Small Village by the Sea

I just hung this small, insignificant piece in my bedroom and it pleases me to look at it.  The central panel was created during a workshop I participated in years ago.  This year, I framed the image with fabric strips and added 3-D artifacts from my walks along the Atlantic Ocean not far from my home in Rhode Island.  It's a small piece that speaks of the local to me, of the simple delights of engaging with the the immediate sights and objects of daily life in a specific place.

Matching Set

I just finished a set of placemats for my son and daughter-in-law and their two daughters.  I started these when their new kitchen was completed over a year ago.  Yoon and I selected an anchor fabric together (floral batik at far right) and I complemented it with fabrics from my collection.

Each placemat has a unique design of piecing and of quilting.  I imagine that each person will gravitate towards her or his favorite.  Which one is my favorite?  I'm not sure; possibly the one above?

Below is the full set of six divergent/convergent pieces.  Which is your favorite?

Wild Dance at Night

The topic of a recent "challenge" at Quilting Arts magazine was "Choose Your Own Palette."  I wanted to submit, but the topic was just not inspiring me.  Then I happened upon the idea of sewing bright scraps between layers of netting.  Of course!  This is exactly my palette: wild, bright, odd, and unpredictable!  Top photo is the finished piece, 9" x 9." Bottom photo is enlarged detail.

Articulating Fabricating: The Arts of Text on Textiles

I recently submitted the following proposal for a presentation at the 2020 SAQA national meeting.  I learned today that it was not accepted.  Oh, well.  Onward!

Articulating Fabricating

The Arts of Text on Textile

“Articulating Fabricating” will explore the nexus of visual and verbal strategies that artists deploy at the intersections of textual arts and textile arts across a range of practices. The very words text and textile derive from the same Latin root meaning to weave, and the practices have diverged and converged at different times over human history.

After a brief historical review, focus will shift to analysis of categories of current textile arts that include textual elements such as alphabetic shapes dissociated from meaning, inspirational words and phrases, historical data or narratives, subversive texts, and other forms. 

Textile arts span genres of decorative, functional, fine-art, sculptural, multi-dimensional, abstract, figurative, conceptual forms, and more.  Textile artists have always been articulate in the construction, promotion, and display of their work.  They create titles, artist statements, website text, descriptions, blogs, and essays.  They teach others with step-by-step instructive narratives.  More and more textile artists are now using words and alphabets as integral forms within the work itself.  By means of embroidery and other threadwork, applique or fusing, free-motion calligraphy, collage, paint, and other creative strategies, textile artists inscribe words on surfaces of their art. Despite an increase in linguistic forms on textiles, there has been almost no commentary on this array of strategies.  What does this mean?  What are the antecedents of this text/textile conjunction? What are the categories of such work?  What is the impact on those who view the work?  How does this strategy compare with similar strategies in other genres of visual arts?  Is the commentary on other art forms applicable to discussion of textile art?  The goal of this presentation is to begin such a discussion. 

With a focus on contemporary textile arts, “Articulating Fabricating” will draw upon critique and discussion of art/literary forms such as visual concrete poetry, Dada, typography, and conceptual art. Examples of practice and statements by artists such as Faith Ringgold, Peter Sacks, Sara Impey, and others will be included.