Matching Piece - FERN

This technique is called 'thread painting' - drawing a picture with a needle and thread rather than using a pencil or brush. Again the base is a piece of hand-dyed, hand-made felt that was done on the Embellisher. This is a sewing machine that uses no thread, rather there are multiple barbed needles that mesh the layers of fibres together into one new creation. Onto this I stitched the main image in the center by stitching the negative space so that the fern frond in the centre would pop out.

The outer border is densely stitched stripes of colour that mimic the light and brightness the lowly fern brings to the rain forest when sun manages to sneak through the upper canopy and brighten up the surrounds.

Called FERN, its size is 15" x 15".

Busy as a Bee, Stitching Away...

ARTICULATION is one of the guest artists invited to show at the Canadian Quilters' Association (CQA) conference being held at the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary from April 28th through May 1st. We have over 200 feet of exhibition space that we are filling with the theme of Canadian landscapes.

Our artist statement reads:

“Ess-scape” – A Flight From Confinement

Shedding the threaded bonds of traditional textile art, Articulation presents a collection of work by female artists who have studied issues and landscapes of Western Canadian mountain, rain forest, and urban regions. They break new ground while portraying the essence of the history, culture, and surroundings that the Rockies inspire. The BC rain forest communicates its own unique story while the architecture from man-made structures provides a different frame of reference for study and outlook.

The suffix for ‘female’ is ‘-ess’ and by using it as a prefix, Articulation sets the tone for an exhibit that celebrates some of Canada’s diversity while presenting cultural and social issues and the environment in a fresh format. ‘Escape’ also means a ‘flight from confinement’ – what Articulation always strives to accomplish.

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Seven of the nine Articulation artists will be in town for this show, working the floor, interacting with the public. We would love to see you there!

Here is one of my pieces that will be on display, inspired by our study session of the rain forest out on Vancouver Island in 2007.

It is called WESTERN REDCEDAR and is approximately 15" square. The artist statement reads:

"The 80-year-old woollen blanket given to me from a friend's grandfather's attic was felted combining three layers into one, echoes the age that rain forest trees can live without man's interference. By transferring the motif onto the central square, emphasis was given to this sentinel of the forest - the Western Redcedar, identified by its flat sprays with scale-like leaves growing in opposite pairs."

Standing Relations

The next show that Articulation has is in the Maltwood Gallery at the University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia - opening March 18th, 2010.

All nine of the artists in Articulation are busy in their respective studios across Canada working away on pieces that were inspired by our study trip to Vancouver Island back in 2007. The fun part is that we work completely independent from one another and have no idea of what creations are forthcoming and which direction others are going.

Check out the Articulation blog to see some of our inspiration...

http://articulationtextilegroup.blogspot.com/

Vancouver Island

A group of my friends here in Calgary are lucky enough to know two people who have property on Vancouver Island and are wonderful enough to invite us there each year.

In 2007, we went in March and it was typical island rain!





KH journal page




In 2008 we shifted to May, in hopes of getting a little more sun - and it worked!


badminton was the order of the day - we spray painted a court on the lawn!

and of course, the art project = acrylic paint + a credit card!







May again in 2009...
and even more sunshine!