Various items I will have at the Contextural sale this year...

HANDMADE BOOKS

(with Resist-Clamped dyed Wool covers, 

6" square and  4.5" square and 5" by 7", 

all $50 each)

INDIGO DYED SILK DEVORE SCARVES

(various sizes averaging 14" by 70", 

with and without fringed ends, 

flat or raised velvet finishes, 

$70 each)

Indigo dyed Shibori silk scarf

KEEPSAKE POUCH necklaces 

( 2"x3" bags filled with semi-precious stones. 

Done in waxed Irish Linen, using a needle and thread and 2000 stitches, 

the technique is called "nalbinding", and ancient knotless looping stitch which predates knitting by centuries. Many different colours and decorations available. $70)

VASES

Pyrography and Watercolours on Watercolour papers

(Original artwork. 

6" square and 8" square, mounted on canvas frames, 

$60 and $70) 

NATURAL DYED SILK DEVORE SCARVES

with pomegranate, logwood, cutch, fustic and more

(average size 14" by 70", 

with and without fringed ends, 

flat or raised velvet finishes,

$70 each)

 NEWBORN AND INFANT SIZED COTTON TOQUES

(Hand dyed and illustrated, 

$25 each)

Time for the yearly Contextural Artisan Sale!

I've spent the fall dyeing silk scarves and am thrilled that my indigo ones were put on the invitation!

If you're in Calgary, come by and say hello - I will be there all weekend.

More brooches

Remember the wool blankets I dyed this summer at the Contextural residency at ACAD (see previous post)?

This is what happened to some of them. I will have them for sale this weekend at the SPLASH ART MARKET.

Fall Sales 2

I am very happy to be part of this textile group here in Calgary, and it is time for our yearly sale. Due to popular demand, we have extended it to Friday evening this year.

Contextural: a Fibre Arts Collective

Christmas Artisan Sale

November 17-18, 2017, Friday 4-9pm
                                       Saturday, 9am-5pm

www.contextural.ca

cash, cheque and credit accepted
free admission and free parking

Christ Church Elbow Park
(by the Glencoe Club)

3602 - 8th Street SW Calgary

This is a textile-focused sale that provides the opportunity for the public to meet the artists and makers of silk-screened, EcoPrinted and hand-dyed scarves, pillows and bags; 2D and 3D art pieces; items for babies and your pets; clothing accessories; and home decor.

Contextural is a community of textile artists fostering a cooperative creative environment in support of the production of new artistic works.

Contextural ACAD residency 2

Another area of textiles that I am working in during this three-month summer residency at ACAD is using Acid Dyes on wool with the Japanese Itajime technique, in my case called resist-clamp Shibori.

I started by dyeing pieces of wool different shades of yellow.

Then I use various tools to layer with different resists (plexiglass shapes, washers) and clamps to then add to the dye pot.

Now there are two layers of colour.

Repeat the process and more colours are added. Here are some of the final pieces.

 

2016 Contextural Sale

Spent the evening setting up for tomorrow's sale (Saturday the 19th from 10am to 6pm.) This textile-centric sale provides the opportunity for the public to meet the makers of silk-screened, EcoPrinted and/or hand-dyed scarves, pillows and bags, 2D and 3D art pieces, items for dogs and babies, clothing, accessories, and home decor.

Annual Contextural Christmas Artisan Sale

Date: Saturday, November 19, 2016

Time: 10:00 - 6:00pm

Location: Christ Church Elbow Park, 3602 - 8th Street SW Calgary GoogleMaps/ChristChurchElbowParkCalgary

Details: Free admission; Cash, Credit or cheque accepted; Free street parking available.

Contextural is a community of textile artists fostering a cooperative creative environment in support of the production of new artistic works.



Here are some pictures of the hall when we left...

 

 

 

CONTEXTURAL Artisan Sale

My next sale this fall will be on Saturday the 19th for the Annual Christmas Artisan Sale, showcasing unique fibre and multi-media works by local artists and Contextural members. There will be plenty of gift worthy items to help you get into the holiday spirit!

Annual Contextural Christmas Artisan Sale

Date: Saturday, November 19, 2016

Time: 10:00 - 6:00pm

Location: Christ Church Elbow Park, 3602 - 8th Street SW Calgary GoogleMaps/ChristChurchElbowParkCalgary

Details: Free admission; Cash, Credit or cheque accepted; Free street parking available.

Contextural is a community of textile artists fostering a cooperative creative environment in support of the production of new artistic works.

This textile-centric sale provides the opportunity for the public to meet the makers of silk-screened, EcoPrinted and/or hand-dyed scarves, pillows and bags, 2D and 3D art pieces, items for dogs and babies, clothing, accessories, and home decor.

More information and images click on the "NEWS" tab on our website: contextural.ca

 

Contextural Residency 8

Three months of playing in the Fibre Art Department of ACAD over the summer produced a lot of silk scarves and fabrics. The scarves I will be selling at the CALYX Distinctive Art Sale on October 24th, and also at the CONTEXTURAL sale on November 21st.

The fabrics I will be working on over the winter adding stitch and continuing to develop the themes they were created about.

Here is the start of the dyeing process, first layer with low immersion fibre reactive dyes (they are round because the picture is taken at the bottom of a plastic pail!)

 

 Rinsing out the dye...

A sampling of my supplies...

 

 The great hanging racks with one of very many batches being dried...

Contextural Residency 7

I worked with fibre reactive dyes all summer - Procion being my brand of choice.

I started by sampling on different fabrics - did each colour on a cotton and a silk.

By using Ann Johnston's low immersion dyeing techniques one mixes concentrates first to get the health-threatening Procion from a powder into a safer water-based concentrate. I mixed up 15 - 20 different colours, then started playing with different techniques on paper.

Wendy Klotz demonstrating the proper gear for mixing Procion powders in a dust box.

On 300lb Arches Watercolour papers (mailed to me from Courtney BC courtesy of my friend Linda Smith) I started using Claire Benn and Leslie Morgan's dry brush technique. I continued adding to this paper day after day after day after day...

First layers onto three pieces of paper. One in yellows, one in pinks, one in blues.

I flipped each over so they would be two-sided. On each sheet I would use up to three different shades of that particular colour.

One month of painting later - probably 30 layers on each of the six sides.

Contextural Residency 6

During the three month residency this summer I alternated between:
     (1) felting
     (2) dyeing with a fibre reactive dye (Procion)
     (3) dyeing with plant material called "eco-dyeing"
     (4) printing with thickened dyes.

Some photos from the different plant dyeing sessions...

Laying out hollyhock blossoms and rose petals on a silk scarf

 

the bundles of plant materials

some were put into jars to keep on my deck all summer

 

  some went into the dyeing studio

 

 simmering bundles wrapped around Plexiglas forms

some of the opened bundles

 

 and last week I opened the last package and laid out all the eco-dyed scaves I have done over the summer, there are about 30

one of my favourite - caragana leaves - so delicate!