Layers of Meaning
commentary on design, fiber art, & modern embroidery from Serena Fenton
Bernie Rowell describes her work on her homepage: "I create highly textural contemporary art quilts from my studio in the magical mountains of western North Carolina. My mixed-media canvases are painted, pieced and then quilted. This quilted presentation gives tactile references to home, family and the whole history of women's work."
image: 'Shield for a Toxic Planet' by Bernie Rowell"
Rowell was a painter before becoming a quilter. As a result, all of her quilts have a very painterly feel to them. Her work explores the beauty of her gardens and the North Carolina Mountains, where she lives. She also creates 'shields' for herself, other women ('For the Tribe of One-Breasted Women') or nature ('Earth Shield / Oceans'). Her repeating patterns and motifs are stylized, but never rigid. In her Computer Scrap Quilts, Rowell literally pushes the boundaries of her quilts by playing with the binding/edging processes. Curves turn straight, then zigzag, and ease back into a curve. The pieces push outside the rectangular box.
Rowell has further expanded the notion of quilting by producing a series of prints on paper, which she then quilts and embellishes.
Carol Taylor creates art quilts with colors so rich that you can almost taste them. Her work seems to be constantly evolving. In going to the gallery page, there is a wealth of concepts and explorations to pour through.
image: Crop Circles by Carol Taylor
Best in this site is Carol's generosity with her explanations of techniques and her close ups of her work - we can really see the detail!
Expository Magazine has an article by Carolyn Lee Vehslage that highlights Tatlor's career(s) - and how she began quilting in 1993 - just ten years ago! The article describes how she works in the creation of the Crop Circles series: "You can tell by the joyous nature of the Confetti Series that Carol is having fun with her new direction. She starts by using randomly cut small pieces of hand dyed cotton sateen fabric to create a textured surface. The pieces are enhanced by appliquéing a shape, such as a circle or square, in the center of each piece. As she assembles the smaller components into a larger composition the colors interact and begin to glow."
Sewing Machines Product Reviews and Reports by Consumer Search
Every once in awhile I find myself longing for a new, different, better sewing machine. Something that will create my visions while I sleep. But the question to be answered is whether I should get a Bernina, Pfaff or a Viking/Husquavarna.
The answer has emerged - or at least where to find the answer. Consumer Search has kindly complied a neat list of all of the major sewing machine reviews. Not only that, they ahve pprovided a little assessment of each reviewer and where their view is coming from.
Art Journal by Kristi gives us a glimpse inside an artist's art journals and how she has risen to the challenge. Lots of photo collages that tie experiences together. Some sketches; some interesting experiments in red - this might be a good theme to follow. Kristi also has an interesting series of altered books.
Stuart Davis' early painting career (1910-1930) produced 'ashcan school' images: gritty realistic social commentary. After a trip to Paris, Davis began to explore the power of color and shape. A synopsis from the Metropolitan Museum explains: " Report from Rockport is considered among Davis's most important canvases from the 1940s. It is a pivotal work, as it was the first in which he utilized his newly articulated "color-space" theory. Davis postulated that color could be used to indicate spatial relationships through its positioning next to other colors. Some colors advance, while others recede, which suggests the illusion of a three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface."
image by Stuart Davis
Festive Felt Wallhangings
My Green Fantasy by Nicole Chazaud Telaar & Tom Telaar
Humorous, textural and extremely colorful felt creations. My favorites are the wall hangings, which move in and out of the flat plane or merely appear to move in and out because of the dynamic color combinations. The site is huge and can take a good while to explore - lots of layers here and very well organized. It appears to all be the work of a husband-wife team: Nicole Chazaud Telaar & Tom Telaar.
On how she creates, Nicole writes:"I have found that since moving here to New Hampshire three years ago, I dream about my gardens. I plan, expand, and grow. Winters are especially fun with all the white around. The void of color is very compelling for my creatively, and I reach within myself for color inspiration. During the growing seasons, I am constantly distracted by nature’s own color combinations."
Feltmaker's List FAQ
a list of just about everything anyone would want to know on the subject of felting. From how-tos to accomplished artists' work. "This is an ongoing compilation of posts from the Feltmakers List."
Vermeers Camera, Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces. A Book by Philip Steadman The answer to how the Old Masters were so good - well, part of the answer.
"For more than a hundred years it has been suggested that the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (1632—1675) used the camera obscura. The camera obscura was the predecessor of the photographic camera. It is a simple optical device incorporating a pinhole or lens, with which an image of a scene can be projected onto a screen. The image can then be traced and copied. Art historians have come to accept the idea that Vermeer might have been inspired by such images, or might have used the camera occasionally. Vermeer’s Camera proposes, controversially, that the painter’s use of optical aids was much more extensive than this. "
Simone Martini, Vitale da Bologna and Jacopo Bellini
I admit it, I am a fool for the early Renaissance painters. All that gold, the stiff, symbolic gestures, the embellishment on every surface - all of it used to tell a wordless story. Vivian Vakili has written an accessible history of these painters. But better yet, it is posted on the web with magnificant illustrations of the works.
The Simone Martini portrait of a duke, riding on horseback from these prefect Italian Hilltown city-states while tiny armies camp in the corners, is such a wonderful summary of the era in which he lived. Some folks were rich. They got the horses and nice clothes. Everyone lived in beautiful walled cities. War was constant. Another favorite that she has displayed is the Annunciation. This version is not namby-pamby. The angel and Mary are livid and throwing visual daggers at each other. This is not a quiet woman who was jumping on the opportunity.
Don't stop scrolling before you get to Pieta by Jacopo Bellini. The anguish is palpable. The hilltowns in the background of this image are rich with fertile fields and quiet, safe roads. But the tree is chopped down in midlife as Mary weeps over her son. Pretty heady stuff.
image: Jacopo Bellini's Pieta
Teesha Moore's art journals are on display in a magazine, play, that she published for a year. Play folded "due to high publishing costs", so back issues are available. Better yet - there are pages available on the internet that let us take a quick glimpse into her journals. A sample of play pages reveals intricate pages that combine painting, realistic drawing and photographs with some writing.
image by Teesha Moore
Individual journal pages are for sale online. These are more of separate works of art than a flowing monologue. Each piece is colorful with a central focal point. There are some delightful collages - really original ones, not just the pastiche of rubber stamps that seems to be sprouting up everywhere. Lots of symbols and imagery to explore - and striped legs!
They also offer something called "artfest" out on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Too bad it is so far - sounds very fun! "Artfest is a unique, camp-like experience where artists come together to create, share, learn from, and be nourished. We find the coolest artists to come teach the latest crazes along with fresh and original ideas and techniques. New friendships are formed and ideas are revealed, renewing your sense of self, your talents, your own creative vision, and a deeper understanding."
An Introduction to Textile Terms is a short, four page pdf document produced by The Textile Museum in Washington D.C. It's a solid glossary of most of the terms that one will encounter in the world of textiles (note: the world of 'fiber' may be a good bit broader than this.)
Entries run the gamut from batik to yarn. It covers not only the basic concepts, but gets into some deeper detail. 'Dyeing' takes up a little over half a page and describes the basics about several processes and resists. 'Couching" explains both what the stitiching is: "An embroidery stitch in which threads are laid on fabric and sewn down with another thread," as well as why it was done: "Decoration with metallic or metallic-wrapped thread is often couched both for economy (no precious metal is wasted on the back) and practicality (the metallicwrapped thread is not fine or flexible enough to be easily pulled through cloth).
A good beginning resource or classroom reference to textiles!
Anne Kingsbury's art is described as 'quilted dreams'. Her media is leather, thread, beads, ceramic and fiber. The images are evocative of a long forgottten memory or half-known truth.
image by Anne Kingsbury
A review of her work, with quotes and more images can be found in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. An excerpt from this review: "Shift yet again and enter Kingsbury's realm, where materials, subject matter and labor-intensive process all speak to feminine issues of women's work and domesticity. Handsome, painstakingly assembled beaded pieces represent countless hours invested, as in "Beaded Woman," which contains the words "repetition" and "discipline" in its composition."
Fiber Show 2002 is a curated overview of what was going on in fiber in 2002. Most remarkable about this show is the variety and how far the term 'fiber' has been stretched. Incredible richness of color, imagery and abstraction. Texture of every variety. Be sure to use the links toward the bottom of the page: See the artists' work page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4
Bruce Hoffman, curator, wrote about the show:" It is our purpose to show at least a small glimpse of what is currently happening in the fields of textile and fiber arts. As in the past two exhibitions, "Modus Operandi" and "Surface, Strength, Structure: Pertaining to Line", the use of traditional and non-traditional materials and techniques, the exploration of scale and the variety of forms and imagery are key."
where to show
Lyric Kinard has a list on her web site of quilt show entry dates, show dates and a link to the web site with the show information. An invaluable resource for keeping up with opportunities to get one's art seen!
floraphilia - by Kevin LyonsTwenty-four intimate portraits from Kevin Lyons garden - scanned in exquisite detail. My favorite would be the hydrangea, #24.
Note: these are for sale and are fully copyrighted!
Time to head to the garden for some scanning fun before the frost sets in - though how the heck does he keep the flowers from getting crushed?? Black cloth backdrop??