So, I thought I'd do a final roundup and share some of the pieces I haven't yet spoken in depth about. This group of artists really push the concept of "Textile" by using materials not normally associated with fiber arts. The field of Fiber Art is an expansive and inclusive one, and we cannot limit our notion of fiber to thread or fabric.
Both of these works by Caroline J. Maw-Deis explore quilt patterns but use commercial packaging (above) and soda can aluminum (below) instead of fabric as the material. Instead of stitches, glue and nails hold the pieces together. These pieces descend from quilt traditions, but are no longer textiles.. they are text tiles. I think it's interesting how Caroline's choice of material reflects our current consumer culture, which drowns out our past traditions and values. I first met Caroline at a Philadelphia Handweaver's Guild workshop I taught on Color Theory in Textiles last Spring. Based on her website (click link above) and the evidence in these pieces, color is an important aspect of her artistic exploration.
Speaking of quilt traditions, Francine Strauss is another artist who spins quiltmaking in her piece "Pondering the Possibilities". I'm not sure exactly what possibilities she's pondering, but it certainly seems like she's pushing the possibilities of the quilt. Her piece is dense in both physical and visual layers: fabrics, applique, painting, stitching, found object, print text, pattern, and color. When does a quilt become a painting? When does a painting become a quilt?
You might look at Lesley Haas' work and question- "Textile"? For those of you who don't know, paper IS a fiber, and therefore falls under the great Fiber Arts umbrella. The fiberness of paper is more evident in Lesley's alphabet piece, above. I assume this piece was created by laying a freshly pulled sheet of handmade paper over a mold, creating interesting contrast between the hard edged mold areas and the drapey natural border. By choosing the alphabet, traditional samplers are referenced. Below is Lesley's "Text" collage, a compendium of scrolled found papers with various found objects like keys hanging from the frame. The scrolled papers create a sense of mystery- glimpses of text and color lure the eye, but remain hidden within the scroll. Instead of handmade paper, this piece uses recycled/found paper and links it to the many other pieces in the show that included found objects.
I've written about Lesley's work before, but today was the first time I'd ever met her. It's great to finally meet the personality behind the work.
Patricia Doran's work was one that explored the art of the found object. Her 2 quilt/object pieces were chock-full of the ephemera and detritus of life. The image above with detail below, "Thoughts Assault My Peaceful Sleep", shares how she feels about the accumulating stuff that litters our lives. I'm intrigued by her use of the netting to physically trap all the objects, but to also represent a mental filter for all the stuff.
Patricia's piece "City Sidewalk" was more literal and gritty, filled with the unaltered litter of the streets in a sort of trompe l'oeil. The objects do not transcend their place, but bring the textile down to join them.
My own work in the show explored the found object, but my attempt was to transform the objects I found glittering in the gutter to appreciate their forms and incorporate them with thread and fabric much like a beaded embroidery would be.
By using the objects found along my path, the images become connected to place and time... for me anyway.
I hope you've enjoyed my descriptions and experience of the Text/Textile exhibit. Although the works no longer grace the walls of DaVinci Art Alliance, there will be another chance to see them assembled in a May exhibit that will be held at Some Things Looming, a brand new fiber-focused gallery in Reading, PA. They are launching the gallery with a grand opening on the weekend of March 13-14th. If you're in the Reading area, check it out!
We were told to lay a screen over a catch-bucket, crumple some pre-soda-soaked fabric over the screen, pile snow on top of the fabric, and then pour dye concentrate over the snow like a giant snow-cone. I used lemon yellow and jet black MX dye on a piece of cotton and a piece of silk, both prepared beforehand in a soda ash bath and dried. Hopefully I'll get some interesting greens in this too. Mother nature so wonderfully provided the snow within reach of my basement studio window, and I didn't even have to go outside!
In Stitch and Surface I had my students start a fabric collage project using the fabrics they had monoprinted last week. First I had them do a magazine collage to get into the rhythm. They all filled an 8x10, which we critiqued, and then horror of horrors! I made them cut up their magazine collage into a tighter composition. It was daring but an excellent move. It really pushed their design skills and I believe their fabric projects will be much better as a result.
I had a mixed substrate and handsewing project assigned for this Thursday in my digital print class. Handpiecing and sewing through plastic is not very fun, and I have the callouses to prove it. I really need to pull out a thimble, it's getting ridiculous. I think this piece is done, but I may go back into the image and pick out some of the maplines for a more quilted effect.
Supplies: my artwork (wrinkle-free!), a frame with glass removed, a piece of foamcore cut to fit, backing board, quilt batting, needle, and strong thread (I used heavy-duty polyester all-purpose).
I'm not quite done with the one below. I've been struggling with it because the 
In digital printing I have to come up with some way to combine the 4 prints below. 
Silk organza was pleated, stitched down the sides and then origami folded. Each fold got stitched down as well, as organza is a tricky thing to work with.
The resulting stack of triangles was clamped between 2 wooden blocks a bit larger than the package and acid dyed in navy with the temperature raised above 200 degrees (thus causing the silk to hold the shape memory)
The clamp dyeing caused only the edges of the triangle stack to get dyed. I liked how the folds created a little "book".
The fabric dried still in its clamped/folded shape. When dry, I removed the binding threads, which left behind the slight needle pricks in the edges.
this lovely, trellised, geometric, angular, delicate...
sculptural shibori piece which will forever hold it's shape.
Beverly Godfrey's "Tic-tac-toe" takes me back to all the times I had to pass the time with my sisters while my parents were in some meeting or other. It also makes me think about the moment when you figure out that the game is incredibly simple and will usually result in a draw. (Unless you're playing against someone younger and/or stupider than you.) It was probably tic-tac-toe that gave me an insatiable competitiveness when game-playing. I prefer strategy over chance. I like the contrast between the very fast/simple game and the incredibly long tapestry process. The game is deceivingly simple. Check 
The embroideries of Pat DiPaula Klein are sampler-like in format, but contain a symbology that is a mystery to me. I feel like we've moved up a few millenia from Maryann's cave wall maps to see registers of Sumerian Cuneiform... According to her artist statement, the work was inspired by a college drawing professor years ago who told her that "the work in the margins is better", and the forms are inspired by a highschool shorthand study. I feel like I could look at these for a long time and remain entranced, puzzling meanings and creating interpretations. For more of her work look 
Jeannie Moberly's "Replaced Involving We" is a triptych of papier-mache framed embroideries (I only have shots of 2 of the 3 though). I mentioned before that the frames bother me, but I think it's because they create a very deep shadow that overwhelms and obscures the delicate stitching. Once I get to the stitching, though, I fall in love. Jeannie has a distinctive mark and way of building texture. Her color is subtle and makes you follow texture in order to decipher and discover form. Perhaps I'm being impatient with the work and need to take more time to absorb how the text and imagery inform each other. For more of her work look 
Text/Textile is not the only fiber event in town right now. Check out 
Janelle Adamska's piece "4th Generation" is the first piece you see when entering the gallery. The text is screenprinted onto some sort of scrim and then negative areas surrounding the letters have been selectively burned away, leaving behind a lacy, shadowy piece. The edges curl in, hugging the area before it, and the light shines through the words casting shadows. The combination of material and light creates a sculptural effect one doesn't normally associate with screenprinted works. It reminds me a bit of 
The other artist I'd like to share today is Constance Old, who created these rug-hooked works out of plastic bags and other ephemera. I believe her "Floats" piece refers to the plastic material, and possibly to the plastic island that's building in the Pacific Ocean. I like these pieces for their bright colors, dense surfaces, and innovative use of rug-hooking. This may be the first time I've really seen a truly contemporary rug-hooked work of art. 
