Wabi Sabi Silk Flags

I found a big bundle of flag bunting in a garage sale many years ago. I have no idea of its purpose but that's another story.

My story is that I fell in love with the 12 very fragile silk flags that were scattered randomly along the lengths of the crudely sewn tape.

I lovingly patched and hand sewed the most fragile and torn sections and sewed them together to make a wall 'banner'. The silk was super difficult to work with as the machine stitching was at times tearing the fabric, as was ironing the flags. The dyes are very unstable and were coming off on the iron, onto other fabrics and at times even onto my damp hands. 

The finished work is nearly a metre square.

The title came to me as I was working.....

'The Fragility of Multiculturalism'

I took great pleasure in creating this piece - there is something about silk...the noble little worms giving up their lives to create beautiful, fine, lustrous thread which is woven into exquisite fabric for our pleasure.

It seems appropriate to include some photos of the processes - taken in one of the old silk factories which we visited in Suzhou, China, in 2011.

Boiling the cocoons to kill the lava and to remove the sericin.

Finding the end of the thread.

  Woven onto spools.

 Making silk caps,

into quilt filling.

 Weaving.

 A big Thank you to all those millions of grubs who gave up their chances of flying free in order to make the silk fabric that I love to wear.

UFU #3

Third finished 'Unfinshed Object/project' for January. So far, so good.
This painting started as something VERY different...

'The Way Home'...finished

This small canvas [30cm x 30cm] has had many lives. The layers from underneath show through slightly and add an extra dimension of texture.

 ...progress and details,

I am into recycling my canvases - not enough storage room in the studio.

I'm not sure what it is about ladders, but I feel they generally represent progress, climbing higher to better and more fulfilling things, stability, opportunities for growth ....hmmmmmmm

UFO #2

On NY Eve, I had a silly notion to finish an unfinished project every week. Hmmmmm......
I have managed another UFO - not very creative but it takes a little bit of pressure off me so I can focus a bit more on my art.
I mended/altered 3 skirts for my 24 year old daughter who, 2 weeks ago, moved to Melbourne to live/work/study. She has only just returned home after 2 years in London  ...sob, sob.... but I love visiting Melbourne and I have plenty of frequent flyer points saved...smile, smile.

This is a pile of antique laces that have been in the drawer for years. 

I turned a torn pair of cotton Nepalese pants into a 2 layered skirt with antique lace.

This skirt started life as a dress.

This old favourite just needed new elastic.

I have 4 or 5 small paintings sitting in the studio needing minimal work to finish. Hopefully my muse will pay a visit in the coming week so I can complete UFO # 3 [mending clothes is far less taxing!!!]

NY EVE CREATIVE- 'Spiral book'

I'm not much into NY Eve - I'm usually in bed before midnight, but this year I decided to make it special by finishing a project that has been on the back burner for years [I was still in bed before midnight].
I started an experimental spiral book a few years ago, and it's been sitting in my studio waiting to be finished. I wasn't sure how the binding was going to work, so it stayed unfinished.
I still didn't know how the binding would work, so I made it up as I went along- not a very neat result, but hey, who cares?
One of my issues is that I am a bit of a perfectionist, consequently I avoid starting [or finishing] some projects that don't have clear and resolvable outcomes. I can hear my father saying "if a job's not worth doing properly, it's not worth doing at all".
Maybe my NY resolution will be to clear out old projects - finish or forget.

FINISHED

 ...before NY eve

...stitching

 ...half complete

...finished

  

Yeah - one less unfinished project. Maybe one a week would be a good goal - 52 fewer unfinished projects by the end of 2013. 

Back again with BAZOLA

Hi there - it's been a while - a combination of other priorities, other distractions, and plenty of procrastination.
Thanks to all my blogger friends out there who take the trouble to read my blog, and for being patient with my lack of updates.

I hope everyone has a very rewarding, fulfilling and most of all,

PEACEFUL 2013

I have not achieved much creatively in the past few months, but hope to change that soon.
I managed some Bazola a couple of weeks before Christmas - a creative collaboration of jewellery between Barry Smith and myself.
Main Street Gallery, in Montville is our stockist - the pendants sell for app. $90 and the earrings app. $70. Contact the gallery if you are interested in purchasing, they are happy to post out.

P27

P28

 P29

P30

E64

E65

 

 E66

 E67

E68

E69

...and a funky photo taken of the earrings above when my camera was playing up - the shutter sometimes gets a bit stuck...

...much love to you all...

FLYING ARTS AWARD, continued

As announced in a previous post, I am thrilled to be the recipient of the prize for my 'Devil's Dice' fibre piece in the 2012 Flying Arts exhibition and award.
I thought it was worth another post as I am receiving all sorts of congraulations and accolades from near and far - including a full page in this week's local paper and even a hand signed letter from Campbell Newman [Qld Premier]!!!
I'd like to say 'thanks' to Flying Arts [and Gabriella], TAFTA [and Janet de Boer], and all the supporters out there who have sent me good wishes.

About Flying Arts - Flying Arts promotes the appreciation, practice and professional development of the visual and media arts throughout Queensland, especially for artists and communities with limited access. They offer arts development workshops and events in a wide variety of genre, delivered by a team of professional artists and facilitators. The exhibition will travel all over Qld in 2013.

About TAFTA - TAFTA has been a supporter of ‘Flying Arts’ for many years, offering an annual bursary for a fibre artist who exhibits in the annual touring exhibition. I have been awarded flights, fees and accommodation to the 2013 Textile Fibre Forum of my choice.  I will go to Geelong on Sept/October and do a week long workshop.

Statement about the work:

‘Devil’s Dice are iron ore cubes which can change to pyrite then limonite through a process of ‘pseudomorphism’.  This work relates to the mining of iron ore in Australia.

The ‘devil’ is a good metaphor for the industry and the dice has connotations of ‘dicing with death’, and taking risky chances. Will Mankind one day decide that the risk of mining the earth was too great?

My silk shapes reflect the fragility of the situation and the process of metamorphosis that happens not only to the iron ore and the silk but to the whole universe’.

I started with undyed silks which I steeped in green tea and rust for a few days. The resulting tones of brown and beige were a happy surprise. The fabric was cut, stitched and patched with the traditional Korean ‘pojagi’ style seams. Strips of the patched fabric were then constructed into 3D triangular forms. During htis process, I remembered some cubes of iron ore I had found in the outback many years ago. The connection to the pojagi forms and the current controversy surrounding the mining industry in Queensland was too strong to be ignored.

 ...some details. I love the interplay of lines, shapes, textures and shadows.

 

'Sailing Inland' last day

My second day of installing my sails at Gerrard's Lookout went well.
I chatted to lots of people and many were quite impressed with the concept.
I set thinks up a bit differently yesterday - sails on both sides of the road and I sat in the shade under a convenient tree [35deg in the sun], where most people needed to pass me to get to the lookout - ample opportunities for a casual chat.

Thanks to Christine for helping me set up, Ken for the morning coffee, and of course a huge thank you to Barry for the behind the scenes paper work to make the whole art4place 'Creative Spaces' viable.

'Sailing Inland' rescheduled

I have had to reschedule my second day of 'Sailing Inland' installation at Gerrard's lookout, Balmoral [Maleny-Montville Rd] due to ill health, [damn, I'm not invincible].

I am reinstalling the sails this coming Sunday, 7th October - 10 till 4, so once again, if you are in the area, half strength white, no sugar [laugh], please stop for a chat.

 

A RED DOT

Yeah -  a reason to celebrate and do a short post - yes, a RED DOT, sold last week at the Tree Frog Gallery, Maleny.
This is a still life I did a couple of years ago - exploring my love of texture - must get back to these!!

...and on another note, it is a 'beautiful' day today - drizzle and mist, [Fiona calls it 'mizzle'], even in the early afternoon. I love the way the sights and sounds are all muffled, with only the gentle pitter of soft rain drops falling from the treees - a bit like the wonderful stillness and cosy shrouding of cloud and fog in the snow fields. The sharp starkness of colour is reduced to the essentials of tone, and the senses are given a rest from the over stimulation in daily life.

...my Scottish DNA is making a connection.....

...yes, 'Peace' indeed.