Wednesday 9 March 2011

orange and last minute stitching












i pasted this image together from 3 taken in the gloom of the wee small hours last night
freshly dyed cloth [milkymerino TM]
for extensions to parts of the mens costumes for 'breathe'
one of the hardest things for me is to cut into a piece of cloth like this
because
for me it's a kind of map
of the day
of the plants
of the bio-region where i gathered the windfalls
[or, in this instance, did some community pruning
to save pedestrians from getting wet hair while pootling along the sidewalk
under a low-hanging eucalypt]

which is why i prefer to make things in white/greige and dye them after the last stitch has been inserted
although
since attending a Dorothy Caldwell masterclass some years back
i have also been piecing smaller cloths together
[but i still can't bring myself to cut or shape them]

the mention of maps brings me to thoughts of Orange
as in the Orange Fibre Forum
where i will be giving a class next month

Janet de Boer [the creator of TAFTA, editor of 100 issues of its splendid magazine and fearless leader of over 20 years' worth of Fibre Forums]
kindly paved the way for me to show an exhibition of my work at the Orange Regional Gallery
which will open on April 1 and run to May 6

the exhibition is called
the windFallMaps
[which will also travel to Surface Design this year to be shown at their conference]


so
i'd like to publicly thank Janet for her support, enthusiasm and mentorship over the years.
she was one of the first to publish my writing
gave me my first 'big' teaching opportunities
and has been hugely generous in drawing attention to my various activities

her creation of the amazing textile community that has met through Forums
along with her boundless pastoral care [i'm but one of the many who has benefited]
is just astonishing.

Janet dear, i dips me lid.

10 comments:

  1. i must say it helps to know it's hard for you to cut into beautiful cloths, your maps, because i have those fears, too. if it's already small, i easily piece larger, but the other way is so hard. acknowledging mentorship is beautiful, as is to read your words about janet. spreading the good is all good. in every way.

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  2. I understand why it is hard for you to cut up your beautiful cloths--I have the same dilemma with my hand painted rice papers-- the accidental stuff is the best parts.

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  3. Today I cut up a felted piece that I have made a few weeks ago to cover a frame and it was a bit difficult at first, but I said to myself that I was cutting up one piece of art to make another and somehow that made it easier.
    I love that you acknowledged your mentor.

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  4. I can imagine how difficult it must be to cut into your wonderful pieces .... on the other hand I got immense pleasure cutting into some old wood carvings that I thought I would burn. Cutting out all the good areas was thrilling.

    Whoop-whoop ... I just found your Flickr photostream!

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  5. oh my goodness, oh my goodness.... i spy a new book in your sidebar!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! I can hardly wait!
    xo

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  6. I dont know how Janet manages to have a personal relationship with just about everyone in the fibre world, but

    she seems to. She has been endlessly patient and lovely to me too. bring your ugg boots to orange.

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  7. Janet has been so very supportive to many, many fibre people, even before TAFTA was born. I first met her wayyy back in the never never time, she taught me to make paper from native grasses. It's good to acknowledge her and all her work.

    and, i'm so pleased and relieved to hear that you find it difficult to cut into large dyeing maps, i'm finding it almost impossible.

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  8. Beautiful! I usually don't like strong color, but I love this! Must be because it's from nature.

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  9. I just adore your pieces and l would find it hard to cut into them too. I have the same feelings now l am making bigger pieces. It is wonderful when people aid you to move on and are so nice at the same time.x lynda

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