Sense of Touch

I went to the Ontario Craft's new location on Queen Street West, Toronto.

My Light Green Heart, Judy Martin
2017
22.5"w x 29"h  /57cm x 74cm
To see the entire work click here.
(artist's post from February 17)
I apologize for these pictures. I took them with my cell phone and the colour isn't quite right!

I went to see Judy Martin's work that was exhibited in their gallery.

I entered the gallery and walked right by the work. I guess I was expecting My Light Green Heart to be much larger.

The warn linen looked so soft. You really did want to touch it and feel its softness and the folds and the texture of the layered hand-stitched circles.

Quoted from the gallery label:

Judy's work is grounded in the phenomenological idea that sense of touch is the most effective way to make an emotional connection with others and her surfaces are covered with hand stitching.

She used vintage Damask linen which she dyed.

I just received some antique italian linen which I printed on. The design of the weave shows through the printing and gives a lovely texture.

Art Show

As past juror (2013) of the TOAE, I was invited to the opening of the Best Of Award Winners. The Best Of awards were selected during the event last July by a different group of people from those who juried the show.

Lizz Aston received Best Of fibre.

Exploding Lace View-warp#2
35"h x 30"w x 2" d
kozo paper, fibre reactive dyes, hand cut

I love the shadows her piece makes.

Artist in centre

Sarah Gaby-Trotz received a Best Of fibre, honourable mention.

The Carrot Revolution
wool, burlap, needle felted
15"h x 20"w x 20"d

The award donor was David Kaye Gallery.

Artist talking to David Kaye.

Of all the pieces exhibited in all different mediums, the one below was my favourite. It is so simple and meditative.

Arcs
monofilament, wood, latex
20"h x 20"w x 2"d

It received Best Of mixed media. The work is by Geoff Buddie and Christine Rom.

side view

Maybe I liked it because of the shadows.

The show is on till February 28, 2014.

Seen in the right-hand corner is Susan Card from
DISH Gallery and Studio.
She was one of the 5 jury members, including myself,
 for the textile and jewelry category.
 

The next TOAE is July 4 to July 6, 2014 at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto.

Getting Lost in Paris

Drawing made with marker on a metal door, anonymous graffiti.

Art exhibit flyer

See it in Canada

Tradition in Transition, the show I curated for the France event, 18th Carrefour Européen du Patchwork, will be seen in Canada, in the Greater Toronto Area!

Martha Cole's works (left)
Poplar, Scots Pine, American Elm
Penny Berens, Rusty Gate
Gloria S. Daly, Standing Strong
Amanda McCavour, Accumulate
photo credit: Luigi Giovanni Giambarini

The exhibit was originally 35 works but because of date conflicts I lost Martha Cole's gorgeous tree bark works so the show is down to 32 pieces.

It will be on at the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre from November 23, 2012 to January 6, 2013.

I stopped by yesterday to see the space and start thinking about how I will hang things.

Main exhibition room at the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre.
There are also two smaller rooms, not shown.

For some reason I am all nervous about it!

Hard Twist 6- Obsession

The textile-based exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto ends this weekend (January 29).

Kate Busby will have her red piece going to France for the Canadian exhibit I am curating.

3,600 (BEATS) by Kate Busby
There is a french knot in the center of every square.

Amanda McCavour's work is still hanging at the hotel.

"ACCUMULATE (LARGE)"
my picture of Amanda's work isn't very good.
Go see it LIVE! It's beautiful.

One of the jurors, Judith Tinkl, is an artist who is also participating in the France show, Tradition in Transition. She has made a new piece using her grandfather's silk ties, her grandmother's fabric and  japanese obi she had collected.

I loved these two spinning lamps! (yes, they do twirl gently.) They are so FUN! (they are not part of the france show)

SWAG, by Barbara Sutherland, which hangs on the 4th floor of the hotel,
is made with strips of fabric.

The Gladstone, as we locals call it, has a geometric design painted on the outside of its building. Quilt like?

Show in France

The last two days were crazy days! The phone rang constantly and the emails kept coming in! I did not sew for even 5 minutes!

I was addressing a deadline for the show I am curating for the 18th Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork in the Alsace area of France.

The organizers have given the guest country, Canada, a large church as an exhibition space. The pictures  I am posting are from the Val D'Argent area when I was there in September 2008 for the 14th edition of the carrefour.

I have had great responses from Canadian makers. There are some big names and some local quilters from different communities around the country that are participating.

I have representation from most of the provinces and territories. I want to get some applique works from the Inuit community but I keep hitting snags with that.

The title I chose is 'Tradition in Transition'. I am showing traditional scrap quilts to bed quilts of a contemporary design, going into textile art and ending with three works that are super contemporary, which stem from stitching but are not done in layers or quilted per se.

You can see the piece Judith Martin is presenting on her blog.

If any Europeans reading this will be at the event I would love to meet you! I will be with the show for the 4 days at Eglise de la Madeleine in Ste-Marie-aux-Mines.

OCC

I visited the Ontario Craft Council's gallery space on the weekend.

I had a very nice chat with Maxine, the receptionist and we discussed in great length some of the pieces in the show. I mentioned to her Scottish artist David Mach who has been making sculptures out of matches for 26 years. They are much more interesting than Daniel Durocher's circle of matches, in my opinion.

I was there to see Judy Martin's work in particular.

Me standing beside Judy Martin's textile work, "Energy Cloth"

I had seen it when it wasn't quite finished.

I love all her stitches. I love the colour violet in the ribs.

I found these other works to be interesting. They reminded me of textile but were hard materials instead.

This looks like a piece of soft fabric or a rolled up leaf
 but it is porcelain.
Work by Paula Murray entitled
 "Nothing Endures but Change"

I thought this was rubber but it is blown glass.
Work by Cali Balles entitled "Infrastructure 3"
(don't mind the shadow)

I liked this piece- the shape, the texture, the colours.
It is by Lesley McInnally entitled "Ode to Odin"