"Fiber as Metaphor" exhibit at galleryFRITZ in Santa Fe

It was a real pleasure to be invited to participate in the juried and invitational all-fiber show at galleryFRITZ in Santa Fe.  The show was part of the annual New Mexico Fiber Crawl, sponsored by Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center (EVFAC), the hub of all things fiber in this part of the world.  The gallery produced a beautiful catalog and hosted a lovely reception.  The exhibit will continue through May 31.

I'm thrilled to be included--even if my last name is missing its D.  

The show included eleven invited artists and 29 juried artists from the Southwest and throughout the country.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the invited artists:

Mary Rawcliffe Colton, Bumps in the Road,
tapestry with pulled warp, decreasing warp spacing, decreasing weft sizes,
17.5"h x 5"w, decreasing to 1.5"w

detail, Bumps in the Road by Mary Colton

Elizabeth Buckley, Molten Beneath Strata,
wool, cotton, crewel-weight wool,
84" x 28"

Donna Loraine Contractor, Burnt Orange to Purple Dimensional Window,
wool tapestry on coton warp, 58" x 10"

 
That's me with my piece Rough Draft.  photo by Cindy Dworzak.
cotton, wool, linen, paper, metallic thread, 12" x 18"

The artists below were among those juried into Fiber as Metaphor.  Space prevents me from presenting all of them, but these caught my eye:

Sandra Martinez, Semillas, hand-spun churro wool flat weave tapestry,
45" x 35"

Dain Daller, Unseen Worlds I, weaving, poly warp with linen and raffia weft,  12" x 11" 

Amanda Speer, Window, handwoven with sisal and linen, hand-dyed, double irate,
32" x 28"

detail, Amanda Speer, Window

Leah Virsik, A Beauty of their Disagreements 04, thread on cotton/linen, 11.5" x 11"

detail, Leah Virsik, A Beauty of their Disagreements 04

Al Canner, Aboriginal Night, knotted cords of cotton, jute, and polyester, 24" x 34" x 4.5" 

Carolyn Cohen, Homeless:  Lemuel (L) and Homeless:  Alexus (R), hand sewn art quilts with hand-dyed fabric,
 60" x 58" and 54" x 52"

detail, Carolyn Cohen, Homeless:  Lemuel 

Jennie Frederick, Shedding, kozo, acrylic, wax, Kibiso silk, paper, 96" x 96" x 72"

detail, Jennie Frederick, Shedding

Sean Paul Gallegos, P-3AT Weapons of Mass Consumption IV, discarded child's left sneaker,  thread, grommet,
1.5" x 5.5" x 8.75"

"Fiber as Metaphor" presents a wide-ranging overview of the diversity of work being done in fiber today. My selections here only hint at the thought-provoking, beautifully crafted, and visually delightful work found  in the exhibit.  I plan to go back for another look; if you are interested in fiber and can't make it to the show in person, consider contacting the gallery and ordering a catalog!

Treadle to the metal

The Eldorado Studio Tour is coming right up (May 18-19 in Eldorado, just outside Santa Fe, NM) and I'm weaving my little fingers off trying to get a couple more small pieces finished in time.  I think I'll make it.

Here's the third in my series of small wedge weaves inspired by the skies out here.  It's called Snowrise, and I'm trying to convey the place on winter mornings where the clouds and the snowy mountain tops merge and blend so you can't tell them apart.

detail of Snowrise, in progress.  (c) Molly Elkind 2019

The other series I've been working on is Fences, inspired by our broken-down barbed wire fences in Eldorado, and also by our national conversation about fences, walls and borders. I make that connection explicit in the first two pieces.

Gate, (c) Molly Elkind 2019

Falling, (c) Molly Elkind 2019

In the third piece, still on the loom, I'm using sky colors that look like a nasty bruise.  In fact, the piece is called Bruised.

Molly Elkind, Bruised in progress, (c) 2019

And of course it's not just about getting the weaving done.  There's finishing work--cleaning up the backs and edges of new tapestries, steaming and mounting them on linen-covered stretcher bars.  This part is tedious, but it's amazing how mounting them can really make them look finished, isn't it?

Screwing in those tiny screw eyes for the wire goes easier with a few sharp taps with a hammer.

And as with any show, there's lots of administrivia going on around the edges.  My contribution to the Tour effort is to post the artists' work on Instagram (follow @eldoradoartsandcraftsassoc or #eldoradostudiotour).  And just for my own work, there are prices to determine, labels to make, postcards and brochures to distribute, sponsors to recognize . . . you get the idea.  Plus, since three of us are showing at our house/studio, we need to start thinking about where to put all the art. . . and stow away everything that's not for sale.  Ack!

So, this is a quick post but I wanted you to know I haven't forgotten the blog, and my faithful readers, completely.  If you're in the area, please come see us!  Click here for all the details about the Tour.  If you're not, please send good vibes our way.