A Different Kind of Patchwork

 Klimt’s “The Kiss” has been reproduced on a devastated building in #Syria
  artist: Tammam Azzam 

Holes, Shapes and Shadows

Sculpture, Paris, Centre Pompidou

Paper work, Oakville, World of Threads Festival

Studies in interlacement, xylem and phloem, 2012
(Xylem and phloem are complex tissues 
that perform transportation of water and food in a plant)

Sculpture, Paris, Centre Pompidou

Paper work, Oakville, World of Threads Festival

kozo paper, fibre reactive dyes

Sculpture, Paris, Centre Pompidou

Paper work, Oakville, World of Threads Festival

From the exhibit, De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things)

Sculpture, Paris, Centre Pompidou by Marc Fornes and THEVERYMANY.


Paper work, Oakville, World of Threads Festival by Lizz Aston.

next year's Verona Tessile event

I am setting up activities for next year's Verona Tessile trip, March 6 to 11. I plan to bring another group for 10 days to Verona. Anyone interested should email me so I can keep them up to date on the itinerary, costs and the like.

Ponte di Castelvecchio, also called Ponte Scaligero,
in the beautiful city of Verona

The pre-requisites for the trip are: open-minded, independant travellers, people who quilt or create textile art, people in good shape for walking.

Last week, I went not-too-far out of town and saw an amazing place, Hotel Delser, that I am considering renting for 2 nights for the group. It will officially open this summer.

It is an old sistern renovated into a beautiful hotel with amazing views and expansive spaces. The structure has been preserved and the vaulted ceilings everywhere are impressive as are the roman stone pieces decorating the open spaces. The owner, Alberto Delser, has an attention to detail I can appreciate; the doors are made of repurposed antique wood, the lights go on in the hallways without a switch, the circular cut-outs in the ceiling of the rooms and the library let in the natural light, even the door hinges that were lazer cut from a hand-drawn image and hammered for an antique look add a special touch.

It was all so romantic that I forgot to ask all the important things, like how much a room costs!

We went up the hill for lunch -an amazing view of the Valpolicella.

no camera that day, only a friend's iphone

Verona Tessile preparations

 I attended the press conference this afternoon at City Hall.

view from the 4th floor window of City Hall

old city wall from City Hall

I took the stairs..I have been eating too much!

setting up for the press conference
with Maria Teresa Sansotta, president of Ad Maiora,
and members of the city council. Two textile works were placed on the table,
one traditional and one contemporary.

The catalogues were picked up yesterday. I am happy that 5 of my pieces made it in!

the logo and publicity designs were made
 by high school students of a graphic design class

title page

 I will be exhibiting with two Veronese textile artists.

The background of these photos is the sidewalk of Verona, beautiful pink and beige stones.

black history month

February is Black History Month in Canada and the USA.

I drove down to London, Ontario, with a friend last summer to see an exhibit of the famous Gees Bend Quilts, www.quiltsofgeesbend.com

detail

Gees Bend is a rural community located at a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. The community was often isolated by flood waters of the river and consequently their art developed in a very specific way.

China Pettway's quilt.
I loved listening to her talk
about her childhood stories and hearing her sing!
This quilt is made of old, used, washed-out  jeans.
 As she laid in her bed shared with her 8 siblings,
China remembers the view of the ceiling-the rafters, beams and the holes.
She could see the night sky.
This is her 'housetop' quilt.

Rita-Mae said she cut up her red, christmas table cloth to add to her quilt because it was just the right red.

"I hope no one asks to borrow my table cloth this year!"

The community's work has caused art critics to reassess their definition of art. These women did not go to art school. They did not see exhibits in museums and were not influenced by established artists. Yet their work is reminiscent of modern art. It has often been compared to works of 20th century painters, from Paul Klee to Henri Matisse to Frank Stella.

What is an artist?

I am an artist.

What makes you an artist?

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