All Beings Confluence - Martha Cole's Community Project in Victoria

Martha Cole, a Saskatchewan fibre artist, has brought her monumental community art project to Victoria for the first time. You can see it in the Cadboro Bay United Church until May.

"All Beings Confluence is a community-based, interactive project that was directly inspired by Carolyn McDade, a composer, social activist and environmentalist whose music has sustained and nourished many over the decades."

The opening reception at Cadboro Bay United Church was a moving experience. One could walk around and through the many panels while listening to music, singing and poetry readings.

Martha explained how the project came about and how she came to bring it to Victoria.

Next stop is Parksville, Vancouver Island.

When Martha arrives in a community she runs a workshop where people work on long sheer panels each depicting one being found on our planet. These panels are then hung together with previously made panels creating paths and a changing kaleidoscope of views through transparent layers.

Here is the website to learn more.

Penang's Bikes, Bicycles, Motorbikes......

Bicycles made into street art

Bicycle Sculpture

Family/Tourist Cycle

Returning from the market passing motorbike as street art

Bicycle for going to market each morning

Motorbike carries produce bought at the early morning fresh market

Parking a bicycle in front of a shop on the 5 foot way

A 3-wheeler for carrying BIG loads

Motorbike with added carrying baskets

Modern bicycle with the ubiquitous plastic carry bag

Traditional fortune teller and customer beside a new motorbike

Trishaw taxi

Handy for getting out to the market and back without getting stuck in traffic jams

Reproductions of restored old rickshaws

Motorbike as art

Bike art up high

New and old

Different baskets and trays are attached to motorbikes to carry specific products

Moveable shop - fresh coconut milk and meat for sale

'Aunt Flow Speaks Out' - How she came about.

'Aunt Flow Speaks Out' - Artists Statement

Women menstruate.

If women did not menstruate, you and I would not be on this earth. We would not be alive.

Menstruation is a necessary part in our chain of life.

This artwork celebrates the humanity and acceptance of this monthly visitor. Aunt Flow comes to visit, sits on a tomato, and can’t go swimming on certain days. Strawberries, rabbits, Maggie the Red Bird is flying her colours. Speak about it, share words and stories, celebrate women, and this part of womanhood that just is, that makes life possible. We are enough, we are OK.

Menstruation Euphemisms penned by Kirsten Horel, website, artist and lettering artist.

After reading 'Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation' by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim, I had a strong urge to stimulate a conversation about this hidden subject.

It was time my collection of perfectly laundered handkerchiefs got to work.

I rubbed the centre of each handkerchief with red ochre to represent the blood.

I contacted Kirsten and asked if she wanted to work with me on the project. I was so pleased when she agreed to. She went to work researching and collecting more euphemisms and tested different ways of working the lettering with different inks and different pens. She also lettered the signs inviting the viewer to touch the handkerchiefs and to write their menstruation words and experiences in the red book. 

Together we worked on the artist statement where Kirsten's wonderful sense of humour lighted my rather heavy expression of indignation at yet another social injustice.

Each saying was printed on cloth and torn into a strip then a cotton thread was attached to the bottom.

Each handkerchief was nailed to the wall with its euphemism mostly hidden by the natural fold of the handkerchief hung on point.

I trialed different arrangements for hanging the handkerchiefs.

I wanted to give the feeling of lots, as though the installation could go on and on if there was enough room - to make the viewer ask why there were so many of these sayings.

I decided on this staggered arrangement then made a template out of gridded interfacing to show where each nail needed to go.

Satisfied I packed everything into a box and went looking for places to show 'Aunt Flow Speaks Out'.

More Bird Inspiration - From Our Back Yard

Oh oh, not this gal. She chases the birds away. She had 5 babies this spring.

I have been noticing birds a lot since the spring. 

Birds have always featured prominently in most cultures - in myths and legends.

Birds are health indicators of our natural environment. 

We often first notice a change in the seasons when observing bird behaviour.

In my up coming work I want to explore the history and ideas associated with the birds I see outside my studio window. 

Tree of Life in Saint Petersberg

When I travel I look for a number of reoccurring symbols, one of which is the Tree of Life.

I found some very interesting ones in the Church of our Saviour on Spilled Blood, in Saint Petersburg.

They are huge mosaics, high on the walls.

They are on all sides of the church and each one is different.
Working with this symbol is just at the percolation stage at the present but it may be time to put them up on my design wall and move on to the brain storming stage.

Summer 2013 'To Go' Project

Early summer I made up a 'To Go' project, something I could take with me to work on while travelling.
It had to be self sufficient, small and take a long time.
I started with a card a friend sent me for inspiration. She knows I love hens.

The bantam is a childhood memory of watching them in my grandparents' large vegetable garden and helping Nana shoo them into their coop each night.

I found a piece of even weave another friend had given me.

I found a charted hen motif in an old kit and coloured it with bantam colours.
 I picked floss colours for the hen and the background.


And packed it all in a small bag with a tiny pair of scissors.
I traveled with this project all summer, successfully getting through all airport securities without having anything confiscated.
I traveled on different modes of transport and stayed at different places without loosing any tools or thread.
 I was able to work on planes, ferries and in cars. It satisfied my urge to stitch on many occasions while travelling.
It is nearly finished, as is summer.

Bridging Waters: Joggins Coal Trees

I sewed 3 different trees' leaf scar patterns on heavy cotton velvet.

Embellished with coconut shell and dried seeds.

Embellished with porcelain painted beads I bought while in India.

The sewn pattern on the velvet ends of each form suggest the trees' water carrying xylem cells.

'Joggins Coal Trees'

Luxurious bolsters referencing the wealth of the Industrial Age being dependant on the vast coal reserves these trees formed during the Carboniferous period.