Current Threads III: Re-Surfacing

I was very pleased with the installation of my 'Women's Work' in the Slide Gallery at VISA.
The freshly-painted, white, wood walls accentuated the composted table cloth's colour.
The symmetry of the window frame complemented the symmetry of the table setting.
Traditional 'women's work' placed inside contrasted with the contemporary, public graffiti outside the window.
When this work was shown in the Whyte Museum, Banff, I had it set as an afternoon tea table. For this installation I set it as a family dinner table and I think it works much better this way.  

Here are some general shots of the gallery

 

I do hope you can get to the gallery to see the works before it closes at 5:00pm on May 28th.
It is a showcase of the most recent work of some of the islands' Surface Design Assoc members.
Annual survey shows such as this continue to demonstrate the wide scope of the textile/fibre arts.

Installation Progress

Reluctantly, I have altered the bed sheets. Each sheet will hang from a wooden beam threaded through the top hem. The hem pocket needed to be wider to accommodate the beam.  

Also, the hem fabric is so fragile in its decayed state I doubt it would support the whole sheet for long. I opened up the hem and reinforced it with interfacing and sewed it back making it larger.

It was exciting to go to cabinet maker Chris Mead's workshop to see the frame he has made.

We got a lesson on how to assemble the frame without damaging any of the joints or fastenings.

I made a list of all of the tools I need to take to London with me. 

 

Chris holding up the assembled frame, without the bedsheets.

Technical Issues

While stitching I had to resolve technical issues involved in hanging the 4 tree cloths.
Husband Ron understands material and joint stresses.

He sampled various corner joints for the frame. I made the aesthetic decisions.
Using Douglas-fir wood supports the work's concepts.

We settled on this type of joint. 

Carpenter Chris Mead made the frame. 

Airline baggage limits dictate each side has to be cut in half.
Chris developed a strong, non-flexing joint.

'Regression'

Here are some close up images of the other half of the dip-tych. This part is called Regression. It just needs the finishing touches and it will be finished.

I am now in the process of hunting down a photographer to get professional quality images of the work I have done this past year. I am looking for an art photographer and I would prefer to use someone who has experience in photographing textiles. Textiles need to be skilfully captured to keep them looking textural and alive. They are quite different from other traditional art mediums such as watercolour on paper and oils on canvas when it comes to capturing images of them.

When I lived in Calgary John Dean photographed my work and did a wonderful job. He is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art + Design and photographs a lot of the instructors' work. He has a lot of experience with a full range of media. Now I am looking for a 'John Dean' in Victoria.

Banff Centre Artist Residency

While in residence in the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre with the fibre art group Articulation, I made an installation in the trees near our studio.

I was exploring how we manage a natural environment while I was staying in a National Park/ UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This study is part of my Opus BA(Hons) degree work.