Handwork 7, Handwork 8

More rescued wool embroideries
I used the 2 in the top left...

...to make 'Handwork 7'

To make 'Handwork 8', I used the one in the top left...

...and part of the one in the top right.

These 3 works will be hung in a gallery tomorrow.
The Vancouver Island Surface Design Association has a month long exhibition in the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre Art Gallery, a new space Victoria artists have started to use.

New Work

For many months I have been collecting woolen embroideries from second-hand/thrift stores. Friend Carol has also been collecting for me - she has superior gathering skills.

They are being used for a series called 'Handwork' and are about acknowledging the creative work done in the private home, by woman - work with no value.

I take the embroideries out of their frames, always hoping there will be some provenance but there usually isn't. These are anonymous creative works.

They are washed.

I picked the 2 on the right....

...to make this work. It is about how the human eye is designed to look for a figure on a background.
 The male eye looks for a focal point in the figure while the female eye searches for all-over patterns.
This work is for the female viewer.

Handwashing Day

Hand washing some of my thrift store finds and successful bids at auction houses.
2 fine wool shawls, one with beautiful, woven, floral border

Wool blanket - well used but laundered carefully over its life time so no sign of fulling.

Piece of old silk velvet in blue and gold - a little fragile but washed up well.

A friend found this treasure for me at a garage sale - a heavily metal embroidered, Indian made evening purse.

It was rejuvenated after a light vacuum and spot clean.
It is now in my closet because I'm going to enjoy using if for awhile.

Church Sale Finds

Went to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church sale
Picked up some great stuff

Box of Floss - 50 cents

Cones of wool & cotton - $1/cone

Box of interfacing - $2.50
Stash Renewal 

Exploring Hands

The Mark Making With Thread class at Victoria College of Art had a busy day painting background fabrics
Here are their hands at work exploring paint on cloth

More Colour Studies

Garland's work

Kati's work

Esther's work

Sonia's work

I always look forward to seeing how each student interprets an exercise. Each time I see their work I can see their personality being expressed. I feel as though I get to know them better with each exercise.

Mark Making with Thread

Su Mei
The 2nd Mark Making With Thread course at the Victoria College of Art is underway.
The students produced most expressive stitched colour studies as they refined their personnel colour palettes.

James

Sarah

Dana

Gardening vs Nurturing

Gardening vs Nurturing

As a part of the work i did for one of my degree modules, I set up a series of dialogues with the environment outside my house. This one i called 'Gardening vs Nurturing'.

I made a checkerboard of black, weed-suppression garden cloth and crochet doilies.

20 months later, this is what the site looked like

As i anticipated, nothing had grown through the garden cloth, while the doilies nurtured lush growth.