Friday Finish

I'm wondering... big finish?  or new beginning?
Today is it, the last day of my Saskatchewan Arts Board grant period.  Yesterday I handed in my final report and a CD full of 16 images of new work, all hand stitched with yarn.  Some of my work was more representational, some were impressionistic, some were abstract.  I started out with a few really great pieces, then made some really not-so-great pieces that I won't show you, and then finally ended with work I am extremely proud of.  I guess that's normal.  You can't force it, right?  You've seen most of my work (anything hand stitched with yarn since January) but I have this one I'd like to show you.  Some times I really like it.  Sometimes I don't.  It's inspired by a row of rocks at Sutherland Beach, an off-leash park with trails right in the city by the river.  I often go there with Buddy.

Now, this photo was taken after the art was started, to show you the spot where Buddy and I hike.  The art was started in my studio with just a very vivid memory of some early morning walks.  In my mind, there must have been a load of lovely flowers.  I laughed when I went back and realized there isn't much more than green and white here.  Oh well!  In the morning with my 'best friend', maybe I just feel a lot more colour.

Let's just go with that.

Here is how I started this particular one, placing felt and chopped yarns onto a felt sheet background.  Image this - I needle felted with a machine from Margot and nothing broke!  Woohoo - I guess that's a small miracle indeed.  I have struggled with felting and decided many times to give up.  hmmm... there's something about this Pfaff that works really well for me.

Above is me building up the background.  I'm not quite at the 'ugly phase' where I want to toss the whole thing.  No.  That comes after a couple long afternoons of handwork.  haha.  At least I recognize it when it happens and I know to push past it.

The top of the piece is the background.  The rocks are pieces of hand dyed felt I got years ago from Meinke Toy.  They are fabulous for rocks don't you think?  I felted them in, along with all the bits of yarns.  Then I began to stitch.

I stitched and stitched.  And I stitched some more.  This was a huge process.  I started it a few days before the Saskatoon Ex demo night.  That's when I began the pink flowers.

I personally love the pink.  There's some glistening purples in there too that look wet.  The choppy grey along the bottom was to be the path.  The rocks sit on a bit of a ledge, so I made the ground that would be more vertical have a deeper shade to it.  I've never the face of a slope like that so I'm not sure you can understand it without the original photo.

any who.

I stitched and stitched and did more and more stitching.  Some parts are still worked less than others, but I feel it's done.  Here it is - from my morning walk with Buddy the Border Collie.

8x15 inches, hand stitched

I wish you could see it as big as it really is!  It's 8x15 inches.  I could chop it in half and have a couple 8x6's.  yes/no?  One reason I like this embroidery is because it has my feelings in it.  It has the colours that express my joy and wonder and happiness from when I'm out with him.  This is good.  I feel like I was really able to express emotion in my work.  I did it!

So tell me: if you know the park and paths well, this is the spot where we sometimes turn off the main road loop, climb the little ledge, and cross over through a bit of an open field on a well work foot path.  See the golds at the top right?  that's the field you step up into.  If you know where am thinking about, do you feel the way my picture feels when you are there?  I'm curious.  I would love to hear from you!  : )

Again, thank you to the Saskatchewan Arts Board for supporting me to get to this point.  It's a good one!  Thank you also to Margot Lindsay for the use of the felting machine and the beautiful yarns of green, pink, and cream.  : )

Catch Up Time!

Woah - a whole week of sick kids, then a whole week off school with a sick mama.  I haven't been at the computer at all, but I have been stitching in between sleeps, tea, and hot baths.  I *think* I'm done the old corn field.  I expect that matting it will add that perfect look.  Want to see?

Old Cornfield, 2015  8"x20" / 20cmx50cm

This is number 4 of 12 that I'm creating thanks to a grant with the Saskatchewan Arts Board.  There is baby blue in the puddles but my camera appears to not see it well.  I also have lumps and bumps stitched in with other yarns, and some beads and rocks too.

detail of work in progress

I'm still on the watch for Stitch magazine to arrive in our city's bookstores from the UK.  I was assured it't coming but is very late due to weather.  In the mean time, I got this.  A Needle Pulling Thread (Canada) winter 14/15.  My goodness, goodness... I love how Carla colour themes her issues.  This one is indeed STUNNING.  There's the prettiest tea cosy ever, and an absolutely gorgeous winter cape.  I wish I could make everything in there.

hot off the press

The back pages have a regular column titled, 'In the Loop'.  Look!  There was coverage of the Focus on Fibre Arts Association show.  That is wonderful to see!  : )

'In the Loop' - A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine

Two pieces on those pages are here in Saskatoon as part of the Our Prairie in Fibre show - Judy Weiss' Mosquito Country (middle right edge), and Leah Gravells'  Canola Fields (upper left corner).  Can you believe that it is coming to an end?  I wish I wasn't so sick.  I want to go spend more time in that room.  I want to run my fingers through the yellow frayed fabric of Heather Lair's torn strip landscape, The Ice that Hid the Sky.  (No no, not allowed of course... I'm just sayin'!)  I want to run my fingertips over those thousands of hand stitches in Arlee Barr's Winter Prairie.  I want to squish my hands into all of the hooked rug art - I'll have to get one of Jean Ottosen's Prairie Sky pieces sooner or later.  It really takes a lot of restraint to be an admirer of fibre art.  So for those of you who are just that, kudos to you!  Though, (haha) I wonder what happens after you purchase a piece and take it home.

Okay - the last of the news:  Saturday, Febraury 21st.  That is it.  That's the last day to see the exhibition.  It's a bit sad, but I feel so fulfilled by the whole event.  The show really took on a life of it's own, and so many new opportunities were made because of it.  Did I tell you?  One depiction of a piece in the show that was drawn & coloured by a kindergarten boy was loved so much by the fibre artist who made the piece, that she plans to display his rendition alongside her art in an upcoming exhibition in Regina.  WOW.

And the tears during the curator's talk were so humbling.  Leona Larson's passionate endorsement of the show that night still has me tearing up.

It's wonderful how your homeland can heal you and ground you..  While at a school, I noticed one of the staff having a rough moment after a phone call.  I walked into her office (uninvited) and held up a student's colourful prairie fabric art.  She exhaled all that stress she was holding in, her shoulders dropped, and she said, "Thank you.  I needed that."  And then she breathed in and said, "Wow.  That really is beautiful."

The stories that have come out of this curated show are unending.  In retrospect, this has been the BEST part about curating.  I witnessed people feeling deeply, expressing, discovering, connecting, and carrying their inspiration forward into the community as a result of the collection of art in that room.  It's been an absolute gift (and extremely difficult to put into words).

Shine On.

The week continues to shine on.  

First, the weather this December is like the end of April.  So warm, it's unbelievable.

Second, this blog... check it out!  The counter on the right sidebar has exceeded ONE MILLION views.  1,000,000 !?  Wow. 

Thirdly (because you know good things come in threes, right?) the most marvelous mail arrived!

I did it I did it I did!  I also did a lot of squealing and bouncing.  And then I did it again.  Squeal.  Jump.  Scream.  Bounce.  Woop it up.  Hop around.  lol

Wow.  I applied for a provincial arts board grant in September when I was between studios.  It was a good time to catch up on paperwork.  It's not the first time I've tried for this funding.  This particular grant is to create larger-scale fibre artwork from January to July that is more abstract / impressionistic, but still prairie inspired.  Oh - it was pproved!  Being financially supported in order to expand my creativity is such an honour.  THANK YOU SK ARTS BOARD.  I will continue to create and sell my threadpaintings of course.  But it will be terrific to work so open-ended like I dream about.  I want to create closer up, but larger scale.  I want to stitch by hand with all those gorgeous yarns again like I did with 'Where Sunlight Falls'.  I want to explore what I can do and really move forward.  This money is so timely as well.  Maybe you heard?  Maybe you didn't.  But it looks like we are moving house very soon -which means grieving my studio and preparing for much work starting all over again with a new space and trying to making it mine.  I'm not afraid that we can't do it again.  I am afraid of being studio-less and not able to create until things get packed and unpacked.  I suppose it's all for the best.  I'll have all this pent up energy that will get me all fired up to move an as soon as my feet hit the ground.  In the mean time, I will dream.  Well - I also have the curated show to set up in a matter of weeks.  It all works out.  It always does.  : )

Before I sign off, I should tell you that I have one small threadpainting left.  If anyone is interested in purchasing art before the holidays, please feel free to email me.  It's pictured below.

5x5" framed to 10x10" in dark brown, under glass with the double mat with lots of French Knots : ) 

The Bestest Most Funnest Stitching Day EVER

November 15th was my day as Visiting Artist at the Childrens Discovery Museum, funded by the Saskatchewan Arts Board.  I'm on cloud nine - I had such a great time.  There were women, men, girls, and boys of all ages doing fibre art.  Inspired by Tibetan Prayer Flags, everyone made a flag to either keep, or add to the long banner that will hang at the museum.  For many, it was their first time stitching.  People were pretty proud of their new found skills.  Just look at these beauties!

We used Yarn Darners and floss to collage felt, big buttons, and paper to the flags.  Even with all the works of art that people took home, we still ended up with a 6 metre long line of flags!

There were four classes throughout the day, three of which were very full.  We had wonderful volunteer helpers.  Everyone was so invented.  It reminded me of postcards workshops where everyone is given a blank fabric to do whatever their heart desires.

And then the fun really began!  I brought my bicycle in and did a little talk about "yarn bombing" but added fabric strips to the mix.  Oh did they EVER have fun with this!

This was something all ages could enjoy.  And seriously - check out my bike now!  I am so very proud of this, even though you can't actually ride it.  The front wheel will not move at all.  : )  So, I had to carry it out of the mall.  Several folks gave me the strangest looks in the hallway.  As I passed each one, I simply said, "I let a bunch of children decorate my bike!"  and each passerby burst out laughing with approval.  : )

my new pride and joy

But wait.  There's more.  Since the bike was loaded full with fabric and there was still another class coming... I had to come up with something.  This room I held the workshops in was in a shopping centre.  So I took one of the nearby shopping carts and announced, "This cart is so ugly.  Please decorate it."

They had a BLAST.  They wrapped that cart until there was no more yarn left in the room.  No worries - it was all removed before we left the building.

It was a good day indeed.  Creative.  Experimental.  Tactile.  And therapeutic too.  ; )

Thanks everyone for coming out, and thank you to the CDM for having me.