Paper

I've been using found paper in my textile work for many years.  10 years...No....More...20 years.

I made an art piece in 2007 and the entire back was paper!

I have made my own paper adding thread between the pulp layers.

In medieval times, paper was made using rags.

To me, there is a connection between the paper and the textile.

I saw a wonderful exhibit at Artscape Youngplace recently- upstairs near the coffee shop.
(BTW, I am teaching at that Artscape location in February and March. Click here for details)

I love to see stitching in paper.

You need to know what you are sewing with paper because you can't undo it. You can't unpick it. It will leave a series of tiny holes in the paper!

Enjoy the images and image all that gorgeous paper and thread hanging above your head. Dreamy.

(Art work, The Sky is Falling, 2020, by visual artist, Jessica Hiemsha)

Collage

What do you think? It's an old one found in my studio as I tidied up.

magazine paper and hand dyed fabric

 It needs to be stitched.

Not doing much this week. I slipped on the ice and my back is making me immobile.

Inspired by Quilts

My textile hand work, my quilts, have inspired watercolour painter Gill Cameron . She is known for her Georgian Bay landscapes but wanted to try something new.

She photographed a bunch of my quilts a while ago and painted them on paper, altering some of the colours.

She actually sewed the paper to create the folds. I like the effect it gives.

Gill Cameron was a beginner quilt student of mine about 9 years ago.

Medieval Techniques

We had a day immersed in the past!

Bevagna was the location, a small walled town. The locals host a medieval fair, with costumes and food and  'careers' in medieval traditions at the end of June. So the town is set up for those kinds of presentations.

Francesco Proietto is the master paper maker in Bevagna.

Two of our travellers making paper with a master paper maker.

The town of Fabriano is famous for its paper making. It is just north east of Bevagna.

We had our hand at making paper using medieval tools which were remade to the exact specifications of the originals.

Originally rags were stripped and soaked and transformed into pulp which then became paper. It is linked to textile.

Signore Francesco's little shop had many gorgeous products to purchase, all hand made with such skill. Artegianale.

The next stop was Rita Trabalzo's silk shop. She demonstrated how silk thread was made using medieval tools from the year 1335.

The exact same mechanism is used today but instead of having two women operate it, it is operated by machine.

I think the travellers enjoyed these hands-on workshops. Says C...We certainly did!

We had lunch in a small, shaded piazza. Typical fare.

Instead of sketching we focused on collage since our morning was about paper.

We made a quick stop at the famous church, Santa Maria Degli Angeli.

We had to go through security first!

Back at home we had a relaxing swim and a nice glass of wine!

Paper Making

What a fun workshop! I took a two-day paper making workshop at Paper House Studio.

sculptural paper made by one of the teachers

Great teacher. (thanks Flora)

ME making paper

I made about 50 sheets of paper using different pulps and adding threads and fabric inside some sheets.

my paper back lit

I signed up for a book binding workshop in September at CBBAG and I hope to be able to use my wonderful hand-made paper.

paper marked with "tear drops"

two layers of paper with a piece of hand dyed fabric inside.
It looks very different when it is dried.

I'll explore with stitching when I get back. Some of the sheets are very thick and I am sure they can take it.

the press used for the last stage of drying

Morning Practice

One of last week's post cards.

photo transfer onto painted fabric
paper
I took the picture (rt side) in Rossano, Calabria 

I use my post cards to write thank-you notes and such.

Photo Diary, June 19

Quilt Using Your Scraps

The objective of my latest class was to reduce the students' stash but it is hard to resist shopping for fabric ....

The class went well and the 6 students enjoyed themselves.

Explaining the quilt that hangs in the background
at the right.
(photo credit, J. Freeman)

I think I did a good job explaining the project and showing different options. I suggested better ways to cut fabric and helped decide block placement for maximum effect.

Fill in what you are missing with a  fabric that
is similar in value.
There are three strips of blue that are slightly darker in value
than the rest in the row but it still works.

I am thrilled with the new space I have found at Artscape Youngplace. The Flex Studio is large and quiet and has great natural light and a tiny kitchen.

students working
(photo credit, L Mayers)

 I will be teaching there again in October and November. The two classes I am definitely putting on the calendar are Quilt-as-you-Go technique and a Free Motion class. Both have been super popular in the past and are both " life changing" techniques one can use in many different applications. I will probably do another scrap quilt project. I may do a gift class and teach something like a pillow case,

a pin cushion, a fabric bucket for storing stuff,

things that are easy and quick to put together and make great gifts.

If you've ever taken a class anywhere and have forgotten how to go about finishing your quilt you'll love this. I am offering a class where students can bring in those projects so we can work through problems and refresh your memory on how to finish it. Wouldn't it be great to get those out of the cupboard?

If anyone reading this wants to propose another class I am interested in hearing your idea.

All Fall classes will be advertised on this blog under Teaching Schedule when I set the dates later this summer.

I will be at Artscpae Youngplace in mid- June but this time as a student myself. I am taking a paper making workshop at Paper Studio. I am really looking forward to learning this craft in hopes that I can integrate some of the more sculptural sheets in my artwork. I have been stitching paper and combining it with fabric for 7 years. I know there are still places available in the workshop so contact the studio directly if you are interested.

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.

Italian Textile Artists

My observation is that textile art is more prevalent in Italy than in France. Gallery owner, David Gerges, who exhibits textile agrees with me.

Riscatto, detail, 2013
by italian artist Tiziana Abretti
paper, oil, stitches

I discovered Tiziana Abretti's textile art at Art Paris Art Fair. Seven of her works were displayed at the booth for the art school IESA.

Riscatto
means Redemption in Italian

The Parma born artist references the "Arte Povera" movement by using non-noble materials. She ruins and repairs her creations. She is on her way to great things I am told. She is completely immersed and focused in her work.

The work is like an empty carcass

Some of her pieces were under glass and framed. Ah yes..that whole debate about framing...

Found Paper

I use found paper in my textile work.

My mineral piece,
Looking for Labradorite
detail showing paper

What is found paper? It's paper that is FOUND.

And you can find paper in some wonderful places.

The piece of paper in Looking for Labradorite is from Arles, in the south of France. I found it while I was there on a holiday.

me in Arles-it was so windy that day
I had to sit down so my dress wouldn't fly up!

Well... I didn't really find it. I ripped it.

view from the top of the Arles amphitheatre

The Arles amphitheatre measures 136 m x 107 m.
The Colosseum in Rome measures 188 m x 156 m

It was an advertisement for a film, I think, and with the rain it had become unglued and was draping off the wall. The event was over so I decided to "find" it and I ripped it off. The raw uneven edge is very interesting.

fossils from the stone of the Arles amphitheatre

I have also used found paper in "My City", a collage I created for takepART 2012. The paper is from an advertisement that was on a pole in downtown Toronto. I specifically tore off the part with the letters.

The best time to find that kind of paper is after a rain.

Found paper seen in the creating stage.

Your found paper does not have to be found outside. Found paper can be a stamp from an envelope, a school child's homework, a chocolate bar wrapper, a page from a book that is falling apart.

Keep your eyes open.