Textile Workshop

Today was our dying workshop up at the Ad Maiora studios.

everyone got a hand-made name tag

First the big walk up the hill.

Then lots of stitching before the dying part.

Marina concentrated on showing how the stitch size, the thread size, the tightness of stitch and the length of stitch plays a part in the final design.

Then the surprises!

Amazing teacher...as always.

We had lunch up at the studio. Jenni made fabulous orrecchiete! Hand made, of course!

Recipe from her family from Puglia. She made it with the traditional sauce- cimi di rape and anchovies, onions.

Better than delicious!!

The weather suddenly turned and Barb and I made it into the museum just in time.

No filter!

Hand made, Maria Rosaria Nola
exhibit in the Museum of Natural History
inspired by the stone floors of Italy

inspired by floors in Abruzzo, Italy
made by Chiara Biraghi

We managed to see a few more exhibits from Verona Tessile before getting together for an apericena.

Expressive Drawing

I took an intense week of art classes at the AGO this summer - a drawing and mark making class with Claire Greenshaw. I made about 350 drawings. Some took 10 seconds. Some took 45 minutes.

The first day, Claire talked about being free and drawing like children draw.

It reminded me of my own kids. There were always some art supplies ready to use - papers, markers, paints, pencils. They drew with water on the fence and had the sun dry it. They drew on giant pieces of paper. The got their tiny fingers covered in colour and made tiny painted marks on the page.

They were free when they drew. Not much thought about what it was suppose to look like. Just drawing to explore a colour or a movement or a line. It was wonderful to watch.

 Be free.

(Art work hanging outside the Helene Comay Nursery School at the Wychwood Barns, Toronto. Sorry about the glare. The paintings were behind glass.)

Making Changes

I recognized a friend at the St Lawrence Market that I hadn’t seen in over 30 years ! She and I went to high school together in Montreal. She has recently moved to Toronto.

I exhibit my work in Europe.

We met for coffee later in the week and had a long chat about everything! It was wonderful!!

I prepare teaching samples for my
quilt classes.

She asked about what I was doing and I gave her my blog and my website address.

I organize trips to Verona, Italy, with a textile theme.

But later that week I wondered what she would see on those sites.

I work on art journals.

The website has not been updated for years! No new photographs. No new text. No additions to my CV. Yet I have done a lot!

I recently organized a trip to Umbria for August 2016...
and by organize I mean preparing an itinerary,
interviewing the right people to give workshops and lectures,
finding the best places to eat,
booking an amazing villa,
discovering places to visit...
a big job!

The blog is fine if you follow me regularly. You know what projects I am working on and you know what I have done.

I exhibit my work in Toronto.
This piece was part of the exhibit
The Gathering last summer
@ Gallery 814.

But for a person who is just visiting for the first time I need to have a better description of what I am and what I do and what I have done!

I teach in the art department at different high schools.

My website and my blog need a make-over! 

I take some art classes and always keep learning.

That is what I will be working on in the next months.

I curate textile exhibits

Altered Books

I had my last class on Abstract Art at the AGO last week.

My class mate's finished altered book

As a project, we altered books.

An example of an altered book
the teacher brought in from the
 Globe and Mail, 2010

Some finished their paper sculpture.

The same friend's altered book taken from a different angle.

I did not but it is coming along well. I plan to continue in January and will definitely post it.

Here is the inspiration for my book which I photographed in Paris yesterday. It is exactly what I want to achieve….although my work will surely evolve while I am cutting into the paper and may actually never look like this.

Shoe display at BHV department store in Paris

Here is another altered book which I found in a store window as part of their decoration.

Altered book in a window display in Paris, France.

Who wants to go to Verona?

As you probably know I take a small group of quilters and textile artists to Verona, Italy, every two years in conjunction with the festival, Verona Tessile.

That trip is coming up in April and I still have a few spots left.

Who wants to go to Verona??

View of the historical part of the city
from the Roman Theatre.
The famous Ponte Pietra is visible.

The trip begins at the Verona Airport so your departure place does not matter.

The dates are April 12 to 21, 2013.

Who wants to take classes with some top Italian teachers and artists? (all levels are welcome, even beginners!!)

Sewing together at Ad Maiora studios

samples of the technique we learned

Who wants to eat great food and participate in a cooking class?

Learning to make home-made pasta

Who wants to drink great wines and go to the Valpolicella for a wine and country tour?

View while driving out of Verona
towards the Valpolicella region

Who wants to see some amazing international exhibits of quilts and fibre art?

work by DAMSS from Milano
exhibited in the lobby of a hotel Trieste in Verona

work by italian artists Agostina Zwilling

Who wants to see the inside of some amazing historical buildings while admiring some quilts?

Setting up in 2011 at San Giorgetta.
Look at the floor!
Look at the fresco on the walls!
Look at the quilts made by the members of Ad Maiora!

Who wants to get close to the culture and the quilters and artists of Verona?

We were invited by Italian friends to a Masquerade Ball during Carnival.
Talk about cultural experience! 

Who wants to have an enriching experience they will never forget?

Gelato in front of the Arena

...just a few spots left....come with a friend!

Flying towards Verona with the view of the Alps

References available. Click here for more info.

Frustration

I felt frustrated with the work I did in my sketching class this morning. 

Rodin sculpture from his garden in Paris.
I took this picture this summer.

Afterwards, I went to the gym and didn't think about the class for the rest of the day.

This evening my teacher sent me an encouraging email and suggested some books I can look at for inspiration.

from the Italian film, Mamma Roma

She turned a negative into a positive.

I will be back next Tuesday for another try. I am not a quitter.

Art Class

Every year I sign up for some sort of class. This year I chose an art class from the Toronto School of Art. It is a sketching class.

My teacher, Iris Häussler, is a conceptual artist. Her approach and her way of teaching is very new to me.

We sketched for 1 minute and then the model changed position. I just had to keep sketching without thinking of the final product- there was no time. "Process" is what we were doing.

My first try.
One minute is too fast to sketch a person!

It was interesting to compare the first attempts
 at capturing a position and the later ones.
This one I did towards the end of the class. I did get better!

It is very energizing to try new things, learn new skills and new ways of thinking.

I am not sure how it will influence my textile work but I know it will.