Tie and Felt

My first tie… Indigo…
Thanks Matt for pushing me to make something I haven't made before.
I do hope  you like it.

It does have a symmetrically pointed end!
And the pocket square is 12" x 12"

With my signature shibori or tie -die patterns, very other-worldly, like something from out of a petri-dish.

And at last I am moving forward with felting in my own way… after taking a leaf out of Marjolein's book which has taken me to using felt in a different and more exciting way than I had previously experienced -  I am now making samples and experimenting.  Photographing them along the way…. do I upload here or not?
Probably not ready to yet.  But I am having fun breaking the rules.
More on this another time.

Proud as Punch of River Valley School - Friday Special : Legal Graffiti

Here it is - 
21 students  created a stunning piece of urban art.
Not sure where it is going but it certainly goes.

 RVS Students, 2013

Legal Graffiti

or

The Dove, the Spider and the udders

(apt mis-spelling of 'others')

Thanks to Dean Stanton for getting us started with his patchwork-panel style for group pieces.
Dean, I hope you like the direction the students took it.
And thanks for not-telling me how my hands would ache after using the glue gun for 3 hours to stick the panels down ;-)

What I would like to see is this piece hung on a Wall-For-All.
My students didn't have any problems letting go of ownership of their original panels such that, as a group, they could work over the entire panel and create a much more dynamic whole.
What would happen if we gave the work over to the entire school, hmmmm?

Stickers are allowed.

Thanks Mrs Corbett for having faith and putting your students in my hands.
Next week, Matchstick men, and then the all-important debate: -
 "This house believes Graffiti is a social activity." ((…and - Yes, 'graffiti' is a verb too)).

This is going to be terrific. Save the date, Wednesday 20th November, 2013

SDA: Alberta meeting in Calgary

Full details below.
All are welcome, $5 members, $10 non-members.

Grayson Perry is an artist: renowned potter and certainly a surface designer.  His tapestries based on the Rake's Progress were shown in the Royal Academy this summer (they took my breath away and stimulated a good 2 hours worth of attention and more time on discussion - even though I wanted to go and see the Summer Exhibition too….).
Grayson has been selected to give this year's Reith Lectures on the BBC and we will be listening in to one of them at our next Surface Design Association meeting in Calgary.

You are welcome to bring or wear a piece of clothing that  is "subtle with bright colours" in the style of…. Grayson.

Beating the Bounds

Grayson Perry : Playing to the Gallery 2013 

The award-winning artist Grayson Perry asks whether it is really true that anything can be art. We live in an age when many contemporary artists follow the example of Marcel Duchamp, who famously declared that a urinal was a work of art. It sometimes seems that anything qualifies, from a pile of sweets on a gallery floor to an Oscar-winning actress asleep in a box. How does the ordinary art lover decide?
In a lecture delivered amidst the Victorian splendour of St. George's Hall in Liverpool, Perry analyses with characteristic wit the common tests - from commercial worth to public popularity to aesthetic value. He admits the inadequacies of such yardsticks, especially when applied to much conceptual and performance art. And he concludes that in his opinion, the quality most valued in the art world is seriousness.

Click on the image below to enlarge.
RSVP me to ensure a seat.

Without Giving Too Much Away #3

(Detail)

I took 2 finished pieces to members of Contextural at a Critique Night last night.
Feeling very possessive of this work, I am guilt-ridden, since Marjolein so generously shared her techniques with us… 
Who am I to want to hold on to this for myself?
The Contextural folks were very enthusiastic and reassuring to me.  
I am thrilled that people thought the work very much in keeping with my "body of work".
One remarked that this is a method that perfectly lends itself to my art.

Without Giving Too Much Away #1

(Detail)

I have had my wondrous introduction.
Now I go to the drawing board and start experimenting in my own way… 
Small samples to build up a library of possibilities.
It is very exciting.

A day out for Karin... work and play

Visited The Glenbow - in the hope of seeing some good graffiti artists' work  since the art room there has children creating graffiti text and pop art inspired by the work of Keith Haring and others.  They didn't have any Keith Haring on the walls at all... So a bit weak for a school activity for Grades 4&5 I felt.

Instead I moved on and spent time with the depressing world war 1 art of  Otto Dix and  and A Y Jackson....  and then to the Made in Calgary - 80s exhibition and then it was all alright.  I was inspired.  Yep there is only one word for it.  I now need to research the work of Eric Cameron, Mary Shanon Will, Sally Barbier and Gisele Amantea.  

(In a similar vein I enjoyed the work of Jeremy Hof in the Vancouver Art Gallery, that was on show there the previous summer. Layer after layer of acrylic on a cube.... then ?sanded, if I remember correctly, to reveal the inner layers and to me the wonderful depths of the interior via the centre of the circles....black holes, like Goldsworthy loves.  There were black holes in one of the 80s pieces in the Glenbow... so we have come full circle).

Jeremy Hof: The Cube from this blog

The curator, Jeffrey Spalding wrote of the 80s art of Will et al, "It is a Calgary specific; task-oriented art that is, in every way eccentric and idiosyncratic in appearance." Hmmmm. and " A significant component of experiencing works by Mary Shannon Will is their exquisitely manufactured surfaces.  paint applied and sanded and smoothed and overpainted a staggering number of times* creating a visual texture that cannot be otherwise replicated.
They were wonderful.
(*he doesn't say how many) 

Eric Cameron Begun August 24, 2008 - Thin Painting: Chris's Thread and Needle 100

Taken from 

(if you are not happy that I include these images in my blog please let me know via comments and I will remove.
Thread and Needle is a great piece AND a wonderful addition to this blog i-sew.blogspot.com)

Next post will have an image (perhaps part) of a felted piece I am completing after Saltspring.
 And it seems to me like I turned right on my artistic journey.

SDA Alberta Exhibition

EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITY

What’s on the Surface?

First show by established and emerging artists and members of the Surface Design Association Alberta, (SDA), showcasing the talents of its members.

To be held at Atlantis Fine Framing and Studio Calgary, Alberta.

http://atlantisframing.com  

4515 Manhattan Rd SE  Calgary, AB, T2G 4B3

April 5 - April 30, 2014

Submitting artists must be Alberta residents and SDA members at the time of submission. If you do not currently hold a valid SDA membership please visit  http://www.surfacedesign.org

Call for expression of interest

If you would like to take part in this show please email your intent by November 10, 2013 to ioftheneedle@me.com

Please include:-

Your Name

Address

Phone number

Email

The formal submission process is detailed below.

Theme and Context

Exhibition Theme: What’s on the Surface?

There is plenty of room for interpretation of the theme. An artist may choose to produce a meaningful surface that inspires, intrigues, or may simply be viewed as beautiful, ugly, or thought provoking. Perhaps you prefer to respond to the theme in a conceptual way.  For example, one might explore the idea that what a person shows on the surface is not necessarily what the person feels inside.  Or, one might express how cutting through the unappealing skin of the passion fruit reveals the beauty within. There are innumerable ways to address the theme and your approach is completely up to you.

This is a contemporary show open to the original application of traditional as well as experimental techniques. 

For the purposes of this exhibition ‘the surface’ is to be a textile, fibre or thread-based work, where 'fibre'  and ‘thread’ are used in their broadest possible sense, from the more traditional materials of cotton/silk/wool to the more innovative: strands of polymer plastics, wire, paper shreds, fibrous minerals, coils of clay etc.

Guidelines

A maximum of 3 works may be submitted for consideration.  A small series occupying a total of 30 cm or less in any direction will be considered as one piece.

Works of art can be 2D or 3D and must be completed during the past two years.

Art works as individual pieces, or as a small series occupying a total of 30 cm or less in any direction, can be accommodated easily. Larger pieces will be considered in the context of the available space.

This is a curated show.  All works should be of professional standard and finish.

The curators, Linda Hawke and Karin Millson, have final say on inclusion.

There is no submission fee.

Submission Deadline: February 14, 2014

Submission is via email, to ioftheneedle@me.com and should include:-

digital images of a maximum of 3 works proposed for exhibit; (max 3 images per piece, 300dpi sized to a maximum of 800 pixels per side).  Image files should be named with a number and the last name of the artist, eg: 1_smith

a correspondingly numbered list of works including title, size (cm), media, year completed, value (or price, if for sale)

brief explanation of each work (50 word maximum)

artist’s bio, detailing your history as an artist and the philosophical approach to your work (200 word maximum)

Transportation and insurance of works is entirely the responsibility of the artist.

All works must be supplied ready to hang, clearly and securely labelled with artist’s name, title of work, directional arrow, and price on the back or bottom of the work.

Any special installation instructions should be included with the work.

·      

Timeline

Expression of Interest:              November 10, 2013

Submission deadline:                February 14, 2014

Artists will be notified by:        March 14, 2014

Delivery of works:                   March 31, 2014

Finished artworks must be with the curator (Karin Millson, 4519 Coronation Drive, Calgary, Alberta, T2S1M5) by the end of the above date

Exhibition dates:                       April 5, 2014 – April 30, 2014

Opening reception:                   April 11, 2014

Pickup of unsold works:           April 30, 2014

All works must be removed from the gallery by end April 30, 2014. 

If you cannot be there yourself to remove your works, please arrange for another person to collect on that date.

It will be possible to sell works from the gallery.  Atlantis Fine Framing and Studio will take a 25% commission on any works sold during the show. Sold works will remain on display for duration of the show.

Contact Karin Millson for further details or clarification: -

ioftheneedle@me.com

403 453 1823

Post Felt:Feutre

I am fortunate to have a very supportive other half.
He encourages me to spend time on my Professional Development.
I travelled to Saltspring Island to attend Felt:Feutre and 2 workshops with Marjolein Dallinga.
The images above and below are of a piece I made in the second workshop and finished felting at home.

Marjolein gave many pieces of advice which I have taken on board. One was not to go public with work you are not happy with.  Well, this piece makes me happy, so I figure that is more or less the same thing. It might be the first piece of what I am now calling Free Felting where I really let my hair down and see the journey as the message, as Marjolein taught me.

By coincidence I had called the workshop I am facilitating this coming Thursday "Freedom in Felting" and to get my creative juices going today, I took this new (to me) philosophy to a 6" square pocket-shaped prefelt. Just look what happened.