Maria Shell - SDA Conference Exhibition, San Antonio

Another stunning exhibition at the SDA conference was a collection of Maria Shell's quilts, at Gallery Nord.

"Color Grids"

Every quilt was made using the same quilt block.

But Maria played with 'line, shape, print, and color' to produce a collection of technically exquisite and very different quilts.

The quilts were installed in a 3-sided booth, which made viewers move in a complex dance back and forward between the walls as they looked, compared, and looked again as discoveries were made.

2013 SDA Exhibition - Kathryn Clark

Foreclosure Quilts
This is the intro members got before viewing Kathryn Clark's work:
"Clark's life as an architect and urban planner influences her work as an artist. As the foreclosure crisis spiraled out of control, this exhibit took its form from foreclosure maps that marked the disintegration of neighborhoods in major U.S. cities."
Many of us had also previously read articles about her work.

'Detroit Foreclosure Quilt' 

But I wasn't prepared for the impact of her work.
The fabric was torn and roughly cut away. Each exposed, raw, red shape documented the upheaval of family homes or businesses.

We had all heard the statistics but Kathryn's quilted cloth mapped out the reality of the situation.

She translated the collected numbers into a story the viewer could relate to.

Back to the SDA conference

Portia Roy's work was captivating - obviously very personal although her artist statement tells of universal trauma to the human body.

I found her series of small works repulsed me while at the same time they drew me in.
I've never experienced that before, while standing in front of art.

In another way I was captivated by the simplicity and complexity of work by Dawn Scent (Wei Sun).
She has used the essential design elements to show atmospheric perspective in a classical Chinese landscape scene - Xia Gao?

By using the simplest of techniques -burning silk to give a brown edge - she singed the fabric using burning incense - a strong and, at the same time, subtle reference to the sense of place and to her inherited culture.
Masterful!

Mark Makers Exhibition

Mark Makers is a group of fibre artists who all met up in the Lower Studio of the Victoria College of Art, Victoria BC.
They studied mark making by hand with the threaded needle and mark making with the sewing machine,  and some went on to study the design of repeating patterns.
They enjoyed being together as a group so much they have continued to meet regularly to share, support and inspire, to have workshops, go to exhibitions together, and movies, and go on a retreat for the weekend.
These mark makers have decided it is time to show what they have been creating.
They are having their first exhibition of fine arts textiles in the college where they got together.
The exhibition opens on Sunday August 11 and closes on Saturday August 17 with a closing reception from 1 to 3 pm.
The rest of the week the exhibition will be open from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm with artists in attendance at all times.
Groups can phone Eileen, 250 592 9404,  to arrange a tour led by attending artists.

If you are in town I do hope you can get to the college to see this exhibition of fine arts textiles.

SDA Members' Exhibition

One of the best exhibitions (there were lots of 'bests') at the 2013 SDA conference was the Members' Show 'in~ter~face: connections' in the SAY Si Gallery.
There were so many works to look at there wasn't time to do justice to them all.
While doing a survey swoop of the space I saw reoccurring extreme texture.
I decided to spend my time looking for it.

Abby Sherrill

Side view of Abby's embroidery.

Naomi Adams, 'Duality'

Side View of Naomi's work where she used batting, cotton fabric, cotton thread, textile paint and adhesives.

Marty Jonas', 'Ode to Marg' 

Side view of Marty's work.

Wendy Klotz, 'Platonic Interfaces'

Side view of Wendy's work where she seems to defy gravity.

2013 SDA Conference

Naiomi Wanjiku Gakunga standing in front of her work in the Russell Hill Rogers Gallery on the Navarro Campus, after giving a moving presentation about her life as an artist and the importance of storytelling in her culture and her work.

In the same gallery Michael James had a solo exhibition,'Organising Nature`.
This work is titled `The Idea of Matter`, 2010.
He prints digitally manipulated images onto cotton, dyes cloth, machine pieces and machine quilts.

À System of Classification` 2009
Michael was also one of the featured speakers. He spoke of his personal experiences with life and art over his forty-year career. It was one of the highlights of the conference.

Some students had made these felt flowers.

They kept appearing and disappearing in different garden beds around the campus.

2013 Surface Design Assoc Conference exhibitions

I have just returned from the SDA conference in San Antonio, Texas.
One of the best parts was getting to see lots of fibre art exhibitions.
One of my favourites was by Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga: A tradition of Strings.

Ng'endo cia Mugendi - The Immigrant's Journey, 2012
sheet metal, stainless steel wire; stitching with wire on textured sheet metal, colouration 

Naomi gave a inspiring talk about her work.
She explained how every aspect of her work is rooted within her culture and her life experiences.

Magnetha ma njahi - The Big Harvest, 2012
stainless steel wire, woven kiondo basket strips, recycled glass beads; stitching and crocheting with wire

I was fortunate to have a 3-day, pre-conference workshop in the a studio above the gallery so I was able to visit this exhibition many times.
It is very powerful work.

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.

Bridging Waters: Inspiration

The inspiration for the forms I am making came from the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a United Nations World Heritage Site.

William was our guide down to the site. He passionately explained how the huge surging tides of the Bay of Fundy were actively eroding the Joggins Cliffs to reveal more and more fossils. It must be so exciting to be a scientist going down to the beach under the cliffs when the tide is out, particularly after the high spring tides, to see what new fossils had been revealed.

William explained how the ancient trees were preserved when sediments were laid down.

The tree trunks can be seen preserved in the cliffs today.

William showed us fossil remnants of different trees and named them.

I was intrigued by the patterns made by the leaf scars on the tree trunks.

Samples of different tree trunks are displayed in the interpretative centre. 

I decided to interpret these patterns in fabric.

This is the Calamite's distinctive pattern. It is the gigantic ancient ancestor of the Horse Tail or Scouring Rush found in forests today.