2nd Annual Contextural Christmas Artist Show and Sale

Beautiful Bones, published

From sketch, to finished piece, 3 months of intense hand work. Sept/Oct 2009 Cloth Paper Scissors.

Workshop with Jean Cacicedo

If any one is going to the Maiwa Symposium, check this out.(Click on the post title) I WISH i could go, have always admired her work. Can you imagine a three day workshop with her????
There are also other events listed on the main page of that site for the Symposium.

Artist Talks

Arlee drew my attention to a textile artist talking in October and today I found out about another in September.

Tuesday Sept 29th - Art Talk with Judy Chicago

Friday Oct 2nd - Art Talk - with Al Anatsui

I got in touch with Glenbow and they told me that the Al Anatsui event is a free event no tickets needed, just get there in time... first come first served. But I would check this if I were you.

The one for Judy Chicago is $25 each! less for students or Gallery Members.

Hope this is of interest.

Karin

Canadian suppliers and artists

I'm finding it quite frustrating finding supplies for textile arts and mixed media in Calgary. It's one thing to scrounge, find, re-purpose or "upcycle" or thrift, but some of it has to be new! I never realized how spoiled i was when i lived in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, being able to walk into Opus, Maiwa and Opulence Silk and Dyes when i needed something, and find what i needed, with knowledgeable staff as well!

Canada is a big place to navigate and we don't all have access to big city suppliers. To that end, i have added a module to my personal blog that will be a compilation of textile and mixed media art supplies, as i find them. If you have any CANADIAN sites you know of, please email me and i will add in another entry, or you may add in the comment section.

I know there is a website for Canadian artists, several in fact, but none of them are specifically for what "we" do, so am adding artists as well.

The page is here, and has an RSS feed as well.

Screen printing workshop with Siri

Long entry on my blog :} Just click on the title of *this* entry to read it.

Another Great Critique Night

Yesterday the Contextural members had another great Critique session where members had a chance to share their work and get some feedback.

The Critique sessions were started earlier this year to provide a formal setting where members could show finished works or works in progress and practice a critical dialogue on fibre arts, work esthetics and the progression of members as artists. Below are pictures from our third meeting. There will be three more this year (August 24, September 28, November 23). Anyone interested in becoming a member is welcome to observe our next Critique session.

Please email: contextural@gmail.com for more information

Siri contemplating comments on her pieced work in progress.

Melinda - not so keen on having her picture taken.

Karen discusses her new scarf series with Anne.

And we're off!!!!

Participants listen as we introduce what to expect this summer.

Move in day for the second annual Contextural Summer Residency in the ACAD Fibre Dept. Studios started off with a bang. We have 21 participants this year and speaking for myself, it seems we're ready to make, discuss and pretty much take over the world with fibre. See you all in the studios fellow participants.

Here are a few pictures from our move in day.

Tara and the ever long but necessary orientation speach.
Thanks for hanging in there guys!

Lyn Pflueger and Ashley Quann discussing felting.
Can't wait to see what these two come up with this summer.

2009 Summer Residency Schedule

The 2009 Summer Residency Schedule is now available on-line.
Check it out on the sidebar of this blog or click on the link above, but keep checking because we have all sorts of great stuff planned for this summer - and most of it....
okay, who are we kidding, all of it you won't want to miss!!!!

artist trunk show & sale

COME CELEBRATE SPRING BY JOINING US AT OUR SHOW & SALE!

13 Artists will be showing/ selling their work

and of course, wine and munchies!

Seeking Members for the Second Annual Contextural Summer Residency Program

We are currently inviting expressions of interest from those who would like to be part of this dynamic and vital new addition to Calgary's cultural scene as members, participants in a summer residency and the possibility to continue working with the group in securing more long term studio space.

Interested parties should send an application (as listed below) to: contextural@gmail.com with the subject: Summer Residency Application

Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 1 @ midnight.

Submission Requirements:

• Two paragraphs describing how you see working with this group/ in these facilities will enhance your practice and how you think you can enhance the group. (max. 1 page)
  

• CV

• Artist Statement (maximum 1 page)

• 5-6 images of your work – as it may pertain to the work you intend to do in the space. (images should be in jpeg format, 72 dpi and 1024 x 768 pixels) see Do’s and Don’ts of submitting digital images below, as taken from the Canada Council for the Arts application guidelines. Please contact contextural@gmail.com if you need assistance to modify your images.)

• A list of images – including title, date, medium, dimensions of artwork and max.1 sentence describing the piece (optional).

Questions may be directed by email to contextural@gmail.com

Christmas Trunk Show Pics

Contextural Christmas Trunk Show

Saturday December 13, 2008

Thanks so much to all of those that braved the cold! We had a great turn out considering the daily high was -30c.  We had wine cheese and a warm fire for all to enjoy.

Great work to all involved. Stayed tuned for information about our Contextural Spring Trunk Show in May.

Glenbow Gallery and Museum

No photos for fear of breaking copyright law... see the links below...

Al and I have had a great day in downtown Calgary. I was so disappointed that we had missed the exhibition Experimental Art and Culture at the Calgary Art Gallery (it finished a couple of days ago - just my luck) but actually this was no bad thing as they were completely closed for exhibition change and we were forced to go to the Glenbow Gallery and Museum - where we were lucky enough to see the Joe Fafard exhibition of sculptures.
We took the (free) audio guide and Aliya listened to every entry - we found the works amusing, disturbing, beautiful, complex and were in awe of the techniques.
We then (had a drink of course) went to the hands on make your own art (ARC discovery room) - Al did a water colour landscape (Fafard was a farm boy) and I had a go at a pastel drawing of a horses head (he loves his horses and cows!) and we watched a video of him discussing his work.
Comment to say with me - 'If you go into your studio and you say to yourself "I don't have any idea of what to do." Then you should leave the studio straight away.' Creativity should be a natural process and not a struggle, it should be a joy that comes from you and isn't forced out of you, then I guess it is pure pleasure.
Of interest might be the upcoming Sew City: a community project for mending and making May 23 & 24th and the Celebrating Quilts May 1 - July, 2009

I want!

Maybe because I look at virtual environments and cross sections on a daily basis, or maybe because I have a special place in my heart for recycled materials or maybe because the work is so thought provoking, I cannot get the images of Jarod Charzewski’s latest work Regeneration Gap (above) and his other piece Scarp out of my mind.

As landscapes they are magical for purely aesthetic reasons; there is a quality about them that causes me to want to wander across them. They are tactile and engaging pieces that make me a little jealous of people in the Toronto area as his latest show is up until April 25, 2009 at the Pari Nadimi Gallery.

The size of the pieces reflects the landscapes they emulate but the message of consumerism comes across in these carefully constructed spaces that are as effective in the images on his website as what I assume they would be in person. What I appreciate is the use of already existing materials to create the installation. This is not a new idea in the art world necessarily, but the fact that after the show closes, the clothes are returned to the market I think puts further pressure on artist to think about what they create and the impact that producing art has on consumerism. This is something I’m personally thinking about in my own practice as I compulsively collect stuff that I could potentially use; I now need to look at what I have and what I can use, pass on or reinvent.

I’m wondering if I leave the layers of clothes that are scattered on my floor they will eventually turn into something like Scarp(above)? Even if they don’t I appreciate the inspiration that these pieces gave me.

Digital Printing onto diverse surfaces

This skin was produced using acrylic paints coated with a digital ground for non-porous surfaces.

Using our domestic ink-jet printers is another way to get our designs onto surfaces, without resorting to expensive, professionally produced products and studios.

Having begun to build a library of diverse surfaces that will go through the printer, I thought I would jot down a few comments, start a list of references on the subject and show a few images. 

Digital image printed on acrylic skin with cotton strip (middle- running top to bottom) at right is shown translucent un-printed skin

List of surfaces that will pass through a normal ink-jet printer.
Paper - printer, photo, watercolour, crinkle, rice, foiled, novelty...
Fabrics - cotton, silk, satin, muslin, hessian, voile, organz, organdie, Lutrador, Tyvek
Metal meshes
Metal foils - including recycled cans, aluminium, copper or other flashing and kitchen foil...
Metal tape
Skins of glue, acrylic paint, gels
Plastic surfaces - bags, acetate, table top covers, films
Natural surfaces - wood, bark

Note: some of the above require special preparation and a carrier sheet to aid their movement through the printer.

Surface ready for stitching was created in Photoshop and printed on mosquito netting using Golden gel medium and non-porous ground.

Printer Limitations
Clearance of print head... (my printer is an Epson Photostylus 2100, which has a clearance for the print head of 1.3mm) please refer to your printer's user's manual to learn about its limitations

Adjustments to printer

These are necessary to move the surface through the printer without damaging the image whilst it is wet.
Pizza wheels may need to be lifted and instructions for this are online. Here.
Rollers may also be lifted.

Materials that are needed to improve print quality and/or give interesting effects
Golden products - Digital grounds for porous and non-porous surfaces (available in white or transparent, matt and gloss)
Inkaid 
DASS -

Further information
I can help give advice about the actual method if anyone is interested contact me via my profile and check out my blog entries for Feb and March to see more images.

Kathyanne White ran a 5 week online course for this and might do the same again.
If you already know about photoshop then I think this is an expensive way to learn how to print on these surfaces - but that is just my own opinion.

The Golden Website is a good place to read about the technique and the adjustments for printing on different surfaces

The InkAid Website has a good bibliography of online resources such as video tutorials and their FAQs are also very informative

Bonny Lhotka has videos on YouTube and she with others have written a lovely book on the subject - Digital Art Studio: Techniques for Combining Inkjet Printing with Traditional Art Materials [Illustrated] (Paperback)
by Bonny Lhotka, Dorothy Simpson Krause, Karin Schminke

Artist talk and show

Joanna Staniszkis at ACAD, April 2nd
Meet some of you there?

it fits in your pocket

If anyone needs an excuse to work under a deadline, The New Gallery in Calgary is having an Artist Trading Card session this Saturday at 5 pm. This is a great opportunity to trade work and also add to your personal art collection. Don't worry if this is too short of notice for this month, however consider yourself informed as this is a regular event that happens the last Saturday of the month.

As their website says, "there are no restrictions as to medium (they run the gamut from painting to collage to rubberstamps to found images to the limits of your imagination), subject matter or number; they may be 2D or 3D, original, a series, an edition or a multiple. "

see the website for more info :
http://www.thenewgallery.org/programs

Well worth the trip

Thanks for this Arlee,
It is now a day since we went to the exhibition and it has sunk into my being even more. The colours and fabric types Boulet used stay in my mind, the contrasts of materials. And the diversity of techniques. I do remember, however, that this work was done under the rigours of a post grad. degree. I wonder what his work is like without that and, perhaps on different subjects.

The pieces certainly made me enquire (and Arlee supplied many a stimulating explanation) and we had the chance to enjoy discussing his techniques and his extremely admirable skills. The pieces moved me with his expressions of humour and representation of pain or happiness... such powerful contrasts.

I whole-heartedly recommend this exhibition to any who want to see patchwork and cross-stitch where the creator is labelled more for his artistry than the method he uses. I find it hard to visit something labelled a patchwork show (I am after all, only an honorary Canadian) and the many such shows I have seen have held extremely skillfully pieced works, but lacked deep meaning. This show turns that on its head for me.

I don't always need deep messages to come from the art I view but, for some reason, I prefer patchworks that are playful, illusional or deep and meaningful...

Art Date: Stitched and Drawn

Karin and i went this morning to see Richard Boulet's show, Stitched and Drawn, at ACAD's Illingworth Kerr Gallery, and HIGHLY recommend it. I hadn't known what to expect, even after reading as much as i could find about Boulet, and was thoroughly engaged at the show.

This isn't a "review" in the accepted sense; this is what i saw and felt.

Gender is usually NOT an issue for myself in viewing another's art, but it *was* surprising to see such a feminine touch in the works. I don't mean a girliegirlie look or ultrafine detail, women's "issues" or an usurpment or corruption of tradition. Mr Boulet evinced a respect for the fabrics, whether new or old, referencing vintage flavours, what i think of as 60's and 70's "political" banners and soft sculpture elements. EDIT: after writing this paragraph, i found this article: read what he says about the feminine.

His experiences with schizophrenia and psychosis were the backbone of the show. Responses to medication, the mental health system, the commonalities of the disease and his personal feelings and knowledge drew me in, not in any strident diatribe, but in thoughtful treatment of the subject, but with no feeling of self absorption, personal aggrandizement or egotism. At times, i could feel a shiver, a recognizable sensation remembered from my own relationship to friends and family with the disorder. I could also laugh at some of the pieces, as a sense of humour was very evident, and some made me want to cry.

Fabric choices are intensely personal to textile artists. I would never have thought of pairing 1890's style prints with contemporary batik/hand dyes. I wouldn't do delicate cross-stitch and place it on a huge area of pieced blocks. I wouldn't combine soft sculpture elements with a traditional quilting pattern, or graphic phrases with soft colours. That being said, it all worked together in a highly individualistic style. Everything was integrated. It jarred, but in an evocative rather than provocative way.

And i can't really share any images with you other than those in the previous post, as there aren't a lot online, and of course, no cameras are allowed in the gallery! The only other info i could find was this.

On his "No Longer Homeless" piece was this in fine cross-stitch:

If all i had were bits of colored thread i would weave a web and dangle it in the wind that blew around my eyelashes

And this reminded me so clearly of my ex husband:

There is a grand perfection in delusional thinking that can deeply stamp the mind of a person with schizophrenia with a divinity that lays permanent doubt upon coincidence.

Much food for thought, and that's what the point is for an "art date".

Stiched and Drawn

The Alberta College of Art and Design's Illingworth Kerr Gallery features work by Edmonton artist Richard Boulet from January 8-March 27, 2009.

The artist's latest body of fibre work is decidedly reflexive in nature, confronting past behaviours and decisions that have impacted negatively on his mental state. Boulet's time-intensive working process provides the artist an opportunity to contemplate the past and, stitch by careful stitch, to put things right. As he explains, “To use quilting and cross-stitching in a body of work that alludes to the psychological dilemmas of redressing regrets seems appropriate, in that there is a strong sense of comfort and self care in these two fibre techniques. Things can't be so bad, so confused, so basically wrong, if the resulting product produced instils a sense of a home well tended, eventually.” Commenting on the contrast between two aspects of his practice, drawing and quilting/cross-stitching, Boulet explains that drawing provides him an outlet for another sort of expression. “My drawings have a much different job to accomplish. This is when I mentally let loose. I let my mind slide into the energy of the atavistic psychological experience. I jump into the psyche with abandon and see what I can pull out by the seat of my pants. Drawing can be a testing ground to see if I have finally managed to recover to the point that there is no hidden danger lurking in my mind. Yes, the schizophrenia is always present at a certain level, but rules for maintaining mental health do exist, in part; drawing rules that were learnt in university and on my own. It is the sublime training of experience applied to the task at hand that eventually allows the fears and joys of the past to be investigated and given light.”

http://www.acad.ab.ca/wh_2009_01_ikg_rb.html

Don't let missing this show be a regret you have to reflect on, go out and see it!


Alberta College of Art + Design
1407-14 Ave NW
Calgary, AB Canada

HOURS : Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (unless otherwise noted)

feltastic

The process of felting is something everyone has experienced, although likely the experience was an unintentional resizing of a sweater. The beauty of a process like felting is that it really has a basic principle that an artist can then further explore different possibilities to make their own work; take for example how the artists Stephanie Metz and Chad Alice Hagen have both taken the process of felting and used different techniques to create to unique styles of work. Metz describes the her process;


To sculpt with wool I use a process called felting, which refers to compressing and matting individual fibers into a united solid mass through use of heat, pressure, moisture, or mechanical means. Most people are familiar with wet felting, in which hot, soapy water is used to shrink knitted or crocheted items into smaller, dense versions. I do not use hot water and soap—instead I use tools adapted from industrial use and work with the dry wool fibers directly.

Stephanie Metz

Ursulus parvulus 10-08
Felted wool, glass jar
7" H x 3.5" W x 3.5" D
2008

Stephanie Metz
Super Suckler
Felted wool
12.5 "H x 15"W x 33"D
2008

http://www.stephaniemetz.com/

Chad Alice Hagens

Red Eucalyptus - Page from a Book (2007)7" x 7"

Chad Alice Hagens
Night Wall Three (1994)
97"H x 72"W
Private collection
Felt

http://www.chadalicehagen.com