McMullen Gallery Workshops

Donna and I drove up to Edmonton yesterday for our 2nd workshop in the McMullen Gallery. We encouraged those who came into the gallery to sit down for a while to play with some design methods: doodling within a divided basic shape & notan (dark & light) - a Japanese based exercise where one uses the negative as well as the positive space in a design.

Donna is showing a simple but effective Notan design. Jane Dunnewold, a well known US textile surface designer, shared this exercise on her website, calling it 'The Expansion of the Square'.

This is ReBecca Paterson's 'Illusion of...' work in Articulation's Urban Textures body of work.

Vickie & I hung it in the gallery facing the busy walkway inside the hospital because it is such an eye-catcher to people on the move past the glass walls of the gallery.

After a 6:30 a.m. start to the day it turned out to be a long one because we had a tire blow out on the way back to Calgary so we didn't get home until 1:00 am!

Urban Textures McMullen Gallery

Gloria's 'Ashlar' is a response to the first Ford garage in Winnipeg. This image doesn't show the detail but there is a lot of hand stitching in the Kantha style.

There are 3 very different textile techniques in these works by Gloria. Just click on her name to the right to go to her website for more details about these works.

Walls Talk Goes to Korea

I posted updates about this work, Walls Talk, during its creation. When it was complete I entered it in the 2009 Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Korea. This event is the Cannes Film Festival of Fine Craft - the work of over 1000 artists from more than 40 countries is exhibitied . Canada is the guest country this time (Italy was last time), so the Koreans have built the Canada Pavilion, a 10,000 sq ft gallery space. So Canadian Crafts Federation ran a competition called 'Unity and Diversity' to get work to fill the space. When I read the theme of the juried competition I knew they were thinking of my Tyndall stone wall. So I entered it. And it was accepted!

Yesterday, as I wrote out the 4 pages of instructions on how to install it and while I packaged it up, I said goodbye to it just as Martha Cole has recommended we do to our work. It was the last I will see of it for nearly 4 years. It will hang in the Alberta Craft Council gallery along with 29 other Alberta works, until June. Then it will be crated up and shipped to Korea where it will be on exhibit for the 40 days of the biennale, until November.

After Korea there are a number of opportunities for it, depending on which event it is picked for. There is going to be a book published on the 120 pieces being sent from Canada. Dr Sandra Alfoldy is writing an essay for the book about the state of craft in Canada based on the work and there will be bios on all of the artists. All great stuff.
I'll give you reports on Walls Talk's journeying whenever I hear anything.

McMullen Urban Textures

More close-up views of works in Articulation's Urban Textures exhibition in the McMullen Gallery, Edmonton.
This is work by Linda Mackay.

Linda Mackay focused on telling narratives with the facades of Winnipeg's historic buildings. She dyed, screen printed and quilted.

Urban Textures Opening

This is the 3rd work in Ingrid's 'Facade' series.


Ingrid's 'River City'

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The opening of Urban Textures

Ron drove up from Calgary for the opening & to pick up Katherine who had written her last exam that morning.

McMullen Gallery - Ingrid Lincoln's Work

These paired works, 'Night' and 'And Day', began as white cloth dyed through deconstructed screens. Multiple layers of techniques were used to build up the resulting depth of marks and texture.

2 works in her 'Facade' series.
As a long time Winnipegian, Ingrid has an intimate understanding of her city.

McMullen - Donna Clement's Work

'Motif de Fleur'

'Lilies'

The Urban Textures theme also included flowers because when we were in Winnipeg for our study week we spent time looking at gardens, particularly the impressive botanical gardens. That was when I saw magnificent hydrangeas, which brought back my childhood memories and I made the Nana's Garden series in response.

Donna Clement also responded to the flowers she saw in Winnipeg.

'Winnipeg - Gateway to the West'

Donna also examined the ethnic diversity in Winnipeg's early days.

McMullen - Urban Textures

'Alley'

'Stacked'

Vickie Newington`s artist statement and work.

The 2 organisations that support the gallery.

McMullen work continues

...and around to the left wall, work by Leann Clifford & Ingrid Lincoln (left),...

...Wendy Klotz's 3 buildings, which sold before the opening (congratulations, Wendy) and my 'Tapestry Stone' panel.

Leann and Gloria's work.....

...with Wendy's 'Kelly Building'.

McMullen Gallery - Urban Textures

I will take you around the McMullen Gallery where Articulation currently has an exhibition of work called Urban Textures. you can see a person walking past the glass outer wall of the gallery. Inside work hangs on the panels.

Gloria S. Daly and Donna Clement's work.

Around the corner and along the back wall. Ingrid Lincoln & Linda MacKay's work with one of the 'contemplation' chairs that are very comforting to sit in.

The left-hand side of the back wall. More of Linda & Gloria's work with Donna checking levels.

McMullen Gallery Artists' Reception

Donna and I had a slow trip through snow this morning when we travelled from Calgary to Edmonton for a couple of functions to do with Articulation's exhibition in the McMullen Gallery.

This is the view of the gallery space when you walk through the front door.

Vickie Newington's work on panels.

2 of my 'Nana's Garden' works. My little camera couldn't handle the lighting conditions so these are not good images of the works.