News from Kathy Tidswell about two upcoming textile art events in Fredericton

Curry Mountain by Kathy Tidswell

Residency in the Casemates

The Fredericton Arts Alliance has selected Kathy Tidswell for a one-week residency in the Casemates at the Garrison District, 426 Queen Street, Fredericton NB. The theme for this year’s residencies is the Wolastoq (Saint John river), a National Historic site. 

Beginning with her own photograph, Kathy will draw the scene, transfer it to fabric, paint the fabric and then stitch using free motion embroidery to add texture and dimension. The public is invited to visit the Casemates and watch her at work. She will be in residence July 2-8, 2018. The Casemates are open daily 10 am-5 pm. 

Natures Thread 2018

Kathy Tidswell’s thread paintings and wall quilts will be on display at the Charlotte Glencross Gallery, Charlotte Street Arts Centre, 732 Charlotte Street, Fredericton. 

August 3-October 9, 2018.   9:30 am-9:30 pm. 

--------

Check out Kathy's website: Kathy Tidswell, Fibre Artist.

Cloth of Time exhibit at Mary E Black Gallery, Halifax

SAQA members Penny Berens of Granville Beach NS and Judith Martin of Manitoulin Island ON are bringing their stitched journals together in a show they call Cloth of Time. These large hand-stitched pieces will be on display at the Mary E Black Gallery, 1061 Marginal Road, Halifax, from July 13 to August 26 2018. An opening reception will be held at 6pm on Thursday, July 12.

Cloth of Time is an exhibition that presents two distinct ways of observing and recording time with the intimate and familiar gestures and marks of hand stitch. 

Daily Scratchings by Penny Berens, stitched every day from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015.

Not To Know But To Go On by Judy Martin was stitched on a daily basis from 2010 to 2015.

You can see more of Judy’s artwork on her blog, Judy's Journal.

Penny Berens' work can be seen on her blog Tanglewood Threads.

Anne Morrell Robinson interview: Fibre in her Genes

Picasso's Ladies Visit Hundertwasser's Garden
by Anne Morell Robinson (2017) w23.5” x 24h”

Anne Morrell Robinson, who lives in rural Margaree Valley NS, has been creating art since she was a small child. She studied art in high school and art education in college. With the revival of quilt making in the 1970s and the Whitney Museum of American Art’s landmark exhibition, Anne began exploring the possibilities of quilts as a medium for her art. 

With over 600 quilts to her credit, Anne is highly regarded as a prolific artist whose work bridges the divide between art quilts and traditional bed quilts. In her “spare time” Anne also creates hooked rugs, art dolls, felted pieces and wearable art such as jackets and jewelry. 

Anne Morrrell Ronbinson’s work has received numerous awards in such prestigious quilt shows as Canada's National Juried Show, Quilts=Art=Quilts, The World Quilt Competition and the National Quilters Association (US). Her work has been commissioned for events such as Expo '86 and the 70th anniversary of Stora Forest Industries, as well as for hospitality, health care and religious facilities. Anne’s business, KingRoss Quilts and Fibre Art, is based in her century-old farm house in rural Cape Breton. 

How would you describe your work?

My work is very eclectic, sometimes rooted in tradition and at other times inspired by some silly thought or an image that appeals to me. Much of my work I would call cross-over quilts, not really art quilts more original interpretations of a traditional design. I'm one of those quilters who bridge the categories. I love lots of detail, textures, deep rich colours and imagery from nature. Underwater World (below) shows my love of combining traditional designs with unexpected imagery. 

Underwater World by Anne Morell Robinson (2016) w101” x h101”

Describe your journey towards becoming an artist who works with textiles. 

I started making quilts as a relaxing way to spend the evening after working on a horse farm all day. After moving to a farm in Cape Breton I used my art to tell the story of the lives of rural women, mostly with pictorial quilts. Local businesses soon took an interest. Shops asked to sell my work while others bought pieces to decorate their premises. This led to publications featuring my work, invitations to teach and many commissions. I joined art and craft organizations and participated in their exhibitions. Staying in the public eye is something to work at if you want to be taken seriously as an artist. Exhibiting in national shows and accepting commissions for art in public places did that for me. Now I concentrate more on making quilts that I want to make and that will appeal to buyers who walk into my studio.

How has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

I’m fortunate that in my adult life I’ve always been able to work from home by keeping a simple lifestyle. At first the imagery in my work was all about the animals on our farm or women's work. I attended an art therapy workshop during a hard period in my life when I was trying to survive as a young widow with two children and a working farm. We were asked to draw what it would take to have more time to make art so I drew the cattle truck taking all the livestock away. That's exactly what I ended up doing. Living in an area heavy with tourists gave me an opportunity to sell my work and having them connect with the artist and the area was a plus.

Hills of Cape Breton by Anne Morell Robinson (2018) w96” x 32h”

Tell us about your studio. What features do you most like and dislike about it?

I’m fortunate to have a wonderful, large studio attached to the house. I would be lost without my 9' x 9' design wall and all the storage space behind it and under my cutting tables. Living far from fabric shops means that I have a lot of stuff. My two 4' x 8' cutting tables are on wheels so I can roll them out of the way if I want to use the design wall for photographing a large quilt. 

When the tourists are around, part of my studio is dedicated to sales. I don’t have enough wall space for displaying all the large quilts I have for sale, so they get piled onto one of the cutting tables during the tourist season. To show them, I peel them back like oriental rugs. 

What are you currently working on?

Right now, I’m working on my pile of unfinished quilts. I set a goal to get them all done by the end of the year. I’m often distracted by challenges and pieces for upcoming shows, so I keep slipping new work between older projects. But the older ones are slowly being finished. I’ve also begun quilting on a longarm machine and I’m enjoying the learning process there.

What are your goals for the coming year?

My goal is to get better at machine quilting and produce new work that is national-show worthy. Also, as I age I’m leaning toward pieces that are less labour intensive but more spectacular. My very labour-intensive pieces aren’t always appreciated financially by the public, and sales are an important consideration. 

Monkeys in the Middle by Anne Morell Robinson (2011) w90” x h90”

Tell us about your most memorable experience as an artist. 

I think my most memorable experience was the day on which I won awards at two different national quilt shows and had my work on a magazine cover. The curator of "Quilts=Art=Quilts at the Schweinfurth Museum in NY commented that of all the beautiful quilts in the exhibit, both art and traditional, mine was the one she would choose to take home with her. In the other show, I was thrilled to learn that my whimsical quilt beat some of the beautifully executed Baltimore Album appliquéd quilts. It's very gratifying when people find pleasure in what you do.   
But there are many other memorable days, meeting up with old friends and making new friends at an exhibit or while teaching.

Do you treat art like a job, going to the studio each day at a particular time?

My art is my job. I go into the studio first thing in the morning and, except for garden and household chores, some daily exercise, and meals, I'm there until early evening. Then I join my husband in the living room where I continue doing hand work. I’m very disciplined at keeping track of the hours I work on each piece. I bounce around from project to project during the day to prevent injury from repetitive hand work. A typical day involves quilting on the long arm, some design and construction work, a bit of hand quilting, some rug hooking and finishing the day with hand appliqué or binding. 

Architectural Field Notes by Anne Morell Robinson
 (2015) w30” x h40”

How do you show and sell your quilts? 

Most of my sales are right from my studio. I place rack cards in the visitor centres, I’m on the art and craft trail map and I have a strong online presence. I often enter shows at the Inverness County Centre for the Arts and, of course, the regional SAQA shows. Very occasionally I will put a few pieces in other galleries, but I’ve learned that the sales are better when the customer can meet me face to face and see my working environment.

Do you teach and travel with your art?

I enjoy teaching. A group of keen quilters comes to my studio once a week for guidance and to learn new skills. I travel to teach for guilds and retreats. My trunk shows are also popular. I’ve taught from Newfoundland to Virginia and as far west as British Columbia. Of course, teaching from my own space is best since everything anyone could need is here, but I do enjoy meeting kindred spirits from all over and have formed many lasting friendships by teaching. 

The Bead Seller by Anne Morell Robinson

______

See more of Anne Morrell Robinson spectacular fibre art on her website, KingRoss Quilts and Fibre Art.

Amanda McCavour exhibition and two-day workshop in Annapolis Royal NS

ARTsPLACE in Annapolis Royal will host an exhibition of the work of fibre artist Amanda McCavour, from July 8 through August 26, 2018. Amanda McCavour is a Toronto-based artist who works with stitch to create large-scale embroidered installations. 

Two-day workshop 

Experimental Surfaces: Machine Stitching, Water Soluble Stabilizer and Unexpected Materials

Join Amanda McCavour for a 2-day workshop, August 25 & 26, 2018.  The workshop is co-sponsored by  the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council (ARCAC) and the Society of Fibre Artists of the Annapolis River (SOFAAR). 

SAQA member Grace Butland is president of SOFAAR:
"I was delighted when the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council invited SOFAAR to co-sponsor the Amanda McCavour workshop. ARCAC has always been very supportive of fibre artists – both SAQA member Penny Berens and myself have exhibited there – and our two groups frequently look for ways to cooperate on projects. I knew our members would appreciate the opportunity to take a workshop with Amanda, I would like to extend that opportunity to other fibre artists as well."

Workshop details:

$155 ARCAC / SOFAAR members 
$175 for Non-member
PLUS materials fee $35 per person.
Maximum 13
Each participant must bring a sewing machine.
Includes a tour of Amanda's exhibition at ARTsPLACE.
This workshop will focus on constructing dynamic, textured, mixed media surfaces with machine embroidery and Sulky® water-soluble stabilizers. We will explore the use of 3 different types of water-soluble stabilizer to discover and create textile structures with stitch. Students will be encouraged to experiment with an assortment of materials like plastics, papers, and yarns to create a variety of samples exploring different texture and color combinations with a variety of stabilizers. Students will expand these tests into a larger piece, taking the process in their own direction to create wall hangings, scarves or experimental works.
Materials provided by instructor:
Thread: polyester machine embroidery threads.
Water-soluble Stabilizer (Solvy): Each person will get some Sulky® Sticky Fabri Solvy, Sulky® Fabri Solvy
and Sulky® Solvy to try out the different types of stabilizer. Plus smaller scraps of solvy for testing and samples for the first morning of the workshop.

Register for the workshop online, here.  

2019 Grand National Fibre Art and Quilt Exhibition

As a member of the Grand National Fibre Art and Quilt Exhibition committee, SAQA Atlantic member Kathy Tidswell is inviting quilt and fibre artists from Atlantic Canada to participate in the 2019 thematic exhibition, Still. 

Solitude by Terry Aske

STILL

The Grand National is “Still” an entity and the committee challenges you to create a piece using the theme “Still”. For example, your piece could celebrate the longevity of a place, event or idea; demonstrate the ability of an object to be motionless; slice out a millisecond of time in which a continuously moving object can be viewed as frozen in time or let your imagination interpret this theme some other way.

Entries are due April 13, 2019. The show opens in Portage LaPrairie, Manitoba on July 6th 2019. All entrants must be Canadian residents. Additional information and entry forms are available online now. 

The committee is hoping to make the 2019 Grand National a travelling exhibition. Any galleries or groups interested in hosting the exhibition can find out more at www.grandnationalquiltshow.ca or by emailing  grandnationalexhibition@gmail.com

Lois Wilby Hooper Interview

Iron in the Blood by Lois Wilby Hooper, 2015 w28” x h40”

Lois Wilby Hooper is a self-taught fibre artist from Moores Mills NB. She is known for exploring textile techniques in unusual ways, with unique materials, incorporating traditional needle skills. Lois has shown her work in numerous quilt shows, including solo shows at the Saint John Arts Centre and the Sunbury Shores Arts Centre in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. She has taught various textile-related classes for quilt guilds and for the City of Saint John, NB. 

How would you describe your work?

My current work can best be described as mixed media, incorporating metals, sheers, beads and fabric manipulation. I enjoy the contrast of modern fibres and techniques combined with the traditional, stretching me in new directions. Even so, I find myself sometimes going back to my embroidery roots. 

How did you come to be an artist who works with textiles?

I grew up with sewing and embroidery, heavily influenced by the long line of needle workers on both sides of my family. But I came to quilting much later, during its revival in the 1970s. Initially I made bed quilts for my home, but my work gradually evolved into smaller pieces inspired by traditional patterns. 

Sue Anonymous 1 by Lois Wilby Hooper (1998) w20” by h28”

I “came of age” as a quilter with a 1990 CBC radio interview on Peter Gzoski’s Morningside and the publication of my original quilt pattern, Canadian Seasons, in Canadian Living magazine. The pattern was subsequently republished in the book Quiltworks Across Canada by Gail Hunt. 

My "trial by fire" came in 1998 with my Sue Anonymous series depicting violence and abuse against women. In the years since, I’ve participated in many quilt and art shows, sometimes together with my friend and fellow artist with Sandra Betts. 

Tell us about your process for creating. Where do you find your inspiration and how do you get from that to a final product?

I don’t have any particular process for creating a piece. Ideas just jump into my head, perhaps inspired by a juxtaposition of colours, the glint of sunlight on water, or fallen leaves. I've always had a good memory for patterns and designs, unconsciously re-arranging shapes and colours mentally, so I can often visualize the finished piece soon after I get the initial idea. At other times, it may take years before I "see" the completed piece or learn a technique that enables me to produce the result I’m looking for.

Fog in the City by Lois Wilby Hooper (2013) w32” x h18”

What features do you most like and dislike about your studio?

Thanks to my wonderfully supportive husband, I have a large studio in what was originally a hay loft above our carriage house. The studio has excellent lighting and ample storage for supplies and unfinished projects. The large space allows me to have numerous projects on the go at once. I love having a private area, connected to the house, where I can work without interruption!

What are your goals for the coming year?

My goal is to get some of my countless unfinished pieces completed or in some way repurposed I hardly need mention that it tends to be my goal every year!

Abandoned by Lois Wilby Hooper (2015) w41” x h38”

How has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

I believe that my love of history and genealogy shows very strongly in much of my work. My experience volunteering in museums and textile collections has given me an appreciation of our rich Maritime heritage. 

Iron in the Blood (top) is a tribute to the railway men who bound this country together with steel rails, often giving their lives in the process. This piece won an Award of Merit at the 2015 Grand National. 

Abandoned (above), is an abandoned boat house, a tribute to the generations of fishermen who worked in such difficult conditions. With the decline of the fishing industry, the buildings and wharves in our harbours are now derelict. My husband's family fished the Bay of Fundy for over 200 years, yet now there are no fishermen left in the family.

Organic by Lois Wilby Hooper w28” x h29”

Do you engage in other artistic or creative endeavors? 

Yes, I'm also a knitting designer. I always have several pieces of knitting and/or wearable art on the needles or hook. Over the past few years I've started to incorporate knitting and fabric manipulation into textile pieces, as well as embroidery and beading. Combining these traditional techniques with unusual fabrics like polyester sheers, Tyvek, cheesecloth, metals and found objects is an ongoing fascination. 

Tell us about your most memorable experience as an artist. 

The Sue Anonymous series stands out as my most memorable experience. To this day, I don't know why it affected me so deeply. Perhaps it was the shock I felt that people could perpetrate such violence against their own family. I was driven to finish that four-piece series, living with it daily and dreaming about it at night until its completion. 

The subject was so taboo at that time that the work was nearly rejected from a quilt show. My battle with "the quilt police" was justified by the numerous women who secretly thanked me and shared their own experiences. 

The Sue Anonymous series has been shown in talks to both artists’ and women's groups and it's as powerful today as it was then. For several years, the series was used as an art display and a teaching tool by the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research. 

What fibre artists are you currently interested in, and why?

British fibre artists such as Maggie Grey, the late Valerie Campbell-Harding, and Yvonne Brown inspire me in the way they explore fibre, design, and techniques. 

How do you show and sell your quilts? Where can your work be seen?

Because of health issues, I have exhibited very little in the past couple of years. However, I have donated my work to the SAQA benefit auction for seven years now and one of my pieces sold for $1000.00 on the 2015 auction’s Diamond Day. I have also donated my artwork to other SAQA functions as well as several local charities. 

Moon Garden by Lois Wilby Hooper (2013) w24” x h30”

Stitch, Paint, Sculpt: 3 Artists, 3 Media - Lunenburg, NS

Fibre artist Laurie Swim, from Lunenburg NS, is welcoming two new artists into her gallery for the 2018 season: painter Hangama Amiri and sculptor Chippie Kennedy. The trio will launch their collaboration on May 20th with the show Stitch, Paint, Sculpt: Three Artists, Three Media.

Laurie Swim’s textile art explores the concepts of home, community and story. About Hangama and Chippie coming aboard, Laurie says, “Thirteen years after opening, sharing our gallery space in this way is refreshing and exciting.”

Hangama Amiri’s paintings explore childhood memory, cross-cultural dialogue, and Afghan feminism. She has been a featured artist at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and received the Portia White Protégé Award in 2013. Hangama will be attending Yale School of Art in New Haven, CT this fall to complete her MFA in Painting and Printmaking.

Chippie Kennedy’s evocative sculptures are driven by her fascination with the presentation of the human form. She is a recipient of the 2017 Canadian Portrait Society’s Best Portrait Award.

What: Stitch, Paint, Sculpt: Three Artists, Three Media
When: Opening Sunday, May 20, 2018, 2-5pm. 
             The show runs until July 20
Where: 138 Lincoln Street, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.
Gallery Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-5pm; Sunday 12-5pm

About Laurie Swim Gallery

Laurie Swim Gallery is a fine art gallery established in 2005 in Lunenburg, NS. Laurie specializes in quilt and textile art and received the prestigious Portia White Prize in 2013. She has produced numerous works of community-based art and her personal art focuses on life in her community. She has also published 3 books on the art of quilting and a children’s story of historical fiction titled, Hope and Survival: A Story of the Halifax Explosion.

Learn more about Laurie Swim in our recent feature Laurie Swim interview: Artist to Watch and check out Laurie Swim's own website.