulled out my sketchbook to create a plan. I drew the leaf and the word NU (now) appeared on the leaf, then the word HIER (here). It was as if I was led to create this. So I did. Creating is one of the best ways to lose oneself into our center. I had forgotten that core message. Time to get back to my own creations.
Ginni

Johanna Wroblewska gave a hands-on tour at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Our Textile Arts students explored various aspects of modern art to improve their knowledge of composition and design.Lees verder

As part of the 2 year Textile Art program, Jette Clover came and gave a lesson on Markmaking. But of course before we started anew, we reviewed the masks everyone completed after Mirjam Pet-Jacobs enthusiastic Collage and Maskers class. I’ve chosen only a representative two…Lees verder

Exciting news! Kunstkeur has approved DIY Textile School for certification.

AND… MARK YOUR CALENDAR! 10 – 17:00 Saturday, 4 February is our OPEN DAY! The flyer will be in the mail to you soon or email us for more information!

Student artwork and student demos! Drinks, hapjes and gezelligheid!

I just put a new course up on the DIY website. It is a 2 year program in Textile Arts. I am really excited about it since there are so few programs on offer in this area. It will be absolutely fun to see this develop! I am in contact with teachers now and working out all the dates, so more information is still to come.

A number of years ago, I also was looking for a program just like this, a place to go as an older student, where I could learn about fiber arts. I wanted to learn about art and design theory, develop my skills in artistic design with textiles, and experiment, experiment, experiment. After taking a course here, a workshop there, a program here and lesson or two there…I decided it was high time to set up a school where one could really focus and develop their talents with excellent instructors, in a group with other like-minded people, with clear guidance throughout the creative process. With a Masters Degree in Creativity in Education and the teaching of many “bekende textielkunstenaars” in my repetoire, I am ready to offer you with the help of many of these same artists a top program! Check out www.diytextileschool.nl