Articulation's Blog

Articulation has set up a blog to let people know what members are working on, where they are exhibiting and generally what they are up to. We have a new website also but as everyone who has had anything to do with setting up a new website knows, it takes ages to do so. The blog will be easier for members to communicate through regularly while the website will be more of a visual web gallery of individual members' works to date.

So go check out the blog to read about the current body of work members are working on with an exhibition deadline fast approaching.

http://www.articulationtextilegroup.blogspot.com/

Nana's Garden Series

Today I worked on the 6th in my 'Nana's Garden' series where I am making hydrangeas in memory of the females in the maternal side of my family. My mother and sisters have their hydrangeas already. I will be exhibiting 3 from the series in Articulation's 'Urban Textures' exhibition in the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery in Winnipeg.
This particular hydrangea is made using fabric dyed by my good friend Anne Woods who is a stitcher and a dyer.
The magenta coloured piece of background fabric has the dappled look of summer and gives the petals a sun bleached look.

Julia Caprara School of Textile Arts

I just got word the Julia Caprara School of Textile Arts has started to set up their web site, http://www.jctextilearts.com/ This will be a very interesting site to watch because of the innovative contemporary work the students are producing.
Presently I am working my way through the 10th of 18 modules towards a BA(Hons) in Embroidered Textiles. I am working on Fine Art Embroidery and I am fortunate to have Ruth Issett, the queen of colour, as my tutor. I have weekly phone tutorials with her where we discuss what I have done during the past week while looking at my Picasa Web album where I have added images of my work. It is a very effective way to learn independently knowing you have support and guidance along the way.

The Fine Art Embroidery module is about working out gender specifics on garments then developing your ideas from this study. Here I looked at females when they are covered.

This is a page of images of cross gender garments for protection.
Now I have to take one of the many ideas I have come up with and take it further: drawing, sampling and finally producing a finished work. It's all very interesting in the way it raises lots of social issues for me. .

Inspiration & Work

Summer is a time to travel and visit. I took our recent visitors/company to one of my favourite places in Alberta - Dinosaur Provincial Park. It didn't fail to inspire me again and got me thinking that maybe there is more work here for me to do.

When Articulation (the group I study & exhibit with) came to together, the first place we studied was Dinosaur Provincial Park. We each produced a series of Badlands work and exhibited it. I thought I had completed my Badlands series but every time I go back to this park I find it still full of ideas.
Every year since, Articulation has come together in a special place in Canada to do a study. We then return to our individual studios across the country to turn the inspiration and research into a personal response. These individual series of works are then exhibited, usually back near where they originated from.
As an artist co-operative, this combination of sharing, support and individuality is one of the things that makes Articulation unique.
An exciting new aspect for the group is the development of a presence on the web. After exhibiting in galleries on the Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast and places in between, a website is needed to keep us connected with those who are getting to know our work.
So that's where the work part of this post's title comes in as any one who has had a hand in developing a web presence knows. It is a lot of work.
If you visit our website regularly you will see the cyber growth of another articulated arm of Articulation.
http://www.articulationtextilegroup.com/

Saying Goodbye Again

I had a lovely day sitting outside hand stitching 'Walls Talk'. It is so calming to be hand stitching again after doing only drawing & research for the last 3 BA (Hons) modules I have completed. But I have to admit I have been putting off doing doing this hand stitching because it is remedial work to solve the hanging problem the work was having.
I had already said my goodbyes to this work thinking I had sent it off to Korea for the Craft Biennale in October. Now here it is back again. It is like sending your child out into the world where you are excited they are healthy, happy & strong, ready to make it on their own. Then they appear on your doorstep again.
Like a child, 'Walls Talk' just needed a little more loving care before it was sent out into the world again.