Art and Science

Congratulations Lorraine Roy!

Her new body of work is entitled Woven Woods, a series of 12 circular textile works being shown at the Old Town Hall Art Gallery in Waterford, Ontario. The show is on until April 5, 2018.

It was nice the wall colour
complimented the work!
UBUNTU- Tree Rings

The works explore a thriving ecosystem that biologists discovered- Mother Trees and their vast communication system. She traveled to British Columbia for some of her research.

She said what helped guide her in this new direction was the Mineral exhibit (2014) I curated. Click here, here, here to see more about that exhibit. I was glad to hear that.

Below you'll see Lorraine's work from Minerals...

...and the similarity to Minerals from this show.

They really are spectacular LIVE. Go see the show!

UBUNTU- Germination, detail

The entire collection took 4 years to complete. Research, sewing, and living was in there too!

Textile Artist Lorraine Roy (left)
UBUNTU- Seasons

For more information about Lorraine's inspiration for this exhibit, click here.

Lines

Lines made of light.

A garden suddenly redrawn with the flick of a switch.

Radha Chaddah and Tom Kuo are the artists.

A tree without leaves, a skeleton of sticks, brought to life with light.

Reflective Tree by Scott Eunson

All images from Nuit Blanche, 2015.

Tree Hug

Art work hugs a big tree. 

Stop and Breath

Autumn is a beautiful season in Canada. 

Today, I was out for a long walk, clearing my head and making room in there for some new art ideas.

The colours were so vivid. Very inspirational.

It's important to stop from time to time. I didn't even make a post card today.

It's important to stop and "regroup". 

Disappointing News

I found out today that my piece Last Tree Standing has NOT been selected for an exhibit to be shown at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Carrefour Europeén du Patchwork in Alsace, France.

Last Tree Standing
2014
25cm x 100cm
assorted fabrics, hand applique
 machine stitched,
metal staples
Afghanistan embroidery

The idea for this exhibit was to select from a web site a hand-embroidered leaf made by Afghani women and integrate it into a textile piece. The length had to be 4 X the width. It was open to EU participants only. I was able to apply through my Italian citizenship.

The idea I had at the beginning changed when I saw how large the embroideries were. (green leaves)

Last Tree Standing
detail

The commercial fabric I used as a background had the shadows of trees. It looked to me like a war torn area in a foggy scene and shadows of tree skeletons in the background. Over this background I created a tree only using fabrics I collected from the floor of a seamstress' atelier.

My tree trunk is made of velvets and stretchy polyester, cotton and textured woven pieces and hand dyed silks. I 'painted' the trunk using all the fabrics that were destined for a land fill. I did not purchase any new materials for this piece. The colours are plentiful- purple, blue, orange, brown, green, pink....I particularly like the stapled number onto the trunk- a selvage edge.  It makes a powerful statement.

Last Tree Standing, detail

I really like it. I am sorry the jury, made up of 5 European women, did not feel it worthy of being part of the 60 piece exhibit.

Along with my generic rejection email, I did get a lovely personal email from the organizer. She called it "an exciting piece with profound symbolism" and she liked my choice of colours.

Even with her great comments, it is still disappointing news.

Galleries in the Dark

I toured some of the galleries at the AGO with my art class on a day when the museum is closed to the public. It was the oddest thing walking through the spaces in the dark with no one around but the few students from the Abstract Art class.

I was reminded of my favourite textile artist and friend, Judith Martin, when I my teacher spoke of the work by Canadian painter, Emily Carr.

Trees and Sky by Emily Carr

Judy has a piece that was inspired by Emily Carr's trees and weeping sky.

Emily Carr Visited Me (2005) by Judith Martin

It is heavily stitched, as many of Judy's works are.

The thing I like the best about Judy's piece is the movement in the sky. I get a shiver every time I see it. I feel a cold wind.

Transforming

My thoughts have turned to holiday preparations... a wreath make-over.

I spray-painted my tired red wreath...

and turned it into a more interesting decoration...in my opinion.

Transforming.

I do that with my textile work as well. I take something that I made and that I don't like and paint over it and stitch over it and turn it into something wonderful. Sometimes that new layered fabric piece finds its way into a work at a later date.

Transforming.

This next image is courtesy of my daughter who lives in Paris. She noticed this wonderful tree along a hidden passageway...on her way to pay her first French TAX!! It transformed her day.

photo credit, Sophia Reford