Wired Women's Work

Karen Searle

Minnesota, U.S.A.

How My Mother Dressed Me; Copper wire, hand knitting;40" long x 18" wide x 20" high 

Detail

Essence Installation Detail, Long Dress, bag, Shoe; Crocheted steel wire;  life-sized 

Essence Installation Detail, Boots; Crocheted steel wire;  life-sized 
All photos courtesy Karen Searle. Thank you Karen!

It’s not often that I find artwork that can speak to the feminine point of view without looking over-worked. Karen Searle  uses a great deal of self-editing and a fine sense of humor to form 3-D objects to make her ideas come to life.

She uses fiber skills historically found in “women’s work” such as knitting, hand-stitching, and weaving in ways that I find quite satisfying.

She has written over 5 books in the field of textiles and has written numerous articles  & essays for many of our favorite fiber related publications and catalogs.

Please take time to browse her site to learn more about this fascinating woman.

See more here

Read about her here

        She gives tours to Guatemala. See here

Karen's most recent book, see here.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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