Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Embroidered CMYK

Evelin Kasikov
lives/works in London, U.K.

Evelin Kasikov created a project for her MA at St. Martins in London that is thrilling to anyone who loves graphic design and textiles as much as I do.
I had a difficult time deciding what to show you, 
so here are random selections:









all photos courtesy Evelyn Kasikov
I am intrigued and admit full disclosure now that I am a bit jealous that she transformed the printing process into handmade cross-stitch embroidery. Bravo Evelin!
I urge you to spend time (run don't walk!) looking at her projects that include posters, sketchbooks, commissions and graphic design work.  Evelin is generous with her images and shows many views of her work with nice juicy detail.
Please rush over to her site to explore here.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Frozen waves and Onion Tops

My region this week
Cleveland, Ohio





It's been cold and grey in Cleveland. But that's not stopping me from walking and looking at my landscape.
I love the coldness found in the vista of  frozen Lake Erie within walking distance of  my house, the round cement columns near water's edge, and the weather-patina green of the St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral onion topped domes outside my nieces' kitchen window. (Built in 1911 it is Ohio's oldest Orthodox Church)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Leaves, Trees and Wattowers

Christy Gray
Bay Village, Ohio

Her Morning Scene, Hand-dyed fabric, cut, layered, stitched
33.5" x 20.5", April, 2009


Waiting to Be Kissed, Hand-dyed fabric, cut, layered, stitched
19"x 19", February, 2009
Selected for The Artist as Quiltmaker XIV in Oberlin Ohio (Exhibit this Spring,'09)

& After Awhile, Hand-dyed fabric,embroidered
9.5" x 7.5", 9.5" x 11.5", private collection
All images, courtesy, Christy Gray


Christy Gray uses her richly colored hand-dye fabrics to bring her drawings to life. She sketches her ideas in her favorite moleskine notebooks and translates them into much larger (and Colorful!) fabric works. Christy spends hours carefully cutting, layering, fusing and stitching the fabric pieces together.
She lives a wholesome artistic life, filled with a loving family, and cares deeply for our mother earth in ways I strive to emulate.
Christy's work makes me happy and I cherish her as my dear friend.
Her artwork is in both private and public collections.
See more here.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Very Many Stitches

Emily Felderman
Shaker Hts, Ohio

Verde 4.5" x 4.5"

Hand-stitched, cotton/poly blend  on polyester
Collection of University Hospitals, Twinsburg, Ohio
(One of 3 in the collection)




Verde (in frame)

Nebula, 3.5" x 4.5"


Hand-stitched, cotton/poly blend  on polyester

Detail, Nebula
I had the pleasure of meeting Emily and getting to know her a bit 2 years ago when I acquired 3 artworks of hers for the art collection owned by University Hospitals in Ohio. Nebula was selected by the juror as the cover design for the  catalog I designed, Focus:Fiber 2008 (purchase here)
Emily's artwork reflects her delightful personality and infectiously energetic view of life. 
Please spend some time on her website here to catch some color today and let it inspire you to be happy and make some art today.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Taped Installations

Rebecca Ward
Austin, Texas. USA





Blue light keeps me up at night,  electrical tape, adhesive vinyl, 
adhesive graphic film, contact paper
2.5.09, Chicago, IL, Mini Dutch Gallery


Process Drawing, Rebecca Ward


Rebecca Ward creates site-specific works using a commonly found utility tape. Her ability to create a fresh atmosphere within an existing space looks deceptively simple, however, her approach involves planning, technical skill, vision, precision and collaboration. I am happy to see her continue to sustain her vision and use these materials in her work over the course of several years. I think we'll be continuing to see her work for many more.
See more of her work here. and make sure you look at her videos here and process drawings here.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

Lovely Animated Florals

Daniel Brown
London, U.K.

Daniel Brown created large animated floral images for the V&A Museum exhibit, Decode Digital Design Sensations, see here. The petals are generated textures derived from works from the museum archive including William Morris textiles and Kimono fabrics. Stunning, no?
See more here, and here.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Vintage Spring


Grainne Morton
Edinburgh, U.K.







Her work on display gives you a sense of scale.



Grainne Morton's jewelry makes me smile and helps to quell doubts that Spring will bloom again while we're in the midst of Winter in Cleveland, Ohio.
She uses found objects as the springboard for her charming jewelry designs.
She states, “I consciously work in a miniature scale, … so that the onlooker has to become more involved in the piece, hopefully sparking memory and thought, as well as making them smile."

See more here and here.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Wooden Textiles

Eliza Strozyk
German








Visionary Textile artist, Eliza Strozyk is worth a look. She repurposes wood veneer  by laser cutting and attaching it to a substrate fabric. 
Included in her portfolio are some interesting cut & paste surfaces for wallcoverings. 
See more here.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Fractured Color

Mary Lou Alexander
Hubbard, Ohio USA

Glacier 2008
38" x 48"
Quilt National, 2009
Dye technique- Arashi Shibori
Inspiration: Glaciers she saw on a trip to Alaska




Ubizane Sunset , 2009
72" x 72"
Dye technique - Arashi Shibori
Inspiration: Based on a sunset she saw while in Africa.


DETAIL: Shibori 9 Patch #8 2008
 38” x 37”
Dye technique - Arashi Shibori
Inspiration: 9 patch quiltmaking techniques

For 25 years Mary Lou Harrison Alexander was a Biological Anthropologist, studying New World Primates and teaching at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. In 2001, after taking a class in shibori dyeing from Yoshiko Wada at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, she quit her tenured professorship to become a full-time fiber artist. 


Since then she has exhibited her award-winning quilts in numerous juried shows. 
Last year she was selected for Quilt National 2009: The Best of Contemporary Quilts. 


Mary Lou has contributed to Fiberarts Magazine, and in 2008 she curated a show called Depth and Breadth: Six Quiltmakers in the 21st Century for the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown OH. In October, 2009 she curated a show of quilts by Nancy Crow, also for the Butler Institute. 
See more of her work here.
p.s.   I am the proud recipient of her generous spirit. On my living room wall.

Glacier 2, 2008
22" x 36"

All photos are courtesy of ML. Alexander and C. Mauersberger

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Unabashed Use of Color

Ptolemy Mann
London, UK

Exploring Stripe 11, 50 x 80 cm. Mercerized Cotton

After Rothko 2  80 x 80 cm. Mercerized Cotton. Feilden and Mawson Architects Commission 2008

Frontier Economics  Commission 2, various dimensions Mercerized Cotton. Commission 2008




Portman House Commission , 1.5 x 3 m. Mercerized Cotton.2005



KPMG Newcastle Commission , 50 x 50 x 7 cm each. Mercerized Cotton.2005


Much Thanks to Ptolemy Mann for allowing me to use her photographs and to write about her today!
The hand-dyed ikat weavings that  Ptolemy Mann creates are incredibly saturated with luscious color.
Her C.V. reads like a person who hit the ground running post graduate school. From textiles, photography, writing, journalism and product design to forming an Architectural Colour Consultancy service. She specializes in "way finding" and  well being for hospital environments. Something near and dear to my heart (for those of you who know I used to assist the Curator at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, see here)
She has created a highly successful marriage of sorts in her partnerships with architects, art advisors and interior designers. 
Ptolemy's highly specialized technical skill, unabashed  use of color, and clear direction in her business is a study for anyone wishing to be successful in doing what they love.
Her list of accomplishments and interests are impressive, varied and interesting. 
Please read more and SEE more on her delightful website here.

Eternity is in love with the productions of time, Willliam Blake

Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle
by Michael Benson
when the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy collide in about 2.5 billion years.


The colliding Antenna Galaxies, a hyperkinetic smashup in space, may approximate what will happen when the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy collide in about 2.5 billion years.




I feel the sense of urgency to work on being human, living a good life and making art.
Perhaps you'll be inspired as you look at these images found here.


Author and Filmmaker, Michael Benson spent years combing through images throughout the world's observatories including  Hubble. He reprocessed the images to bring a truer color match to the real deal.
The book is available on Amazon.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Weaving Winter Memories

Marshfield School of Weaving
Plainfield, VT, USA
The windy gusts of winter outside my home today remind me of the time I spent at the Marshfield School of Weaving in 1980.
That frozen winter, Master weaver and Scottish folk singer, Norman Kennedy taught me and 2 other students the art of traditional early american weaving techniques. I learned to clean, card, spin and dye wool under the scrutiny of the Scottish Master Weaver. I made 2 blankets and still sleep under them to this day. 

The house on the left is where we resided during our stay. 
Norman lived on the bottom floor and the students had the upstairs rooms
Barn on the right housed all the looms, spinning wheels and many hours of work.

My first blanket on the loom

Spinning Wheels in the studio barn

First completed blanket. I cleaned, carded, spun, dyed and then wove this blanket

Second blanket. 
I spun, dyed and wove this blanket.  It was woven on a 19th century 4-treadle loom. 
If you look closely, you might see where I stitched the blanket in the middle to make one large piece after it was off the loom.
All photos © Christine Mauersberger 1980
The school is now the home of Eaton Hill Textile Works and the School for Traditional Handweaving with Kate Smith taking over for Norman in the 1990's. 


I'm comforted that the school carries on the tradition of 18th, 19th and 20th century textiles.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Watching Lunar Moons

Alec Thibodeau
Providence, Rhode Island
Farewell 2009



Goes to Show You What a Lunar Moon Can Do


Letterpress print on paper, edition of 750, 19"x11.75", 2009
Hello 2010


Probably the Earth's Core Really is the Sky 
Letterpress print on paper, edition of 750, 19"x11.75", 2009
I received my print in the mail this week. Just in time for the new year.
And it glows in the DARK. oooooo....



Drawn by Alec Thibodeau and printed by Dan WoodProbably the Earth's Core Really is the Sky is an edition of 750 lunar calendars detailing all 365 phases of the moon for 2010. This piece is part of a series at Tiny Showcase. 

I like Alec's prints, drawings, posters and books and what his says about himself. 
Read more about him here.

I received an adorable Moon Pass button by Jen Corace with the 2010 calendar. See here.