FlyingColours

Annual Toronto outdoor art exhibition

2009-07-05T16:21:00.007-05:00

The annual Toronto outdoor art exhibition happens next weekend, July 10 to 12 at Nathan Phillips Square, the northwest block at Bay and Queen streets in downtown Toronto. The show's website has a fabulous booth map with the location of each artist's booth. Mouse over a booth number and you'll get the artist's name, a photo of the artist's work and a website where you can check out more. There's plenty of fibre art to be found. See you there!

Kandinsky on colour

2009-06-10T11:43:00.008-05:00

"Generally speaking, colour is a power which directly influences the soul. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another to cause vibrations in the soul."
- Wassily Kandinsky in Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1911

Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France.

Kandinsky expo poster photographed from the roof.
April, 2009

'I make pictures by cleaning...'

2009-05-27T15:51:00.006-05:00

Seeing how dirty a wall is by cleaning it in this way, kind of gets people immediately. - Paul "Moose" Curtis, The Reverse Grafitti Project

Thanks to Heather Dubreuil for the link.

Mozart's requiem will play, on tiny speakers made of clay...

2009-05-01T22:25:00.010-05:00

I am so amazed at times, that I am actually alive.
- Andy Goldsworthy; [Interview][Digital Catalogue][Wikipedia][Google images]

Gender equality - still a work in progress

2009-03-17T17:39:00.012-05:00

I was inspired by the artists who shared their stories in the film, Who does she think she is?, currently touring North America, which made me laugh and cry. As an afterthought, it still amazes me how, in so many ways, things have not changed radically for women since I was in my twenties. Gender equality is still a work in progress, perhaps even more so for artists than for many other professions. Good film.

Human Marks

2009-03-13T20:07:00.007-05:00

"A stitch is a very credible mark." - Dorothy Caldwell

Free-hand stitched kantha sampler
Embroidery floss on
two layers of black cotton
4 x 7 inches

I stitched this in a two-day class called Human Marks taught by Dorothy Caldwell, offered through the Kingston Fibre Artists' Guild. The course was designed to run for five days so the two-day class was a somewhat condensed version. Nevertheless, I had the impression of things slowing way down. We worked with our fingers and ink, pens, brushes, candle smoke, wax, hammer and nail, and needle and thread to make marks of one sort and another, repeating them, overlapping them, changing speed and direction and so on.

It seems to me that most of what I produced, expressed by way of many discrete marks, suggested not so much a series of images, but something unintended or unconscious, the suggestion of something, perhaps something forgotten. An interesting couple of days, and a nice trip away from home.

If you find yourself in that neck-of-the-woods be sure to check out the Kingston Fibre Artists exhibit, Inspiration and Exploration currently at the Kingston Public Library, 130 Johnson Street, Feb 28 - March 30.

Gradient dyeing

2009-01-26T11:44:00.011-05:00

Below are photos of some gradient dyeing that I started in a class in contemporary quilting I'm currently taking. I had hoped to do quite a bit more of this, but to date have not found the time. I'm especially interested in complementary colour-to-colour gradient dyeing (4) and exploring the different hues of brown which might be obtained. Eventually these fabrics will be used to make a small quilt for the class, Art Quilt Series, taught by Elaine Quehl, local quilt artist, teacher and dyer. Elaine is a generous teacher with a warm spirit who is passionate about her art. She currently teaches many great classes in and around Ontario so do check her out.

1.2.3

4.5.6

1. 100% cotton fat quarters batching overnight in Procion MX dyes in zip-loc bags hanging on a clothes drying rack.
2 & 3. Dyed fabric after a first rinse.
4. Golden yellow(G&S Dye 204)-to-purple (G&S 904) hue-to-hue gradation; 7 steps
5. Soft brown (G&S 611) colour gradation ; 5 steps
6. Grey (G&S 701) colour gradation; 5 steps

The NFB's online screening room

2009-01-23T22:16:00.006-05:00

Graeme Stewart at Nunc Scio reported today that the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is now making many of its films available online. You can choose from full-length films, clips and trailers. Albeit, not a complete collection, there's still lots to choose from and apparently new films are being added daily. A few that I enjoyed watching were Being Caribou, Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole and Walking. Check out these related posts at the NFB Blog [And we're live...][Top Five Titles Searched on NFB.ca].

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-24T19:03:00.003-05:00

"Each night a child is born is a holy night."
-Sophia Lyon Fahs (1876-1978)

Radical Lace and Subversive Crochet

2008-12-08T21:47:00.010-05:00

"I wanted to turn an oversize, macho, gas-guzzling vehicle into a technological ghost by shrouding it in a white, fuzzy cover reminiscent of women's hard work from another time, another place." - Jerilea Zempel

Fibre artist Jerilea Zempel, known for public art projects that take a humourous and for some, a provocative approach to subjects like violence, war and the environment, was featured on the comedy news show, the Colbert Report last week, in a skit called America’s Fragile Borders. Her art, part social satire, part political activism, challenges viewers to reflect on the meaning of traditional historical monuments, as well as our use of everything from guns to gas-guzzlers. Examples include a piece installed outside a Polish military museum in 1995 called Guns and Rosettes in which she shrouded a Soviet tank with what appears to be an enormous pink doily. The Colbert Report skit, a spoof on American Homeland Security, chronicles Zempel’s experience this past summer. Upon returning home to the U.S. from Canada, she was detained by U.S. customs agents at the border after drawings in her artist sketchbook, showing an SUV adorned in a lacy white coverlet (a piece she now calls Homeland Security Blanket) caused the customs agent to suspect her of being an industrial spy. In October, the Plattsburgh, New York newspaper, The Press Republican reported the details in this article, Keene artist had a hard time getting back into the U.S.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Nailed 'Em - Radical Knitting

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Mark Sanford

New York, N.Y.

2008-11-29T13:28:00.012-05:00

"Something began me...

53rd Street & 6th Avenue

and it had no beginning:

Florence Schoenborn Gallery - MoMA

something will end me...

Rustic Pavillion - Central Park

and it has no end."

Carousel - Central Park near 66th Street

-Verse from Carl Sandburg's The People, Yes 1936

We spent three wonderful days in New York City in celebration of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. The city was a beauty to behold. Although it was cool and wet, it did not rain, and at times mist hung low over the buildings. In Central Park the ginkgo trees dropped their magnificent leaves, blanketing everything in a flaming yellow carpet.

Each person has something to teach us

2008-11-12T11:03:00.028-05:00

Red Oak Leaves
October 2008

"People do not arrive in our lives by mistake, even when we did not choose them to be in our lives. It is best to learn the lessons about ourselves and life that we can learn from this person. That we do not like this kind of person is not the lesson. This person is in our life as a teacher...to illuminate an area where we struggle and where we can grow."
-Lynn Fitz-Hugl, Tip#10 from 21 Tips on Personal Peacemaking

A link to the article 21 Tips on Personal Peacemaking arrived in my e-mailbox this morning from a friend who has struggled through a very difficult divorce over the past year. As I read through the article, the tip which I have quoted here really seemed to speak to me. It underlines the human connection that exists in all our relationships, including the troublesome ones, and affirms that growth and healing are possible outcomes even when we find ourselves at odds with another person. I also felt happy that a sense of resolve was returning to the life of someone I care about and who has had a long, rough year.

The audacity of hope

2008-11-04T22:56:00.028-05:00

Congratulations U.S.A. on your historic election and on choosing a new President, House and Senate, and a new direction for your country by a landslide today. Something tells me that in Barack Obama, your confidence is well invested. We've heard the pundits spin the polls umpteen times over the past twenty-one months. Perhaps it comes down to this; Americans have chosen the person whom they believe is most likely to act in their best interest. My take: it's truly a good day for all of us.

Kimmelman on Art

2008-10-31T15:03:00.003-05:00

"There's a certain point at which it may be obligatory to try and understand something that does not automatically explain itself to you."
- Michael Kimmelman

Michael Kimmelman is the chief art critic for the New York Times, and naturally he has his fans as well as his detractors. Personally, I've benefited whenever I've read something he's written or heard him give an interview.

Kimmelman on Art: Part 1 of 2

Kimmelman on Art: Part 2 of 2

Breaking open

2008-10-25T15:42:00.012-05:00

Luskville Falls Trail, Quebec, Canada
October 2008

"In the process of grieving we break, but we break open so that we can include more of life. We get bigger in order to carry with us what we choose to continue loving."

-Deborah Morris Coryell in Good Grief

Red Onions

2008-10-20T11:56:00.011-05:00

"Red Onions"
Commercial and hand dyed cottons
Raw edge applique, hand and machine quilted, hand tied
11 x 11"
2008

This piece is going out to Susie Monday of El Cielo Studio in partial fulfillment of my participation in the Pay it Forward Exchange. Another small piece that I did this year, called Hopscotch, will go out to Amy Moak of All My Stuff, who also signed up to receive something handmade from me, in return for her participation in the challenge. Thank you Susie and Amy for your interest.

And while I'm at it, I thought I'd mention the annual Shadowbox exhibit, which is currently on at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto. Browse the textile art gems currently on display at the museum's website. The exhibit is a fundraiser and all works are for sale by bidding. Bid in person at the show or if you have the cash, attend the Shadowbox Auction and Cocktail Party. I especially like this one entitled Cutting Edge by Kate Hyde.

Transforming the dry language of data

2008-09-28T21:52:00.011-05:00

"Beauty is a powerfully effective tool for drawing viewers into uncomfortable territory." -Chris Jordan

'Consumer Culture Turns into Murals of Trash' is an article that explores what led American photographer Chris Jordan to take a unique approach to documenting waste. His website showcases additional images from the exhibit Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait.

Perception beyond the tangible

2008-09-18T20:10:00.003-05:00

Spring Water
Laura Cater-Woods

"I work in an abstract manner, I am not interested in depicting but in evoking. When the work succeeds, it speaks beyond itself."

- Laura Cater Woods

"Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot physically see with his eyes. Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind."

- Arshile Gorky [images][biography][wikipedia]

After taking a number of workshops with quilt artists over the past couple of years I consider Laura Cater-Woods to be one of the best teachers I've had. I had a fantastic experience with her and will take a course with her again if she teaches anywhere near me in the future. What did I like about her? She works with each person individually, she inspires original work, and she appears to deeply connect with the creative spirit in each participant. She has a great sense of humour and does not shy away from discussing any topic. Did I mention technical expertise? Great person, great teacher. She blogs here.

Image of the quilt 'Spring Water' used with permission.

Many sources for inspiration

2008-09-08T11:24:00.002-05:00

Untitled
Commercial and hand dyed cottons
11 x 11"
Unfinished

This was begun in the class I took over the summer with Pamela Allen, a fabulous teacher who I can not recommend highly enough. Each student was given a small square cutout of a partial work by a well known artist and asked to create a small quilt around it. I was given the piece with a white vase and onions that you can see in the upper left hand quarter of the quilt. It was taken from a still life by Matisse called, 'The Red Onions' painted around 1906.

Some day we'll all have perfect wings

2008-08-30T13:06:00.010-05:00

"you can use pain to self-destruct or reconstruct."
-Ellen Goodman, journalist [paraphrased]

Things stood still for several weeks, after my younger brother died unexpectedly, on July 21, of unexplained heart failure, he was thirty-eight years old. His home was a short walk from ours, my daughters adored him, and my husband and he were friends. Over the past month we've taken time to grieve, to think about my brother's life, to remember the person that he was, and to say good-bye. Some moments, and some days are better than others as life slowly returns to some kind of 'normal'. Part of me is 'dealing with it' because I have to go around and get things done. Another part is still struggling and to some extent, remains in denial about what happened. I think a part of our brain keeps the person alive in our mind, stubbornly refusing to let go. Eventually I suppose it sinks in.

At the same time, something seems to have shifted for me in my thinking about how I want to go forward with my life. It's something subtle, because I can't really put my finger on what it is, and I often feel I'm in a state of suspended animation waiting for some additional insight to get me moving in a forward direction again. A close friend whose brother is dying of lung cancer, wrote to me and said, "when you lose a part of yourself, you can simply never be whole again. That is what we have to live with." Sometimes, life seems so meaningless, other times so beautiful, a gift. Basically, cognitive dissonance reigns.

For now, I have decided to slow the pace of my activities way down and leave lots of open, still space in my life, I cannot really do otherwise. I have decided to stop blogging except that I will continue to post photos of work in progress, and finished pieces. I'll also post quotes that are meaningful to me, related to creativity and personal growth. This is the most useful way that I know of to keep track of what I am doing, and document my creative journey.

The title of this blog post is a line from a song called 'Don't laugh at me' written by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin. Country singer Mark Wills recorded it, as did folk singers Peter Paul and Mary. Peter Yarrow has made it the foundation song for the Don't Laugh at Me Program whose mission it is to stop bullying in schools. The song reminds me of my brother, who was a childhood survivor of cancer and was often teased in school because he was very sick for many years and developed a disability due to the aggressive nature of his cancer treatment. You can listen to the song here. Thank you to Christine Kane for introducing it to me.

Art criticism

2008-07-18T12:59:00.014-05:00

"I know that Ellsworth [Kelly] says [his work] comes from nature. But I don't know why you'd want to say this, because art relates to perception, not nature. All abstract artists try to tell you that what they do comes from nature, and I'm always trying to tell you that what I do is completely abstract. We're both saying something we want to be true. I don't think artist like myself, or Ellsworth, have the faintest idea what we're doing, but we try to put it in words that sound logical." - Roy Lichtenstein in Portraits by Michael Kimmelman.

I'm reading the book Portraits: Talking with artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and elsewhere by New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman. In the book, Kimmelman goes to the art museums named in the title of the book, with well known, older contemporary artists such as Elizabeth Murray, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucian Freud, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jacob Lawrence and Chuck Close, taking notes while each one talks about art that interests them. It's a great read and gives much insight into how the artists see and relate to historically important works. The artists also talk about their own lives and work. What strikes me in reading the book is that the artists’ commentary is always so highly personal and subjective, underlining the notion that it is your own subjective perceptions and inner voice that are most important when you look at and think about art. To some degree, I also think that, as an art critic, Kimmelman underlines the essential personal nature of art criticism by letting artists speak for themselves. In this interview with Charlie Rose, Kimmelman talks about the book and why he wrote it.

May TIF - Part II

2008-07-07T19:18:00.007-05:00

I tried a few new things with May's TIF piece: photo transfer paper, oil paint sticks and hand tyeing. The image of a heart was drawn by Jason Reid and used with permission. For more info about the concept read here.

Mother
Hand dyed and commercial cottons;
Shiva paint sticks, photo transfer;
Machine pieced, hand and machine quilted,
hand tied;
14 x 20"
July 2008

Detail

Quick study: black and white

2008-07-07T17:55:00.001-05:00

All of the fine arts should be a source of inspiration for quilt artists. -Pamela Allen

I am feeling real happy to be taking a five-day course this week with quilt artist Pamela Allen, who is known for her quirky, humourous and very colourful art quilts. The course, called Think like an Artist is offered as part of the Summer Academy of the Arts program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. Below is the result of a quick study in black and white that I did this morning. Not sure what I'll do with it next. Pamela teaches a neat appliqué stitch for holding these raw edge fabric pieces down to the background which looks fast and adds some nice texture to the work. I might try that, or I might do a more quick and dirty version with the sewing machine.

Black and white still life
Commercial cottons
8 x 12"

May TIF - Part I

2008-06-28T14:54:00.001-05:00

What do you call yourself and why?

was May's TIF Challenge concept question. I got started on it last weekend. Yes, I know it's the end of June but I liked the concept question and decided to do the assignment anyway.

Presently, if asked, I call myself a mother and a quilt artist. Making this small quilt top partly addressed the identity of quilt artist. In addition I included a strip of a traditional quilt block: flying geese, to further speak to this identity in a straightforward way. I decided to use an anatomical human heart to describe my role as a mother. In western culture the heart is used to represent or symbolize many of the attributes that are essential in the day to day care and nurturing of young children. Among these, love and compassion, honesty, forgiveness, and joy, are supremely important. Additional requirements necessary for effective parenting, and commonly symbolized by the human heart, include stamina, endurance, strength, good health and steadfastness. The image of a heart was drawn by Jason Reid and used with permission. I fragmented the heart to represent the reality of struggle or hardship, which along with joy, is part of family life. In overall design the quilt is a simple collage of fabrics.

The piece was made as a prototype for a larger quilt that I want to make, to further address the question posed by the May TIF challenge question in which I intend to use several unfinished drawings that I made recently in a drawing class. Here in the smaller quilt, I experimented with photo transfer paper for textiles and used three different products to transfer the drawing of the human heart onto fabric. The products I tried were June Tailor Print 'n Press, Wilton Easy Image fabric transfers and HP iron on transfers. I was most happy with the results that I obtained with the HP transfer paper, as it was the least stiff and resulted in less colour distortion than the other two products. It was also the least expensive.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to flip your image before you print it to the transfer paper as the transferred image will be the reverse of what is printed on the paper. As you can tell, if you closely examine the image of the heart.

In truth, I would like to find another way to transfer drawings and digital images to fabric, one that would better retain the hand of the fabric which transfer papers do not do. Something that I would like to learn more about, is digital printing with fibre reactive dyes, a technique used by quilt artists Michael James and Miriam Nathan-Roberts. If you use digital image transfer techniques in your textile art which you can recommend please leave me a comment or drop me a line about what works for you.

Masters: Art Quilts

2008-06-27T23:27:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the new book Masters: Art Quilts: Major Works by Leading Artists?
I was captivated by the quilts included in it. Among other artists, it was great to see more works by German quilt artist Inge Hueber, whose quilts I first saw in Robert Shaw's book The Art Quilt. She has developed a unique style using visible seams and layering, to depict texture and depth. Of her work she states:

"My quilts have developed into a kind of visual diary. I cannot plan changes - they occur when they are due, just as in real life. Making quilts has given me a key to my own life, a key to open doors that would have been locked otherwise."

Another artist's work that I instantly fell in love with and whose work I had never seen before, was U.S. quilter Joan Schulze. She creates collages of hand-dyed fabrics in somber or muted colours in combination with gray scale digital images transferred onto cloth. Her work has a surreal, dreamlike quality which is both serene and jarring at the same time. Of her work she says,

"Erasure, fragments, and layering are my primary processes...I find things are more interesting to me if they are elusive and poetic."

There are truly many breathtaking quilts in the book and the diversity of inspiration, design, and construction techniques is impressive. The book is an international compendium and includes artists from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Korea, South Africa and the United States. I highly recommend it.