Last day of Summer 09

So hard to believe we even had a summer as it was mostly wet and cool. Which meant I spent most of the time in the studio working on "Urban Texture" that is showing at the Mennonite Heritage Center in Winnipeg. The Opening was on Friday Sept 18th and will be there till November 14. Working with a group really does have it benefits. For one I have been able to exhibit across the country in Galleries that I never knew about and I don't have to have a complete body of work so it does free up some time to experiment. I thought of changing from a Fibre Artist to an Experimental Artist as it seems every thing I do is experimental and have yet to hone in on a technique that I want to stick with. For Urban Texture I worked in the whole cloth style which I really do like and working more with it. Whole cloth is where the design is sketched on to the material then stitched. Most often the Sketch is painted before the stitching but I decided to stitch first then painted and dyed. A few challenges did arise and I wanted to changes a few things after but I had a deadline and got it all done and in the mail with 3 days to
spare.
"Illusion of " 42x32

"Exaggeration " 32x41

"Blending" 41x31

" Beneath the darkness" 45x35

I did get a few days out to explore the area and went to the Hopewell Rocks near Hillsbrough. It was a beautiful day and there is just something about walking on the floor of the Fundy that was inspiring.

3 Ps in the mud (Wayne, his Mom and his Aunt)

This looked liked the only way to really enjoy the experience of the tide out. But you had to have seen the expression on his Mothers' face.

And then yesterday we had visitors to remind us of the changing season. and yes they are eating my newly plated cedars.

Illusion 1

It always feels good to finish a piece and like what was created. Illusion1 is part of the Urban Texture series that will be shown in in Edmonton at the McMullen Gallery and than later in Winnipeg at the Mennonite Museum in September. Illusion 1 is the only piece going to Edmonton. The inspiration for it was a photo I had taken in Winnipeg of the Canadian Wheat Board Building and I manipulated it in Paint Shop. The technique I used to make it is called whole cloth quilting and it was dyed, stitched and painted. I don't care for bindings so if I can get away with it I like the pillow slip method to finish the quilt. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it did work nicely and the piece hangs straight.

Of course I had to play with the finished photo in the Kaleidoscope Kreator program and have come with up with some new inspiration that I may be able to use in another project( some day).