into the yonder

Some of the samples going with me to Bowen for the workshop:

“Autumn Vortex” Red Osier ecoprint on cotton

red osier on bamboo

I’ve done some “pre-research” and i should be able to find red osier on the island. This is definitely my personal favourite of plants local to me!

“Gift of the Oak” oak ecoprint on silk habotai

Garry Oak is prolific in parts of BC, but it remains to be seen if any grows on Bowen! Hoofies crossed. The focus of the class is of course on indigenous, or at least “local” vegetation if transplanted from elsewhere, so my plant ID books are going with me as well. I’ve been lucky on this voyage to have an extensive background in identifying plants as an avid gardener, floral designer, amateur botanist and finally as ecoprint artist, but i don’t know it all (yet! )

The Summer edition of Fiber Arts Now has a wonderful article by my friend Wendy Feldberg about taking ecoprints to the next level. I’m pleased to be among such great company as several wonderful international artists are highlighted.

 

auditions are being held

Vacillating about the size of this one when finished, i decided to just pick out the fabrics, and see what happens.

This combination really turns me on Not sure of the layout yet, but getting there with sketches. And i still have to pick out those stoopid roses…

A little more progress on the focal piece, the spine:

I finally got my comp copy of verFilzt Und zugeNacht–in fact i got 5 copies, a surprise! I had to chuckle though, because Raggedy Black Heart was printed sideways

There are 4 pages, plus i got the entire back cover! The article is in German, but fortunately, there is an English supplement.

 

making book

I thought about this since i started the Artist Body series in 2008 and have been working on it for the past several months in those pesky spare five minutes’s that i find here and there. (Like i don’t have enough to do as it is…) Still a work in progress itself, i expect it to be done in another month and a half…i hope.

Each page has gotten easier–i’m learning to shoot (and re shoot in some cases!), edit and layout as i go along. Even so, with adjustments, text editing and sizing for the format, it usually takes at least an hour per page! I have to say to all who plan to do this in the future with their own work: keep the original size photos, keep the artist statements, keep all your construction and idea notes, date everything and put it all in ONE file. It’s been a nightmare trying to track through umpteen files, dibs of info here and there, scratching of the head to remember the intent and then date it all in order without some clues. Some photos were retaken awhile ago so the date on them doesn’t correspond to the actual making of the object, or the resolution was wrong or i cropped them too much. (And no, those copyrights in olive green won’t be on there, just the standard copyright notice in the fine print )

Though i’m showing only a couple of the pages already done, i still have many to do! When it’s done, it will be available on Blurb. A book that is definitely a labour of love and labour

I’m intending to get Nightmare Interrupted and Mother’s Heart in here as well. Then i plan on doing another one that covers my more recent forays into working with ecoprints, natural dyes and rust, sucker for punishment that i am…..

 

published again: verFilzt Und zugeNacht issue 38

In August i was approached by a European magazine that i had only seen at the Marjolein Dallinga felt workshop  in March of 2011 (first 3 entries in that link). verFilzt Und zugeNaht is full, so full, chock full of beauteous work and not just felting!

These publications approaching me makes me think, hope, know that i am on the right track after all.

 

 

EYE CANDY!!!!!!!!!!

 Just got my ordered copy (not my complimentary copy which i am *still* waiting for by the way) of Art Quilting Studio Winter 2013 and WOWSERZ, what an incredible issue! I may be a bit prejudiced because i have 5 pages in it, but the rest of it really makes me want to do more too! Stunning work by a lot of fabulous artists!!!!!!!!!!!! (NOTE: This magazine is totally different from Quilting Arts, it is not Quilting Arts, it is Art Quilting Studio, a publication from Stampington, not InterWeave.)

 This issue is one of the best i have seen of this magazine and the best i think in a long time from any textile arts publication. Even if i weren’t in it i would feel so inspired and hawt to trot that my copy would be limp from use There are so many new things i want to try now and some old to bring back to the arsenal.

I also “donated” the use of a shot of “Imperfect World” to TAFA for the Zazzle shop, a fund raiser for the administration and long hours that Rachel Biel puts in, as founder and HerdMother. You can find images of quite a few TAFA members in the shop, but hope you’ll fall in love with a mug, deck of cards, or my personal favourite, the laptop messenger bag with this gorgeous textile art on it.

Bugger, i got so excited that i spilled juice on my keyboard–good thing i wasn’t doing any of this by the work for the weekend Contextural show!!!!

 

published again: Art Quilting Studio Winter 2013, and something else too

In June, i was contacted by Art Quilting Studio magazine asking me to submit work. I figured they would choose one piece for the readers showcase section, but nope, they wanted 5 pieces and an article for the Winter 2013 issue. ( That’s not next year by the way: it’s available Dec1/12–they just date it that way because of January). As my darling son used to say “WOOT”!! I just read the proofs last night and ooo is it pretty

They chose quite a span of work, dating from May 2009 to July of this year, so it’s quite representative of my style and the progression of my work. Sometimes we need to see our own from someone else’s eyes!

I’ve also been asked to teach a natural dye class next year in May, June or July in a place that is very dear to my heart, Bowen Island in beautiful BC. Info on that as it comes–the organizer and i are still in the “making lists” phase– and when it is finalized!

 

you never know where your work will go!

Several months ago i was approached by someone who wanted to use “Instinct” in a publication as an illustration, on agreement that i would get hard copy, and credit. Though her nose got a bit cropped, i’m rather happy about it

In the “Brain and Behaviour” pages highlighting their faculty and programs in Psychology and Biology, here she is:

Scanned, so not perfectly clear

And the original detail she was taken from:

Instinct (detail) 2010 arlee barr

 

hitting the National! EDITED: MORE NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m still on my “sabbatical” but just have to share my news:

Above, my favourite photo of “Winter Prairie” in its last stage of completion.

And done:

And off now to the CQA National show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: 619PM Second show acceptance of the day!!!!!!!!! “Padded Cell” will be at the DaDe Gallery’s “FABRICation” show !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Padded Cell: Boro'd Time

Padded Cell: Boro'd Time

And Beautiful Bones is featured in the current issue of “A Needle Pulling Thread” magazine, in an article by Joe Lewis.

 

stitchindy, stitchindy—- 2nd done for “HW,WT”

See the forest see the trees a path of thread a stream of cloth pour the cloth on the path stitchwash away the day and see the forest in the trees

Second of the 3×3 pieces—need some colour though and am sliding a bit in.

#2 for “Have Work, Will Travel”

Despite what it looks like, this one does not get bigger, then smaller

#1 and 2 done, together

As each piece is finished i am getting more and more ideas—while i have committed to at least 3 more, if i have time–because i have to work on the big piece too for a show 2 weeks after these are due—maybe i can do 5 more…..hope springs eternal

And my ecoprint fabric from the Cloth Paper Scissors fabric exchange is in the mag:

 

Back to stitching!

 

the 17th ARTeries!

Now on MrXStitch: “Making Do, A New Aesthetic”.