Unbound

November 12, 2017

November 4 - Opening reception of the Unbound show at the River Street Gallery in New Haven, CT. This lovely gentleman spent a good amount of time inspecting my Forget Me Not. I should have introduced myself and talked to him, right? I mean, that's a big part of what opening receptions are all about, right? I'd love to know what he would have had to say.

River Street Gallery is housed within Fairhaven Furniture. Fairhaven inhabits a large warehouse space and has wonderful merchandise on multiple floors and in many rooms. One of these spaces is the gallery where they have been having high caliber exhibitions for years. Much of the furniture in the store is handcrafted, mostly by artisans who work with wood, and what they show is unique and very beautiful. The artwork they show complements the furniture they sell and vice versa.

Left to Right: Ellen Schiffman, fiber artist and indefatigable leader of our Connecticut (CT) chapter of the Surface Design Association (SDA); Doug Crites-Moore, maker of truly tiny paper sculptures and my husband of 37 years - he looks like he's wearing awesome earmuffs; Sooo-z Mastropietro, fiber artist extraordinaire; and Nancy Moore, award-winning artist and the very talented and unflappable curator of the Unbound show.

Unbound showcases the work of more than 40 artists from the tri-state area, all of whom are members of CT-SDA. The more than 200 works in this show will be on display through January 7, 2018.

For you, a glimpse of some of the items in the show:

JOAN WHEELER :: THE SEEKER :: needle felted wool — JOAN WHEELER :: THE SEEKER :: needle felted wool

JENNIFER DAVIES :: SHIMMER :: pigmented kozo fiber :: 60h x 52w

MINDY HORN :: PALM VESSEL :: ceramic :: 9h x 10w x 8d — MINDY HORN :: PALM VESSEL :: ceramic :: 9h x 10w x 8d

JULIET MARTIN :: I WOULD WEAR THAT: BRONZE :: 16 X 20 — JULIET MARTIN :: I WOULD WEAR THAT: BRONZE :: 16 X 20

LIZ ALPERT FAY :: LEAVES ARE GREEN, NUTS ARE BROWN :: wool, pearl cotton thread, hand stitched :: 28.5 x 30 — LIZ ALPERT FAY :: LEAVES ARE GREEN, NUTS ARE BROWN :: wool, pearl cotton thread, hand stitched :: 28.5 x 30

CHRISTINE WILKINSON :: IT STARTED WITH A BOOK

MARY LOUISE LEARNED :: BIRCH BARK :: cloth, thread :: 40h x 27w

HELENE KUSNITZ :: BLACK VESSEL WITH RED BEADS

MARGUERITE FRENCH :: RED MOONS :: dyed silk charmeuse — MARGUERITE FRENCH :: RED MOONS :: dyed silk charmeuse

TTFN

OMBROUCHURE :: SOOO-Z MASTROPIETRO :: WESTPORT, CT — *OMBROUCHURE :: SOOO-Z MASTROPIETRO :: WESTPORT, CT*

Canton Reception Was A Blast

April 28, 2016

The Connecticut Scissorhands opening reception at the Gallery on the Green in Canton was so much fun! I kind of groaned about going because it is an hour and a half drive, each way, and I was going solo, and I'd be driving home at night, which is not my favorite thing to do.

But I'm so glad I went! It is a wonderful show!

*HOMAGE TO ANNI :: CHRISTINE WILKINSON :: SOUTHBURY, CT*

There was a fabulous turnout - it was opening night for three shows - one in each of their three galleries, which made for an awesome collection of art lovers and artists, connecting over food, wine, and ... you know ... ART.

*KOZO TOTEM (detail) :: JENNIFER DAVIES :: BRANFORD, CT*

Canton apparently has a strong community of art lovers - the Canton Artist's Guild bills itself as Connecticut's oldest running artist's guild. The guild has been hosting shows at its Gallery on the Green since 1960.

*DRAWINGS FROM THE STARGAZER'S DIARY :: JENNIFER COYNE QUDEEN :: REDDING, CT*

Congratulations to Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, whose wall of wonderfully rusted and stitched cloth squares received the Award of Excellence.

*DRAWINGS FROM THE STARGAZER'S DIARY (detail)*

Connecticut Scissorhands is a curated exhibit of work by the Connecticut Chapter of Surface Design Association. It will be on view at the Gallery on the Green, in Canton (CT), through May 22.

A Visit to Helena Hernmarck's Studio

April 13, 2016

How do you like these threads? Such gorgeous colors, mingling in their basket. Where did I photograph them? At Helena Hernmarck's studio! What a wonderful few hours were had by our small group, nine of us, all members of Surface Design Association (SDA).

Here is the magnificent wall of wool threads ... and this photo doesn't even show all of it. The studio is grandly spacious, with twenty-foot ceilings. The building, which is on the same property as her house, was designed by her late husband, Nils, an architect.

I love this story: Many years ago, they bought this beautiful piece of land and made do for several years, living in the house which was on the property when they bought it, until they were able to build their home, designed by Nils. What did they build first? The studio! That's a definite case of having one's priorities in correct order.

Helena Hernmarck explaining a process at one of the many outstanding looms in her studio. What a very special person she is, to give us so much of her time, her knowledge, her energy, and her spirit. She is enormously talented, with a storehouse of information to share. She is also quite sweet and a charming teller of stories.

Everywhere I looked, I saw threads ... and colors ... and threads ... and colors ... and threads ...

Helena Hernmarck showing us a piece she is working on ... gorgeous! I wish I could explain to you how complex the work is that goes into each of her tapestries. For one thing, it's not just a woven picture: there are layers of weaving, one on top of the other, with some weaving done from the front and some from the other side ... upside down and backward. Everything is mapped out in detail, on paper, before any loom work begins. These preliminary, full-size renderings, called cartoons, look very complicated to me. Perhaps I should have paid more attention in math class because this form of art requires far more than mere inspiration to create a finished piece of work.

And most of Hernmark's pieces are enormous, which necessitates a clever way to view them properly while working on them at such close quarters. A small, hand-sized telescope of sorts is used ... but she looks through the "wrong" end and is thus able, at close quarters, to assess progress on a piece, as it will look when properly viewed from a distance.

hernmarck - tapestry back showing sequin leavings

This is the back side of the piece above. It is interwoven with marvelous strips of auroraborealis-like color. The reason why there are all those cut out circles is because Hernmarck sources this material from a factory that makes sequins; this is what is left behind, after the sequins have been cut out!

More of her fabulous yarns. They are from a particular breed of sheep which is found in her homeland of Sweden. The dyes are mixed especially for her, to her specifications.

We also had a wonderful visit in Helena's home. I would have loved to take pictures but it seemed like it would be much too much of an invasion of her privacy, so I resisted! I'll have to depend on my memory to revisit the delightful spaces in Helena Hernmarck's home.

To learn more, visit Hernmarck's website: http://www.hernmarck.com.

A belated Brag ...

January 3, 2016

MY CHRISTMAS SCARF, HANDWOVEN BY MARGERY MEYERS HABER. PHOTO :: MMHANDWOVENS.

I just want to brag a bit about this gorgeous scarf which my daughter gave to me for Christmas. I had spotted it at mmhandwovens (an Etsy shop) and I was smitten. I immediately asked to have it placed on hold, but after some discussion with Adeline, the aforementioned daughter, I decided I was being too extravagant and regretfully chose not to buy it after all. Little did I realize that my darling offspring was actually scheming to buy it for me. It is just the best present ever, especially with its backstory, and it is the most excruciatingly beautiful piece of weaving ever!

The scarf was handwoven by Margery Meyers Haber, of silk and wool. Margery spins and dyes the yarn herself, creating colors that have a wonderful, subtle glow. The weaving is extraordinarily fine, with a heavenly drape. And oh, my, the plied fringes she makes are twisted by hand, a minimum of 100 times each! Every time I wrap this wondrous scarf about my neck, I am connected to two beautiful women: my daughter, Adeline, who I love beyond the reach of words to describe; and this wonderful artist-weaver, Margery, who I hope to meet one day.

Speaking of gifts ...

LITTLE BLUE NINE-PATCH, 12" X 12" MADE FROM REPURPOSED TEXTILES.

I belong to the Surface Design Association, an excellent organization which strives "to inspire creativity, encourage innovation and advocate for artistic excellence as the global leader in textile-inspired art and design." The Connecticut chapter is particularly active and that is due in large part to our leader, Ellen Schiffman. As a way of thanking her for all she does, the members, led by Pam Lacey and Missy Stevens, created a fantastic book, each page of which was a 12" x 12" piece of fiber art. My contribution was the little blue nine-patch, above.

L TO R: NANCY MOORE, MISSY STEVENS, AND ELLEN SCHIFFMAN OPENING THE GROUP GIFT.PHOTO COURTESY LIZ ALPERT FAY. — L TO R: NANCY MOORE, MISSY STEVENS, AND ELLEN SCHIFFMAN OPENING THE GROUP GIFT.
PHOTO COURTESY LIZ ALPERT FAY.

It was my final piece of textile art completed in the year 2015.

TTFN

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Make wool ball ornaments