New Work - Geography of Memory, Beginnings

This new work began when the Vancouver Island Surface Design Association put out a call for entry. They were looking for an interpretation of 'Pathways' in a 60" x 12" format.

Sarah McLaren and I had been focused on colour for many months and were both inspired by the colour work of Jean-Philippe and Dominique Lenclos. This couple research the colours typical to a specific place in the world.

New Zealand Forest
Sarah and I have both lived in a number of different places over our lifetimes. We decided to show our memories of those places through colour with each inch of the work representing one year in our lives.

I began by making a life-size sketch then started sampling. My visualisation of this work was so clear my first sample was enough at this stage of my design process to be able to move on to the next step.

I made the base for the ground from a mix of upholstery fabrics heavy enough to support all of the stitching I had in mind.

Next step - deciding on the colour scheme, which was easy because of my strong colour memory of each place I have lived.

Picking the right ground fabrics took a little bit longer even knowing most of them would be covered they still had to be right. 

The base fabrics are bonded to the upholstery fabrics in the right proportions.

Painted bondable webbing ...

...to match each place's colours.

Ironing the painted bondable webbing in place.

Adding snippets of threads, yarns and fabrics to build up the complexity and texture of each section.

Selecting the right coloured nylon scarf from my stash.

Bonding the snippets and nylon scarves in place using parchment paper to stop the iron's sole plate from getting gunked up.

I sprinkled a few granules of 007 Bonding Agent to make sure thicker areas of snippets stuck well. It takes a higher heat setting on the iron to make these granules melt but once they have they stick very well and become invisible.

This is an old and well-used method for building a ground before stitching begins. I learnt this during my City and Guilds days and still go back to it because it is so effective and versatile.

Next step - the stitching. 

While the garden grows I am at work in my studio...

While the garden grows I am at work in my studio.

A new work. 

The challenge - how to express what is the province of Alberta on one double-sided panel?

I decided to depict the diversity of landforms in the province - landforms shaped by glacial and tectonic processes.

The schematic with a beginning sample. 

Cutting out the shapes.

I decided to focus on the interlocking shapes of the different regions and I felt colour would be a distraction. I auditioned a variety of different unbleached cottons from my stash. I selected mainly handwoven cottons from India. I washed these fabrics and lightly tumbled them dry to allow their different weaves to naturally collapse into wrinkles unique to each cloth.

Problem - how to make a neat double-sided join?

Solution - couching hand-made jute braid from India that I just happen to have in my stash, patiently waiting until needed.

The different landform shapes have been joined.

Yes, the landform edges do need more definition.

Hmmm, not sure about the outline. Is it too dark? Too wide? Does the whole panel need a wider border?

I added a border of a wider jute braid.

Nope - I don't like the way the outline of each shape takes away from the feeling of the different landform regions being related to each other. So I unpicked all of the braid on both sides.

I sewed on a much thinner jute braid.

Much better. 

Now to block the whole panel just enough to make it hang straight while not flattening out the natural landform wrinkles.

I think this must be the first work I have made without the use of my trusty irons.

Articulation Farm Study

Articulation is working on an exciting project. Several years ago, we all spent a week based in Regina while studying farms on the prairies. Leann organised our research week and now she is taking a work from each of us as part of Articulation's proposal to exhibit in many different galleries across Saskatchewan. I'll share the innovative details of the proposal with you later. I want to show you how my 1st piece developed.

This is the beginning of a work I called 'Roadside Weeds'

For this body of work I decided to knit the ground fabric.

There is lots of mixing of yarns to get the blended prairies colours

The finished work with lots of hand stitching on top of the knit ground fabric

'Roadside Weeds'

Canadian Prairies Study

We, Articulation, went to the prairies in August to catch the harvesting of the crop. We saw the high tech modern way...

...where some famers use GPS as they move around vast fields.

We visited a restored historic farm, W R Motherwell Homestead, to see how it was done in the late 1800s.

Prairie Architecture

This is what comes to mind when one thinks of unique Canadian prairie architecture.

The wooden grain elevator standing as a sentinel for its town.

But there is a new sight on the horizon.

Mammoth 'inland terminals'.

Farm Study

We (Articulation -the fibre arts group) had an amazing time this year (each year we go somewhere special together) ...

...out on the Saskatchewan prairies during harvest time.

Over the week, our host, Leann Clifford, a farm girl herself, kept us busy from dawn 'til dusk exploring all things unique, interesting & exciting to be found in the Land of Living Skies.
Each of us now has full flash cards, bulging sketchbooks, grain samples & an armful of brochures to work with to produce a body of work.
Thanks Leann for a wonderful, unforgetable week,

End of Summer

I have just got back from my summer holidays -time out on the magnificent Canadian Prairies and time in the Gulf Islands & Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island & the mainland of British Columbia. I'm still unpacking and catching up on life and need to put in many hours to complete the summer semester of my Opus module which is due in England soon.
It was 3 degrees this morning so it really does feel as though summer is over. Now for my favourite season.