How can this be?

I am working on a new piece in my series, MAPS. I have had this work, shown below, on my design wall for about one week as I think of how to proceed.

The base fabric is yellow which I dyed myself. It was dyed with a natural dye of skin of pomegranate and tumeric.

the yellow is a little stronger than in this photograph

I painted the yellow fabric using a colour I created myself with the Colour Vie paint system. I stamped it using repurposed plastic to create a pattern.

so far I am very pleased with it

Then I took a walk downtown and saw this!!!!!

paper used as lining in the store window at Chanel in Toronto

How can it look so similar to what I am doing? Isn't there anything original anymore?

I will still continue on my path with this piece but how discouraging!

getting back to work

I got back to printing. I made my paint colour. I made a pattern with paper and used my silk screen frame to print.

I love the design I made.

The panels are dried...

 and on the design wall for now.

I like to see my work first thing in the morning. Then I can really tell if I like it or not. If there is anything that bugs me I can see it right away with fresh eyes.

Tomorrow I will sew.

new life

 The weather in Verona has been amazing in the last week. Flowering trees are everywhere and the sun is shining. It lifts your spirit!

this is the first thing I saw yesterday as I left the house

the view on the way to breakfast at bar, Scio Rum

looking back at the view up to the sanctuary

This morning, I went to view friend and artist, Judy Martin's blog, judys-journal.blogspot.com. Her title is 'trinity', a perfect word for me this morning.

Pietro has chosen me as his godmother.

 He is celebrating his confirmation this afternoon- a new energy of faith in his catholic life.

San Giorgio, church

When I am in Italy I feel renewed.

My friend took this picture of me yesterday.
I find it interesting that you see three triangles...maybe more.

I have new ideas for my textile art, my quilted blankets, my classes and my life.

I fly back home on Tuesday.

art shows

Participating in Verona Tessile as an artist was a wonderful experience.

I enjoyed sharing the exhibition space, the Loggia Barbaro, with two amazing textile artist from Verona; Maria Teresa Sansotta www.teresasansotta.com and Marina Tavella, www.windowonweb/marinatavella.

the show was on the second floor of the Loggia Barbaro
where you see the arched windows

entrance with poster of the event

We had a fun time hanging the show together.

Even though the heat was on, we had to wear our coats while we worked. With the high ceilings, the space never really gets that warm.

The final look..

 maria teresa sansotta's work (not all shown)

my section, 5 pieces (not all shown)

marina tavella's work (not all shown)

All three artists presented at least one work that has received an award.

My two new textile works will be exhibited in Toronto, Side Space Gallery, in June, 2011.

left-pages of my life, photo transfers, text, hand dyed fabrics, silk, cotton, linen, hand and machine work,
right- many moons, hand painted cloth, photo transfers, text, paper, silk, cotton, linen, plastic

artists I love

I love El Anatsui's work, a well known contemporary African artist born in Ghana.

The Art Gallery of Ontario, www.ago.net, has one of his tapestries made of metal in their permanent collection.

The Royal Ontario Museum, www.rom.on.ca, has a retrospective of his work on exhibit right now.

royal ontario museum
I love the outside, old meets new
I don't like the inside so much

royal ontario museum, west view

The exhibit closes February 27.  It is very interesting to see the evolution of his work over 40 years.

crumbling wall, made from discarded cassava graters, a patchwork of metal!

detail showing use of discarded metal from liquor bottles

I also use 'garbage' in my work. That is one thing that draws me to his creations.

reuse,  reduce, recycle, detail, 100cm x 100cm
bubble wrap, fabric bits and thread garbage, magazine paper
part of 13th carrefour europeen du patchwork, 2007
toured europe for 1 year as part of a group exhibit.

reflect and repair, detail, 2009
exhibited in:
 veldhoven, netherlands, in march 2010 as part of open european championships
verona, mystery e, 2009
side space gallery, 2010
bubble wrap, painted cotton, paper, machine and hand stitched
 photographs of garbage at toronto's recycling plant by heidi leverty
www.heidileverty.com

holes

                         holes in architecture,

colosseum, roma

pantheon, roma

                        holes in sculpture,

david general, 'a man turning into a fish'

                         holes in barriers,

brick fence, verona

metal railing underground parking, verona

                           holes in the ground,

manhole cover, verona

manhole cover, prague

metal grate, rimini

                               

                         holes in the ceiling,

ceiling vent, hotel sporting, rimini

                         holes in wool,

my favorite merino wool sweater

                             

                         holes in textile art,

marie teresa sansotta, www.windowonweb.com

my postcard, 4" x 6", 'white hole'

                                      

                           holes in my work,

detail of my latest work in progress

remembering

Who will remember me?...possible title for the piece I am working on. Having a title or a story helps me focus on what I want to say in my art work.

I transfered the image of the letter my grandmother wrote to me onto hand-dyed fabric.

                                          I had the letter with me all day.
                                                   I held it, she held it.

                                        It is the only letter she ever sent me.
                                         I read it once a year to remember.
                                                      I remember us.

creativity

                                      I started a new art piece last week.

I am using fabric I coloured using natural dyes. To dye this cotton piece, I used logwood, which is a bushy, tropical tree from Latin America. To make the extract, cover saw dust from the tree with water and boil vigorously for 2 minutes then strain......

                                         I used the packaged version!

new and old

Four years ago when I was on my first trip to Italy without children, I started this hand project to do on train rides. I travelled from Milano to Lugano, Switzerland, back to Milano and off to Verona, Padova, Trevi, Foligno, Rome, Naples, Atrani and Sapri.

I am almost finished the top of this baby-sized hexagon quilt, all done by hand using cotton bits saved from other quilts I made over the 20 years I have been sewing.

Here is a beautiful queen-sized antique I found at a garage sale in Toronto's east end. It is hand pieced and hand quilted from the early 1940's. It cost me $10. To think of all the hours someone put into this quilt! Years of train travel....

new

2011
a new thing to learn
a new way to think about something
a new idea to run with
a new opportunity to begin right

happy new

inspired by something old