A simple shape, unadorned, plain, unassuming, no clear path, unstoried.
Just a start. Some desire the fade into the background, don’t want attention on a personal level, but imperfect circling, coiled spring, comforting ensphere goes round and round only, nowhere. Just an end. Ouroborous unbound, the ultimate allegory.
The National Gallery of Contemporary Fibre Art is a chance for all of us to produce small works and set up a display, complete with postcards, bio and statement, samples etc. Unfortunately, it’s not very visible to the public, buy hey, it’s a heck of a good way to “practice” and show is show ! It sounds so fantastic! š š š š In real life, it’s a showcase on the 4th floor of the Studio Arts , and is only visible to residents, techs and anyone who has a valid visitor pass! I’ll take photos the next time i’m at the school so you can see it in all its glory š
Since i had been planning on some red/black/white work and scored all that fabric from the student cast off bins, it was a perfect opportunity to showcase some new ideas. The original photo was this, from 2011 (mine, original Original lost in a hard drive crash, so i have to work from a small version):
I “warmed up the temperature” in my photo editing program (Irfanview):
Cropped it,as i have time for only a small portion of this, due to time constraints and sampling efforts:
Turned it to black and white for pattern purposes:
And started chopping fabric, discharging, over dyeing–from 3 fabrics then (bottom fabric in each pile), i have 10 colours (though in the photo, the top reds look similar, they *are* different). The left red and the bottom black were a poly/cotton blend after all, but i like the effect the discharge and then overdye had on the black!
Ā They do not “match” the reds and red blacks in the photo, but that isn’t the point. And interestingly, some fly by brainlet on the QA mailing list pontificated that you were “copying” even if you used your own photograph!
Seriously, you think you are “copying” even if you used your own photograph??????? Why would that be any different than using your own sketch, your own notes???????????? I HARDLY consider it “copying” myself if i use my own source material, no matter WHAT medium i have “sketched out” the idea in.
A rather narrow viewpoint then, if no one can take inspiration from what is around themselves, be they photographer, sculptor, painter or textile artist…….Contrary to this belief, things do not spring “full blown from our sweated brows”!Ā She also made the comment that the old Masters just DID the painting, no models, no “copying” from nature, no studies, BULLSHIT. Why else do we have all the preliminary sketches we are able to see now of pre-work done?????
Now to select some threads.
I’ve started small pieces for the Leighton Art Centre’s Gallery shop as i think about the changes needed in the exhibit piece.
These are manageable in terms of time–a full day of concentration to execute. Seven inches square when they are mounted on their canvases, i have lots of ideas due to the size and time frame.
And what a lovely little surprise this was:
I picked up a copy of the Alberta Craft Council’sĀ “Alberta Craft” magazine and was pleased to see a detail of “A Birth of Silence” used in the article about the X3 Exhibit.
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I’ve noticed that since i moved here from the old space, my stats are WAY WAY WAY down, abysmally so………….. This is disheartening in one respect, but then, i mostly talk to myself anyways, so wth, i’m just going to keep going. FaceBook i think has taken over for most people, though i still love a good blog.
Had a bit of a surprise this morning when i opened my inbox: tagged in one of FB’s groups, i discovered a photo of work submitted in September of last year had been accepted. I used to drool over the pages during college in the 90’s, the first time i saw any art magazine even remotely related to textiles. Who knew 20+ years later, my work would be in Australia’s magnificent “Textile Fibre Forum” magazine?
I don’t have a copy, so if anyone out there is willing to either snap up a copy for me, or wants to get rid of theirs? It’s issue 120, which i assume is the fall issue of 2015.
albedo too 
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