Details, details. . . from American Tapestry Biennial 11

I had the immense pleasure of attending the opening reception and artists' talks for the American Tapestry Biennial 11 at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles last Sunday.  I had purchased the catalog months ago, but when the chance arose to see the show in person, I jumped at it. I am SO glad I did.

I was blown away by the impact of seeing the work in person.  No printed reproduction can come close to conveying the texture, scale, technical detail and color of the original fiber piece.  We--I, at least--see so much art on the printed page or online, that it's easy to lose sight of how essential those tangible, physical aspects are to our experience of the work.

So most of the photos I took were actually detail shots of pieces, notes I was taking for myself about techniques, textures, and so on that I wanted to remember.  I was also paying close attention to artists' use of color, since I'm going to teach a class this Sunday, 2/12/17, called More Color! at SEFAA, here in Atlanta.  (It's not too late to register, but act fast).

Suzanne Paquette, Cordes Sensibles, 60" x 36"

Back to the Tapestry Biennia. . . I loved the way the light areas in this piece, especially in the lower left, just glowed.  It's not an area of solid white or ecru but a subtle blend of many colors blending and separating that makes it so effective, I think.

detail, Suzanne Paquette, Cordes Sensibles

Like many of us I'm instinctively drawn to saturated color.  When I stepped in closer to look at this piece with its strong red, I was surprised to find high relief elements.

Rowen Schussheim-Anderson, Crimson Prelude, 52" x 48" x 3.   
This photo by Ogy Blazevich is from the catalog so the colors are different from my detail shot below. 

detail, Rowen Schussheim-Anderson, Crimson Prelude

 There are actually separate woven sections attached to the surface!  Like a collage!  And fuzzy areas at the bottom left corner.  Lots of intriguing play with the conventional flat surface of tapestry.

detail, Rowen Schussheim-Anderson, Crimson Prelude

No account of this show can omit this piece.  Its fine grain, large size, detailed imagery, subtle color and eye-catching subject held everyone's attention.

Gabriele Cristu, Romania, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, 59" x 75".
Photo by Daniel Gora from the ATB11 catalog. 

The color gradations are so subtle and the scale so fine that at the opening I was actually called upon by a small group of non-weaving viewers to explain how this was NOT a painting on cloth but actually was woven.  I did my best but one of them remained highly skeptical.  You can see in the detail below why it might be confusing.

detail, Gabriele Cristu, Romania, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Finally I want to share a piece from another exhibit on view at the museum, a show by Tapestry Weavers West entitled Elemental Tapestry:  Earth, Air, Fire and Water.  This piece caught my attention because of its subject--I am a sucker for hiking anywhere but especially among redwoods--but also for its unexpected color palette.

Ama Wertz, Ghost in Redwood Grove, 29" x 37"

Instead of using greens and other colors of the forest, Ama chose to use subjective color, color that conveys emotion rather than imitating reality.  She also used naturally dyed wool from the area depicted in the piece, its "fibershed," which as she says "stamps the time and place a work was made directly into its structure and design."  The value contrasts and the design itself carry the piece without saturated color.

There are so many more pieces that I loved and could go on and on about. . . but that would make this post too long.  As as Rebecca Mezoff mentions in her post about the show, these are just a few of the pieces that just happened to grab me this time.  All of the work was excellent.

If you want to see more, check out Rebecca Mezoff's blog post and video walk-through of the exhibit. Rebecca has done a fantastic job showing every piece and describing the wonderful artists' panel. She also has some shots of the 40-year retrospective of fiber legend Lia Cook's work also on view at the San Jose museum.  You will not be disappointed.  And if you want to learn more about how to use color in your own work, please sign up for More Color! next Sunday, 2/12, from 1-4 at SEFAA.   

New classes in the new year!

I'm excited to announce that starting in January I am offering five new classes at Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance in Atlanta.  Last summer my series of classes on design elements was well-received, and students requested more classes along those lines.  The cool thing about these classes is that they apply to all the fiber art media.  These are not classes in a specific technique.  Last summer we had garment sewists, quilters, collage artists, weavers, and makers of all kinds in class and it made for a very rich discussion.  

Hint:  these classes could be the perfect gift, for you or for that creative person you know.  You can register for just one or two, or for the whole series at once.  See the links below to register.

On January 15, kick off the New Year with Discover Your Daily Practice.

2016 tapestry diary, (c) Molly Elkind

Just as musicians practice every day, many visual artists have discovered the power of a regular daily practice--of  journaling, sketching, collaging, photographing, painting, embroidering, weaving. . . the possibilities are endless. If you want to see dramatic progress in your art- or craft-making, commit to a daily practice this year.  Even if you are already a working artist, taking a few minutes each to day to do something outside your usual medium can bring surprising joy and insight.  This is time to play with no expectations and no pressure to produce, show or sell.  You will be amazing at how many ideas you generate and how what you learn along the way will improve your making in other areas. In this two-hour class, you will find out what has worked for other artists and take the first steps toward discovering what YOUR daily practice could look like.   Click HERE to register. 

On January 22 join us for Art Critique 101.  Critique can be a scary word, but there is a method widely used by art teachers and museum educators that takes the fear away.  Learn how to observe, describe, interpret, and finally evaluate a work of art--your own or someone else's--in a truly constructive way.  We will practice these skills on work by contemporary artists.  If you wish, bring one finished piece of your own work for gentle, constructive feedback.  Click HERE to register.  

gallery view at Intertwined, SEFAA-sponsored juried fiber show.
Jim Arendt's Totemic Figures in foreground. 

Starting in February, we will take a deeper dive into three Design topics.  On February 12, we'll investigate More Color!  We'll start by looking at a PowerPoint that lays out basic concepts and terminology, and see some examples of masterly use of color in fiber media.  We will do some exercises with color harmony using the color wheel, but we'll go beyond that to explore the relativity of color, color's relation to value, and the importance of proportion.  Finally we'll consider the emotional content of color and touch on the challenges of working with color in fiber.   All that in 3 hours!  Click HERE to register.

Monoculture:  Trees, (c) Molly Elkind 

Closely related to Color decisions are questions of Contrast.  On February 26, join us as we Bring Up the Contrast!  Our eyes automatically go first to areas of highest contrast.  As artists we need to know how to use contrast thoughtfully to direct viewers' attention and communicate our intentions. We'll do exercises to explore the effects of "upping the contrast" in terms of value, scale, pattern and texture.  We'll also look at when low contrast may be what's needed.

Cardinals, (c) Molly Elkind

Finally, on March 26, come explore the potential of Collage:  Design Tool & Art Form. Find out why for over 100 years collage has been the quintessential modern and post-modern art form.  We'll look at examples of collage by fine artists and discover how design elements are used to make a visually engaging piece.  It's more than just throwing random stuff at a page with glue on it and seeing what sticks!  We'll practice by responding to several prompts and experiment with different materials. Last we'll look at how collage can be a way to develop designs for work in many fiber media.  Click HERE to register.

Mary (a sword shall pierce) (c) Molly Elkind

Please contact me with any questions.  Hope to see you in class soon!