Preamble [1]
'Melbourne Now' was an art exhibition mounted by the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia) in 2014. It took as its premise the idea that a city is significantly shaped by the artists, designers, architects, choreographers, intellectuals, and community groups that lived and worked in the midsts of this multi-cultural city. The aim was to explore how Melbourne's visual artists and creative practitioners contributed to the dynamic cultural identity of this city. The result was an exhibition that celebrates what was unique about Melbourne's art, design, and architectural collectives.
The intention of the exhibition was to encourage and inspire everyone to discover some of the best of Melbourne's culture. To help achieve this, family-friendly activities, dance and music performances, inspiring talks from creative practitioner's, city walks and ephemeral installations and events made up the public program.
This and other posts in this series concentrate on the participating artists, rather than on other features of the exhibition event sych as the family-friendly commissions developed especially for children and young audiences that was aimed to encourage participatory learning for children and their families in general.
For your convenience I have listed below other posts on this blogspot that features Melbourne Now exhibitions:
Melbourne Now - Part I
Melbourne Now - Part II
Melbourne Now - Part III
Melbourne Now - Part IV
Melbourne Now - Part V
Melbourne Now - Part VI
Melbourne Now - Part VII
Melbourne Now - Part VIII
Melbourne Now - Part VIII [1]
Tony Garifalakis
Through his expansive practice, Tony Garifalakis calls into question the authority and veracity of political, social, religious and artistic institutiions. Working across photography, collage, sculpture and installation, his works uncover connections between consumer culture and control society, enacting an emancipatory subversion of commodities and consumer iconography.
In 'Melbourne Now' Garifalakis presents 'Mutually Assured Destruction, 2012-2013,' a series of collages that make use of denim, and moreover, mine its rich culture connotations. These new works juxtapose loaded political and corporate imagery with cute and benign clip art. By confusing the disparate images, the works collapse any power they might have in other contexts. The collages describe casual links between corporate culture of the First World and religious fundamentalist militarism. Garifalakis reveals denim as a material paradox: at once a stylistic representation of gang and outlaw culturesm and a billion-dollar mainstream global fashion industry.
Title and Year of Creation: East River (2012).
Starlie Geikie
Hovering somewhere in the realms of drawing, printmaking textile design, installation and craft, Melbourne-based artist Starlie Geikie's works resist easy classification. Since completing a Master of Fine Art at RMIT University in 2002, Geikie has developed a unique vusual language that mines rich archival if material and historical references, from feminist literary fiction and modernist interior design to Shaker furniture and the collages of Hannah Höch.
Combining formalist concerns with an atmosphere redolent of the 1970s, Geikie's recent works combine references to the Bauhaus weavings of Gunta Stölz and Anni Albers, the visionary geometric drawings of Emma Kunz and the colorfield paintings of Morris Louis, as well as experimental textile dying, Amish quilts and aesthetics of nautical knot craft. While making her works, Geike often imagines them in certain historical or cultural settings, such as modernist interior of a Geoffrey Bawa house, or sitting on a Charlotte Perriand chair. As she explains, 'I think of [my works]...in the way an art director would. They became props in interior shoots of 1970s movies.'
Title and Year of Creation: Moors (2013).
Mira Gojak
Mira Gojak completed a Bachelor of Science, majoring in psychology and zoology, at the University of Adelaide (Australia) in 1984, before taking a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, graduating in 1992. Gojak's practice encompasses drawing and sculpture and, since 1994, she has exhibited widely in a range of solo and group exhibitions, both locally and internationally. In 2005, Gojak was awarded the prestigeous Maddocks Art Prize. She currently lives and works in Melbourne (Australia).
With 'Transfer station 2,' (2011), Gojak creates a sculptural work of unfurling, freewheeling loops, shaky erratic lines and clusters of blossoming tangles that appears like a drawing suspended in space. A high-keyed palette of cobalt blues, soft pinks and fluorescent yellows activates heavier blackened thickets that punctuate perspectives of uninterrupted space. Suspended from the ceiling by a single line, Gojak's sculpture is not-quite-settled-upon Venn diagram. Its openness is held still in a moment, together with all the scribbled-out mistakes, digressions and exclusions, stalling or directing the movement and exchange circulating around forms.
Title and Year of Creation: Transfer Station 2 - Detailed View (2011).
Agatha Gothe-Snape
Incorporating text, color and space, the work of Agatha Gothe-Snape considers physical, emotional and historical responses to the reception of art. Through her conceptually driven and cross-disciplinary practice, the artist aims to develop new conversations around institutional, social and historical discourse, while maintaining an ongoing dialogue between audiences and the social world. Often taking form as performances, endlessly looped Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, visual scores, posters and collaboratively produced art objects, Gothe-Snape's works are regularly made in cooperation with other artists, performers, dancers, and the audience.
Drawing influence from concrete poetry, colorfield painting and the emergence of internet art, 'Powerpoints, 2008-2013,' is an ongoing series of unlimited-edition digital works that utilize the basic communicative tools of Microsoft PowerPoint, established in 2008, and conceived as a lifelong project, Gothe-Snape's slide shows are created sporadically, manifested in a private and contractual email correspondence between artist and subscribers. Since its inception, Gothe-Snape has produced a total of twenty-four works in the series, including two new instalments made especially for Melbourne Now. This is the first time the series has been shown in its entirety.
Title and Year of Creation: Powerpoints, 2008-2013 (Detail).
Elizabeth Gower
Since the 1970s Elizabeth Gower has created and exhibited intricate collages, composed from the detritus of everyday life which she carefully selects and arranges in rhythmic and geometric permutations. Gower has exhibited widely throughout Australia and overseas in numerous solo and group shows, and has curated a number of exhibitions. She is a lecturer at the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of the Arts, and is currently completing a PhD at Monash University.
The first version of this work was displayed recently in an exhibition, curated by Gower, that explored the appropiation and use of urban detritus as a visual art strategy by a variety of Melbourne artists. Further developed for 'Melbourne Now,' Gower;s contribution now comprises 150 circular components, each made up of tea-bag tags, price tags and elements cut from junk mail catalogues, which colonise the wall like a galaxy of vibrant constellations. Akin to the light from long-dead stars, the familiar ephemera, which is usually thrown out, recycled or composted, now serves a new purpose and takes on a mesmeric, formal beauty.
Title and Year of Creation: 150 Rotations 2013 (Detail).
Reference:
[1] T. Ellwood, Director, National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia).
Preamble
For your convenience, I have listed below other post on Japanese textiles on this blogspot.
Discharge Thundercloud
The Basic Kimono Pattern
The Kimono and Japanese Textile Designs
Traditional Japanese Arabesque Patterns - Part I
Textile Dyeing Patterns of Japan
Traditional Japanese Arabesque Patterns - Part II
Sarasa Arabesque Patterns
Contemporary Japanese Textile Creations
Shibori (Tie-Dying)
History of the Kimono
A Textile Tour of Japan - Part I
A Textile Tour of Japan - Part II
The History of the Obi
Japanese Embroidery (Shishu)
Japanese Dyed Textiles
Aizome (Japanese Indigo Dyeing)
Stencil-Dyed Indigo Arabesque Patterns
Japanese Paintings on Silk
Tsutsugaki - Freehand Paste-Resist Dyeing
Street Play in Tokyo
Birds and Flowers in Japanese Textile Designs
Japanese Colors and Inks on Paper From the Idemitsu Collection
Yuzen: Multicolored Past-Resist Dyeing - Part I
Yuzen: Multi-colored Paste-Resist Dyeing - Part II
Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) - Part I
Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) - Part II
Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) - Part III
Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) - Part III [1]
Katazome textiles were developed as a substitute for more ornate fabrics, to be worn by commoners. Dyers were encouraged to imitate the motifs of sumptuous embroideries, appliqués, shibori, and silk weaves for use on cotton kimonos. With the help of the stencil cutters, they develped many new designs. Stripes, clouds, grasses, flowers, trees, basket weaves, bamboo, and other motifs decorated the new textiles. The stencil cutters from Ise, the stencil center of Japan, sent their designs all over the country to be sold by itinerant salesmen, and they still practice their trade today. Antique stencils can usually be found at the flea markets held regularly throughout Japan.
Below are three stencil-dyed cotton hand towels that may also be used as headbands.
Komon means small crests and is a pattern of small, all-over repeating motifs. Originally, it was mostly used in dyeing leather and bast fibers, and later it was used on silk. Komon patterns are created by applying rice-paste resist through a paper stencil and then dyeing the cloth in a single color. The sizes of motifs vary, ranging from life-size depictions of blossoms to tiny pin-point dots. One of the finest komon fabrics is called 'same' (shark skin) komon, and it was first used for the ceremonial attire of Edo-period samurai, the garment was known as kamishimo. Early Edo-period komon on silk shows a simple geometric arrangement of three to seven dots reserved in white on blue.
Below are three samples of komon stencils.
Soon kimono fabric with various kinds of komon designs was widely appreciated by women in Edo for its subdued, elegant coloring and regular arrangement, and komon fabrics were used for both informal and semi-formal kimonos. The popularity of the fabric in the shogun's capital gave rise to the name Edo komon, by which it is often known today.
Samples of komon fabrics.
Reference:
[1] A. Yang and R. M. Narasin, Shufunotomo. Co. Ltd.,Tokyo (1989).
Preamble
Just as a reminder, intaglio prints can be created using solarplates. Here UV light only penetrates the clear area of the transparency and hardens the polymer, whereas areas beneath the opaque lines of the drawing remains soluble and so can be removed. For your convenience I have listed other posts in this series:
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates - Part I
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates - Part II
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates - Part III
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates - Part IV
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates - Part V
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates[1] - Part VI
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates[1] - Part VI
Creator: Yvonne Boag.
Title: Nowhere Road (1998).
Print: Double exposure.
Size: 12 x 16.75 in (30.5 x 42.5 cm).
Comment [1]: Yvonne Boag created two drawings on semi-matte drafting film with lithographic crayons and graphite pencils. The two films were partially overlaid and taped together, then exposed in a vacuum frame using the double exposure technique. Inked a la poupée, this print shows the fine marks and textures that the double exposure technique can preserve.
Courtesy: Comtempory Access Gallery (Australia).
Creator: Dan Welden.
Title: Sheep Track (1997).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 9 x 6.75 in (23 x 17 cm).
Comment [1]: The delicate pencil-like quality of this print was achieved with three exposures. In the first exposure, Dan Weldon "flash" exposed the plate without any transparency for a few seconds. In the second exposure he applied the aquatint screen for one minute and forty-five seconds, and for the third exposure he exposed his drawing on grained glass for a further one minute and firty-five seconds. All exposures were performed in the sun.
Creator: Beth Rundquist.
Title: Untitled (1997).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 11 x 7.55 in (28 x 19 cm).
Comment [1]: Beth Rundquist worked directly on the plate with etching ink and processed the plate using the double exposure technique to create a painterly effect.
Creator: Ford Robbins.
Title: Untitled (1998).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 11 x 15 in (28 x 38 cm).
Comment [1]: This image began as a very light laser transparency and using equal times for the double exposure technique gave poor results. By increasing the screen time, 1 minute 45 seconds, relative to the positive transparency time, 10 seconds, Ford Robbins achieved strong blacks in the final print.
Creator: Rita Dibert.
Title: Forbidden Fruits (1999).
Print: Photopolymer gravure print.
Size: 16 x 12 in (40.7 x 30.5 cm).
Comment [1]: This is a variation of working directly on the plate. Rita Dibert has combined direct and indirect methods. First she exposed the entire plate to the acquatint screen, then arranged her three continuous tone positives on the plate and painted around the edges of the transparencies. The plate was exposed again.
Creator: Terry Elkins.
Title: Shipwreck (1999).
Print: Single exposure intaglio print.
Size: 14.75 x 17 in (37.5 x 43 cm).
Comment [1]: Drawn with soft pencils on grained glass.
Creator: Eric Fischl.
Title: Woman with Blouse (1999).
Print: Single exposure intaglio print.
Size: 7.75 x 5.75 in (19.7 x 14.5 cm).
Comment [1]: Created with ink on acetate, the transparency was exposed once, developing areas of open bite. When inked and printed, the open bite added to the expressive quality of the print.
Reference:
[1] D.Welden and P. Muir, Printmaking in the Sun, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York (1997).
Preamble
This is the forty-nineth post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
Blue Pigments - Part III
Green Pigments - Part I
Green Pigments - Part II
Red Pigments - Part I
Red Pigments - Part II
Yellow Pigments - Part I
Yellow Pigments - Part II
Brown and Violet Pigments
Black Pigments
White Pigments - Part I
White Pigments - Part II
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
White Pigments - Part II [1]
Zinc White
Zinc White a term peculiar to the artists' material trade, where it is intended to describe Zinc Oxide of the highest degree of purity.
Zinc White.
The manufacture and sale of artists' colors is an significant branch of the color industry, and other white pigments, such as lithophone, contain zinc, and in the past, because of the disorganized system of nomenclature, were frequently sold as Zinc White. The best grades of domestic dry Zinc Oxide are sold under the trade name of Florence French Process Zinc Oxides. There are three varieties, all of which are more than 99% pure, and any one of which may be identified as such, as the differences between them are not great.
Zinc Oxide.
White Seal is the finest-grained and fluffiest; Green Seal is just white, but denser and less bulky; Red Seal is slightly inferior in whiteness and fineness of grain to the others. A grade of still higher chemical purity is also available under the name of B.P. Zinc Oxide, but this is made for pharmaceutical preparations and so has inferior paint pigment's or physical properties. White Seal is generally best suited for artists' paints.
Green Seal (Zinc Oxide).
Zinc White, as a paint, is free from the two defects of Flake White. It is not poisonous, and since Zinc Sulphide is white, any action that sulphur fumes might have on Zinc Oxide in a painting, will not alter its color. Flake White in oil is adequately white, as is evidenced by its brilliant effects on many old paintings, when they are in good, clean condition, but Zinc is still whiter. If Flake White is called Milk White, then Zinc could be called Snow-White. In oil, it has a harsher, colder or bluer effect, and is very much less opaque. It is employed in oil only where its lack of great opacity is either desirable or of no detriment; if a more opaque white is required, Flake White or a mixture of 50% titanium with Zinc White is used.
Flake White.
Zinc White is a reactive pigment oil (see a future post in this series). It unites, but not in the same way, as Flake White does. It tends to make brittle, hard films in comparison with tough, flexible films of White Lead. Its film has none of the desirable paint qualities described under the term, 'Flake White.' It brushes out poorly, and it is an exceptionally bad drier. Its particle structure is rather finer than that of the average pigment. Poppy oil films are definitely less permanent with Zinc than with Flake White.
Zinc White in Powders and in Linseed Oil (as viewed under a microscope).
Under severe weathering conditions, such as those to which an outside painted house are subjected (and which may be taken, in a measure, as accelerated or exaggerated indications of the conditions an artistic painting may undergo over a long period of years), White Lead films decay by becoming soft and powdery, whereas in the case of Zinc films, they become brittle, and cracking and flaking are evident; in the average climate, mixtures of the two, containing not more than 60% of either, are more resistant to decay than is Zinc or Lead alone. An addition of 10% of Blanc Fixe, increases durability of such outdoor paints, evidently by reinforcing the structural strength of the film.
Signs of a worn-out house paint of Zinc White.
Although Zinc Oxide is a very slow drier in linseed oil, and remains rather soft and flexible for some time, the oxidation of the oil is merely retarded; the drying action will continue until the film has reached its characteristic hard brittle condition. Hence, Zinc Oxide, is not as good as Flake White or Cremnitz White for use in underpaintings; it is liable to be the cause of cracking, on account of shrinkage in volume, accompanying the slow drying of the film. The danger is increased by its finely divided particle size, and it is more likely to take place when poppy oil is used. In general, Zinc White, especially when ground in poppy oil, may be considered of greatest value as a top coat, or in simple, direct, one-sitting painting.
Study of the impact of different levels of zinc on the yellowing of Titanium and Lead Whites after 2.5 years of indoor aging.
In all aqueous medium, Zinc White is free from defects and so gives very good results. It has long been used as a water color under the name of Chinese White, and when thus employed, its opacity is usually satisfactory. Where it has not sufficient hiding power, as in work done for photographic reproduction, titanium should be subsituted for it.
Lithopone
Lithopone is used for interior wall paints, in enormous quantities, but despite its modern improvements made in its properties, it is universally condemned as an artists' white. In oil paints it is considerably inferior in color and color stability to Zinc Oxide. However, it has good opacity, and its structural or film-forming properties are excellent; therefore, it is generally considered acceptable for use in grounds, either in water or in oil mixtures. Its fineness of grain may cause trouble when used with poppy oil. Lithopone has a structural advantage over Zinc Oxide in oil grounds and underpaintings, namely because its films tend to dry more completely and thoroughly within a comparatively short timeframe, and moreover, to be less brittle.
Lithopone, C.I. Pigment White 5, is a mixture of inorganic compounds, widely used as a white pigment powder. It is composed of a mixture of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide. These insoluble compounds blend well with organic compounds, and confer opacity.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
Art Quilts of Karin Franzen [1]
Enduring Alaska's long winter season, Karin Franzen finds endless inspiration in her wild surroundings.
Karin Franzen.
Her quilts feature detailed renderings of plant and wildlife that are intricately configured in raw-edge appliqué from scraps of recycled clothing. In order to offset the literal nature of her depictions, Franzen adds layered sheers to each piece to communicate a sense of natures mystery.
Title: Pirouette IV (2007).
Size: 49 x 42 inches (124.5 x 106.7 cm).
Materials and Technique: Silk organza over cotton, wool, linen, acetate, polyester, rayon thread, oil sticks, fabric paint, bleach; low-water immersion dye, screen-printed, discharged, raw-edge, appliquéd, machine pieced and quilted.
Photograph: Courtesy of Patrick Endres.
Detail View.
Title: The Barley Eaters (2007).
Size: 35 x 48 inches (88.9 x 121.9 cm).
Materials and Technique: Used clothing, synthetic sheers, Tyvek, acrlic paint, cotton batting and backing, rayon thread, photographs; machine quilted, pieced, raw-edge appliquéd, photo transfer.
Photograph: Courtesy of James Barker.
Title: Pirouette III (2007).
Size: 49 x 42 inches (124.5 x 106.7 cm).
Materials and Technique: Cotton batting, silk organza, cotton, wool, linen, acetate, rayon, quilting thread; dyed, discharged, overdyed, screen-printed, raw-edge appliquéd, machine pieced and quilted.
Photograph: Courtesy of Patrick Endres.
Comment [1]: As much as possible, I construct my pieces from used clothing. Recycling is fundamental to the tradition of quilting, and I consider it my one true reference to the customary form.
Title: Fibonacci's Crane (2007).
Size: 24 x 36 inches (60.9 x 91.4 cm).
Materials and Technique: Cotton, silk, rayon; machine pieced and quilted, hand embroidered, screen-printed, raw-edge, appliquéd.
Photograph: Courtesy of James Barkers.
Comment [1]: The visual interaction of light with sheers and the tactile qualities of various textiles provide me with endless inspiration.
Title: The Raven Clan (2009).
Size: 69 x 41 inches (1.7 x 1 m).
Materials and Technique: Silk organza, cotton, wool, linen, rayon, polyester, silk, cotton batting, rayon thread, cotton thread; low-water immersion dyed, screen-printed, raw-edge appliquéd, machine piece and quilted.
Photograph: Courtesy of Patrick Endres.
Title: A Time to Dance (April 28th, 2008).
Size: 47 x 44 inches (119.4 x 111.8 cm).
Materials and Technique: Silk organza, synthetic sheers, wool, silk, linen, rayon, polyester, acetate, cotton, rayon thread, cotton thread, fabric paint; low-water immersion dyed, silk-screened, discharged, raw-edge appliquéd, machine quilted, hand stitched.
Photograph: Courtesy of Eric Nancarrow.
Title: A Time to Dance (September 9th, 2008).
Size: 48 x 55 inches (1.2 x 1.4 m).
Materials and Technique: Silk organza, synthetic sheers, wool, silk, linen, rayon, polyester, acetate, cotton, rayon thread, cotton thread, fabric paint; low-water immersion dyed, silk-screened, discharged, raw-edge appliquéd, machine quilted, hand stitched.
Photograph: Courtesy of Eric Nancarrow.
Title: A Time to Dance (May 17th, 2008).
Size: 60 x 43 inches (1.5 x 1.1 m).
Materials and Technique: Silk organza, synthetic sheers, wool, silk, linen, rayon, polyester, acetate, cotton, rayon thread, cotton thread, fabric paint; low-water immersion dyed, silk-screened, discharged, raw-edge appliquéd, machine quilted, hand stitched.
Photograph: Courtesy of Eric Nancarrow.
Title: Bathed in a Turquoise Sky (2010).
Size: 69.5 x 41 inches (1.7 x 1 m).
Materials and Technique: Silk organza, cotton, wool, linen, polyester, rayon, thread, synthetic sheers; low-water immersion dyed, screen-printed, machine pieced, raw-edge appliquéd, machine quilted.
Photograph: Courtesy of Patrick Endres.
Comment [1]: I have a deep love for experimentation that springs from my fascination with fabric.
Reference:
[1] Masters: Art Quilts, Vol. 2, Curated by M. Sielman, Lark Crafts, An Imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York (2011).
Preamble
This blogspot has a number of posts on felt and felted objects which have been listed below for your convenience.
Hallstatt Textiles
Nuno Felted Scarves@Felted Pleasure
Fabric Construction - Felt
Felted Garments
Felted Accessories
Felted Works of the 1980s
Felt Shawls
Felt Objects - Part I
Felt Objects - Part II
Introduction [1]
It was not unitl the 1970s that artists outside the traditional felt-making societies began investigating felt as both a creative medium and a rich vein of a scholary study. Exposure to the felts of nomadic peoples through exhibitions and books, such as M.E. Burkett's, Art of Felt Making, catalyzed a period of intensive field research from North Africa to Mongolia. Inspired experimentation also took place in the studio of artists, who loved the unique physicality of the material.
In Western Europe and the Americas, felt has typically been valued for technical rather than aesthetic reasons. Self-extinguishing, capable of holding large amounts of fluid without feeling wet, and sound absorbing, felt has long been ubiquitous but invisible - a gray part of the industrial landscape.
Felt Objects - Part II [1]
Designer: Christine Birkle.
Description: Jacket J 22 and Skirt KWS 9/4 (2010).
Materials: Merino wool, cotton, silk.
Photograph: Courtesy of the artist.
Designer: Lara Grant.
Description: Arched Coatdress (2007).
Materials and Technique: Merino fleece, polyester thread, covered buttons; wet felted, needle felted, sewn, blocked. Ankle accessories designed by Chrystie Cappelli.
Size: 114.3 cm long.
Photograph: Courtesy of Arun Nevader.
Top view of the above Arched Coatdress (2007).
Designer: Anneke Copier.
Description: Sheba (2007).
Materials and Technique: Wool, silk, peppercorns; wet felt.
Size: 135 cm long cm long.
Photograph: Courtesy of the artist.
Detailed View.
Designer: Christine Birkle.
Description: Hut Up. Top KST 9/5 and Skirt KSS 6/3 (2010).
Materials: Marino wool, silk.
Size: Dimensions vary.
Photograph: Courtesy of the artist.
Designer: Anneke Copier.
Description: Elsas (2010).
Materials and Technique: Silk, flax, wool; nuno techniques, wet felt.
Size: 145 cm long.
Photograph: Courtesy of the artist.
Designer: Katie Coble.
Description: Mirrored Felt Piece Folded (2009).
Materials and Technique: Industrial felt, linen thread, polyester, elastic; cut, stitched, sewn.
Size: 82 x 30 x 15 cm.
Photograph: Courtesy of Tom Foley.
Designer: Maggy Pavlou.
Description: Armadillo Coat (2009), front profile.
Materials and Technique: Merino fleece; wet felted, pieced, stitched..
Size: 57 cm long.
Photograph: Courtesy of Kevin Facer.
Back Profile.
Reference:
[1] Susan Brown, 500 Felt Objects, Editors Note. Mornu and J. Hale, Lark Crafts, an Imprint of Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. (2011).
Introduction
Art is a human endeavour which encompasses the long history of life and experiences of human beings over the epochs. It connects us through gender, race, age, time, and shared experiences from the cave paintings of Lascaux to the plethora of modern art media and concepts. By creating a visual dialogue, we have the means to share and exchange emotional, psychological, and cultural narratives from both an artists and viewers perspective.
Artists have historically created works that embrace the concepts of protest, resistance, social change, and resilience of the human spirit in the face of extreme hardship. A powerful source of inspiration is often born from the ravages of conflict zones.
In these uncertain times, the outlook for the global economy is grim with a series of trade policy shocks that threaten to paralyse economic and business decisions. Global tensions are rising, with warfare ongoing in the Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, and Sudan, just to name a few.
The Ukraine has a rich and diverse culturally significant heritage in creating art and exhibiting artworks. Since 2003, the organisers and founders of the International Mini Textile and Fibre Art Exhibition “Scythia” - Ludmila Egorova, Anastasia Schneider and Andrew Schneider - have curated this biennial contemporary exhibition in the city of Ivano-Frankivs’k, Ukraine. Despite the difficult situation in the country caused by the war, their vision encapsulates the role and contribution that the art world can make to normalize society engagements, in tense war times just as these.
An excerpt from an interview with the organisers in 2023 is as follows: “Art is a part of our national identity and plays an important role in the time of war. Art provides cooperation between friendly countries, shows our cultural diversity, helps to share ideas and understand common goals, it heals and helps to return to the memory of a peaceful life even for 20- 30 minutes, while visiting an art exhibition. Each artwork sent by a foreign artist, shows his or her support and wish to share emotions with the audience in Ukraine, which is very important nowadays for each person in our country. The exhibition also helps Ukrainian artists to spread their ideas worldwide, to show the diversity of their thoughts and to express their feelings. Specially made artworks, and artworks which are closely related to the feelings of Ukrainian citizens during this war, will be presented at these exhibitions. Such artworks are made not only by Ukrainian artists, but by the foreign artists to express their solidarity with our people and to help to inform and depict the situation to the people worldwide”.[1]
In 2024, textile artists working in various textile and fibre techniques were invited to apply for participation in the, 12th International Mini Textile and Fibre Art Exhibition, “Scythia,” via a jury selection process. Artists could submit 2 artworks, 2 or 3-dimensional works, up to 30x30x30 cm. There was no set theme for the exhibited artworks.
I was honoured to be informed that my ArtCloth print, ‘Time Waits for No Man,’ was selected by the jury for exhibition at the Ivano-Frankivs’k Museum, Ukraine, June 3 - 17, 2025. Artworks by 121 artists were selected representing Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Mauritius, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkiye, Ukraine, and the USA.
Synopsis and Processes for the ArtCloth Print ‘Time Waits for No Man’
The quote, 'time waits for no man,' is commonly attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer, and it originates from his book 'Canterbury Tales,' which was written between 1387 and 1400 AD. The quote concisely captures the fleeting nature of time and the fundamental fact that change is inevitable. It emphasises the concept that time, along with opportunity, must be seized with passion, nothing must be left to chance, and we should focus on our goals. It reminds us of our mortality and the impermanence of life on this planet.
The concept for this ArtCloth print was rooted in the investigation of the influence of the 'fine-art' world on the 'street art' of Graffiti and the Post Graffiti movement. The iconography of the artwork centres on over 500 years of appropriation of Leonardo da Vinci’s, ‘Vitruvian Man’ image. It traces its journey through time to its current destination in contemporary media and on walls in our urban streetscapes.
'The Vitruvian Man is a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to ca. 1490. Inspired by the writings of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, the drawing depicts a nude man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and inscribed in both a circle and square. It was described by the art historian Carmen C. Bambach as '...justly ranked among the all-time iconic images of Western civilization.' Although not the only known drawing of a man inspired by the writings of Vitruvius, the work is a unique synthesis of artistic and scientific ideals and often considered an archetypal representation of the High Renaissance. The drawing represents Leonardo’s conception of ideal body proportions, originally derived from Vitruvius but influenced by his own measurements, the drawings of his contemporaries, and the De pictura treatise by Leon Battista Alberti'[2].
In tandem with the concept of a deconstructed and distressed street art aesthetic, the artwork had to characterize the psychological relationship between the subject and viewer - capturing the fleeting nature of time and the fundamental fact that change is inevitable and that no man can control the passage of time no matter how powerful or influential they may be.
My research demanded various design considerations to produce the aesthetic principles underlying the production of the piece. Multiple complex layers of hand painted, silk screened, mono printed, stamped, collaged, resist, mark-making and distress techniques using transparent, opaque, and metallic pigments were employed to create the heavily textured and dense surface on the cotton substrate. A collaged clock references the passage of time along with images of red leaves falling away to oblivion at the bottom right of the piece. Dark, light, and metallic hues were chosen to give a high contrast and attain an interesting balance of the various elements in the work. Varied shades of yellow, gold and browns dominate the work to highlight the soft gold-brown watercolour washes and brown ink drawing in da Vinci’s original artwork.
In conclusion, both Geoffrey Chaucer and Leonardo da Vinci epitomise the idea that time, along with opportunity, must be seized with passion, nothing must be left to chance, and we should focus on our goals. Centuries after their legacy, they have continued to influence generations of artists and writers.
Time Waits for No Man
Title: Time Waits for No Man (Full View).
Techniques and Media: Hand painted, silk screened, mono printed, stamped and collaged employing
transparent, opaque, and metallic pigments on cotton.
Size: 30 cm high x 19.5 cm wide.
Year of Creation: 2025.
Edition: 1/1.
Detail View No.1.
Detail View No.2.
Detail View No.3.
Detail View No.4.
Postscript
The organisers held another exhibition, the 4th International Micro Textile and Fibre Art Exhibition, at the Ivano-Frankivs’k Centre of Contemporary Art, concurrently with the 12th International Mini Textile and Fibre Art Exhibition “Scythia”, at the Ivano-Frankivs’k Museum. Dates for both exhibitions were June 3 - 17, 2025. Both exhibitions are featured in the catalogues on the Scythia Contemporary Textile and Fibre Art website at the following link: http://www.scythiatextile.com.
The editor of Studio La Primitive Arts Zine, Robyn Werkhoven, invited me to write an article about some of my recent ArtCloth prints.
My article was published in Ezine Issue 62, July 2025 and is titled, 'Three Print Journeys'. The concept, synopsis and processes for the prints, Time Waits for No Man, The Power of One, and Graffiti Garden are discussed in the article. The ‘Three Print Journeys’ article appears on page 180 of the Ezine.
Note: In 2017 Studio La Primitive Arts Zine was selected by the New South Wales State Library to be preserved as a digital publication of lasting cultural value for long-term access by the Australian community.
References
[1] http://www.scythiatextile.com/mini-2023.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man
Title and Year of Creation: East River (2012).
Title and Year of Creation: Moors (2013).
Title and Year of Creation: Transfer Station 2 - Detailed View (2011).
Title and Year of Creation: Powerpoints, 2008-2013 (Detail).
Title and Year of Creation: 150 Rotations 2013 (Detail).
