California Fibers currently has an exhibit at the Blackboard Gallery at Studio Channel Islands in Camarillo, California. The exhibit continues through May 7, and includes an artists' panel this Saturday, April 22, at 1 PM.
What follows are pictures with detail shots of each of the works in the exhibit, although the best way to view this show is in person. It's a beautiful, light-filled space with plenty of room to view the art. Juror Judith Content wrote the following about the show: "I was delighted to find a riveting collection of contemporary works in fiber; rich in craftsmanship, confidence, message and materials. Scrolling through the images I was struck by the wonderful diversity of process and techniques. As a maker myself, I appreciate the work behind the weaving, dyeing, quilting and assemblage. I am sensitive to the use of color and was pleased to see these artists using it in unique and extremely effective ways. I was also intrigued by each artist’s imaginative and individual approach to the theme of time. I felt that this subject, with its vast connotations, allowed each artist to create work with many layers of personal meaning.
My challenge was to take a collection of already compelling pieces and distill it to its essence. I took this challenge very seriously as I worked to create a cohesive yet dynamic exhibition of compelling and contemporary works of art. I hope the artists and their audience enjoy viewing this show as much as I did jurying it."
Follow through the gallery below to see California Fibers' interpretations of time and its effect.
What follows are pictures with detail shots of each of the works in the exhibit, although the best way to view this show is in person. It's a beautiful, light-filled space with plenty of room to view the art. Juror Judith Content wrote the following about the show: "I was delighted to find a riveting collection of contemporary works in fiber; rich in craftsmanship, confidence, message and materials. Scrolling through the images I was struck by the wonderful diversity of process and techniques. As a maker myself, I appreciate the work behind the weaving, dyeing, quilting and assemblage. I am sensitive to the use of color and was pleased to see these artists using it in unique and extremely effective ways. I was also intrigued by each artist’s imaginative and individual approach to the theme of time. I felt that this subject, with its vast connotations, allowed each artist to create work with many layers of personal meaning.
My challenge was to take a collection of already compelling pieces and distill it to its essence. I took this challenge very seriously as I worked to create a cohesive yet dynamic exhibition of compelling and contemporary works of art. I hope the artists and their audience enjoy viewing this show as much as I did jurying it."
Follow through the gallery below to see California Fibers' interpretations of time and its effect.
Kathy Nida's Give Me Time (hand-dyed and commercial cotton fabrics, fused applique, machine-stitched, machine-quilted)
Nida writes about her work, "Both my pieces in the Time exhibit deal with time’s increasing speed and its toll on living things as we age, whether it is an individual or an entire planet…of trying to hold it all together despite new demands on us."
A detail
Peggy Weidemann's Time Marches On (top, mixed media) and Spring Forward (bottom, mixed media)
Weidemann writes about the two pieces, "While making the pieces for this show, it became clear to me that “time” is much more than just a clock. It is ever-changing. Sometimes it is confusing, other times it is predictable. It can be disturbing, exhilarating, fun or sad. It can live in our memories as well as the present and influence our future."
Detail of Time Marches On
Detail of Spring Forward
Mary Beth Schwartzenberger's Inscription (Kyoseishi paper, acrylic paint, DMC floss)
Schwartzenberger writes about her work, "Time, such a rich topic to explore. Do you waste it, make use of it, fritter it away, reflect on it, covet it, appreciate it? For myself, I do all of these at one time and another!
The two pieces that are included in this exhibit cover the topic from two different viewpoints. Inscription was inspired by small silver prayer scrolls that I have seen at the Malibu Getty Museum. I was intrigued by the fact that they contained written messages which I could not read but could, on one level, understand. Thousands of years later I knew they felt the same as we do today – searching for blessings for ourselves and our loved ones. Placing our human experiences of today next to people from so long ago is a thoughtful reminder that we as humans are on some level more the same than different."
A detail
Lori Zimmerman's Too Good to Waste (embroidered silk, polyester, silk embroidery floss)
Zimmerman writes about her work, "Time. We spend a significant amount of time repairing, stitching, mending the skinned knee, the rent cloth, the aging muscles, the flawed family, the broken heart, the misplaced trust, the injustices doled out in the larger world. With whatever skills we’ve accumulated over the years we take needle and thread, words and actions, alone and in community we attempt to find wholeness, regain functionality, work towards a sense of fairness and justice. We strive to mend ourselves, heal our relationships and repair our society. Time. Nothing stays the same. Nothing defies decay. One stitch, one thought, one action at a time, repeated over and over, time and again, finding wholeness in rhythm, pattern and melody."
A detail
Lori Zimmerman's Quarter Jacket (salvaged linen fabric, cotton embroidery floss, dried corn; patchworked, discharged, rewoven, and embroidered. Hand-stitched.)
A detail
Doshi's Autumnal Face (silk organza, tesuji, discharge, acid dye, stitched)
Doshi writes about her work,
"Our lives are shaped by the seasons—
Changing light, changing shadows, changing forms, changing time.
We flow internally with the movement of the sun and the moon and change with the winds and the tides.
We grow older and mature, experience joys and sadness, gather wisdom and find stillness.
In the passing of time,
In the changes of the seasons,
We come to peace.
“Silently sitting by the window. Leaves fall and flowers bloom.
The seasons come and go.
Could there be a better life?”
—Zen Poem"
A detail
Charlotte Bird, Habitat Granite 2 (hand-dyed and commercial cotton, polyester organza, polyester thread, perle cotton thread, commercial printed background fabric from artist's photograph)
Bird writes about her work, "Time is a constant part of my work on several levels. The natural world, particularly plants - ancient and modern, geology - rocks and stream-worn surfaces, are the focus of much of the imagery I choose. Habitat Granite has my photo of a rock face as its background. The lichens in the medallion are ancient plants surviving in often harsh environments. Forest Primeval talks about the lichens, mosses and ferns associated with old growth forests.
Time is an integral part of my practice as well. I hand dye and print most of the fabrics I use in my quilts. Images develop from hand cut appliqués of the plants I study. Machine quilting and hand embroidery are time-consuming processes needed for the images to convey the ideas I contemplate."
A detail
Carrie Burckle, Remnant (buttonhole plackets, dyed and stitched together, found wringer, steel)
Burckle writes, "The work Attachments, Rend II, and Remnant all embody an aspect of time. There is time given to collecting and curating objects that add to the memory and meaning of things that are passed down. There is also the element of time in the process of creating and working with materials.
Remnant is composed from men’s button-down shirts I collected from thrift stores. Their previous use added to the feeling of memory and meaning of wearing hand-me-down clothes. I grew up the middle child of four brothers. The time I spent cutting out the buttonhole plackets, dyeing, and then stitching them became a mindful and meditative act. They are hung on a part of a clothes wringer I found at a salvage store. The feeling I got when the work was complete was that of an old-fashioned barber pole."
A detail
Charlotte Bird, Forest Primeval (hand-dyed and commercial cotton, polyester thread, perle cotton thread)
A detail
Michael F. Rohde, Ahimsa (handwoven tapestry, undyed alpaca)
Rohde writes about his work, "The two tapestries by Michael Rohde are from his series of pixelated faces. In the two on exhibit here, he looked back in history to early photographs. Both are from a time before widespread color photography, and the tapestries are executed with monochromatic yarns. They have elements of tribute to universal, older principles, and some romanticism of those times."
Chari Myers, Sanctuary Past (kozo, vacuumed abaca, arashi, direct dye, wood, wax)
Myers writes about her work, "My current work encourages a self-seeking, self-discovery of unexplored dimensions which builds upon personal significant events. These events may awaken, affirm, and enhance the spiritual connection between past, present and future. Sanctuary Past is a balancing act of the duality of comfort / discomfort of shelter / trap and emergence / retreat."
A detail
Carrie Burckle, Attachments (found metal cart, wooden box with glass cover; found, altered, and made memorabilia)
Burckle writes, "Attachments is comprised of objects and materials that trigger childhood memories of things collected or passed down from family that hold affection and bind us together. I associate the color pink with tenderness and nurturing. I have an affinity for things that conjure up a past and create an imagined narrative. I look for the well-worn item that shows its use. I have an attraction for things that are old, have a history, a belonging like the recipe box of my mother, the leather gloves, the wooden spools of silk thread. I contribute the things from my past like my teen diary, my cut hair, and an aunt’s handkerchiefs. The things we can’t part with become a part of us."
A detail
Ashley Blalock, Keeping Up Appearances (cotton yarn)
Blalock writes about the piece, "Our lives unfold day by day. My work is part of my own unique time and connects the past with my present. I see time as the lifespan of the piece, the time to make it by hand, and the time the viewer interacts with it."
A detail
Linda Anderson, Waiting (all cottons, hand-painted, raw-edge applique, machine stitched and quilted)
Anderson says of her piece, "My husband has spent countless hours supporting me at exhibit openings I have art work in. After a particularly long event, he and 2 other husband's found a quiet alcove to finally sit and wait for their artist wives. I saw them and knew it would become a great image of biding time."
A detail
Doshi, Spring Beauty (silk organza, tesuji, discharge, acid dye, stitched)
A detail
Linda Anderson, Becoming (hand-painted cottons, raw-edge applique, machine-stitched, bamboo and canvas batting)
Anderson writes, "Rites of passage happen in all cultures and societies, marking a moment of maturation in someone's life, crossing from one stage to another. These 2 boys are experiencing that moment in time."
A detail
Lynne Hodgman, Timely Phoenemes (glyphs, tacks, silver acrylic paint)
Hodgman writes about her work, "My work uses invented language symbols I call Glyphs. Each is unique; there is no alphabet nor translation. I have made many, many thousands of them in multiple mediums.
The work Timeless Phonemes references our constant stream of language as oral utterances and as text, passing through the hourglass of space-time. Our thought-words seem sometimes to materialize from thin air and fall through a narrow channel of reception...even to the floor, to the fate of the unheard, the misunderstood, or, sometimes, the transformed, as they are at the pinch point in the center."
A detail
Carrie Burckle, Rend II (handwoven and indigo dyed in linen, handmade kozo paper, printed and sanded)
Burckle writes about the piece, "Rend II is a weaving covered with wax and paper. My intention was to create a sense of ruin.
At the time I was creating Rend II, Hurricane Katrina had caused so much devastation. The distressed placement and application of the printed paper reminded me of time passed and the water receding left its mark on the wall. I wanted to capture the feeling of the marks that are left after the devastation has taken place."
A detail
Lydia Tjioe Hall, One a Day July 2014 (steel, copper wire, found pods, sticks, wax, paper)
Tjioe Hall writes about the piece, "One a Day July 2014: This series began the year after my daughter was born. Knowing that I would not have much time to work on larger pieces, I decided to work on small pieces that would add up to a larger installation in the end.
January 2014: I began to create a small piece every day the size of my palm. This series began using steel wire and white Capiz shells where every day is coded within the wire work. As this project continued, the materials I incorporate began to change. I started using found natural objects that I would find on my walks when I was out with my daughter. I also began dipping the pieces in paper pulp or wax as the months went on. Each piece is one of a kind with its own date for a day of the year. Seeing all twelve months together shows the progression of the pieces as they changed over the months. They can be displayed as individual months or all hung together on a wall randomly or in one continuous line around the room."
A detail
Another detail
Gail Fraser, Ripple Effect (handmade kozo paper, natural materials, shredded upholstery applied on sculptural forms built from palm pod molds, paper bags, gesso, acrylic paint, foam, filled with natural found collected objects)
Fraser writes, “Ripple Effect is three vessels representing different environments, such as a forest, desert, and a body of water. Because of our global warming, I believe there is a ripple effect caused by a change in our weather patterns. This affects all life on earth. I feel it is important for a balance and harmony between culture and nature. My art is motivated in great part by her desire to find a way of negotiating cultural systems so they do not “progress” at the expense of a reverence for nature."
A detail
Another detail
Rebecca Smith, Night Fire (tapestry technique using wire, seed beads, and mixed fibers)
Smith writes about her work, "One of my childhood memories is the image of a palm tree burning at night. It was like a huge torch, frightening and mesmerizing. A fire seen at night, and not forgotten for more than fifty years, rose from deep memory to be worked into this piece. Time may blur, but it cannot erase, powerful memories."
A detail
Gail Fraser, Rachel Carson's Song (mixed media: old science cabinet, war field desk, old typewriting table, objects found and handmade)
Fraser writes about the piece, "Rachel Carson’s Song relates to the deadly excessive use of the dangerous chemical pesticide DDT, producing a river of death that affects not only wildlife, but all life. This body of work is a tribute to Rachel Carson, the scientist who discovered the effects of DDT and believed that the political power behind major industries and corporations generated many pollution problems that still exists today. It is ironic that the major chemical industries and corporations are now still selling DDT to foreign “Third-World Countries” and, in return, we import products that have been contaminated back into the United States."
A detail of the desk
Another detail
Another detail
The test-tube rack on top of the desk
Polly Jacobs Giacchina, Time Flies (wire, metal, screening, and thread)
Jacobs Giacchina writes, "I have combined the mechanisms of time and the animals of flight to interpret the speed and swiftness of time. Looking for enough time to immerse myself in my art is always an issue. I cherish and need those hours. Time always seems to fly by at an elusive speed."
A detail
Michael F. Rohde, Grace (handwoven tapestry, undyed alpaca)
A detail
Cameron Taylor-Brown, Colors of Gujarat: Common Threads #2 (cotton yarns, fabrics, bias tape, wood, and paint)
Taylor-Brown writes about her work, "Colors of Gujarat: Common Threads #2 was inspired by a trip to Bhuj in the state of Gujarat, India, where I visited the compounds of several top textile artisans. The vibrant colors, exquisite workmanship, friendly people, and rich history of the area made a deep and lasting impression on me. Cotton was first grown in the Indus Valley not far from Bhuj and their textile traditions go back thousands of years. As a contemporary weaver engaged in a very ancient craft, I felt connected to textile traditions in a profound and immutable way."
A detail
Lydia Tjioe Hall, Suspended Time (wood, steel, glass beads, shell, and pearl)
Kathy Nida, Holding It All In (hand-dyed and commercial cotton fabric, fused applique, machine-stitched, machine-quilted)
A detail
Doshi, Bare Branches (arashi, silk screen, acid dye, hand-painted)
A detail
Mary Beth Schwartzenberger, Meadow (kyoseishi paper, acrylic paint, DMC floss)
Schwartzenberger writes about her work, "Meadow is a more personal memory of standing in a prairie field. I wanted to build an intimate perspective so that they viewer could experience my memory of that meadow, to feel the breeze, hear the meadow lark, and enjoy a peace filled moment that is nature’s gift.
I work on a handmade Japanese mulberry paper called kyoseishi. I paint the paper first and then embellish the work with hand embroidery. The resulting image is a unique marriage of paint and fiber."
A detail
A few more shots of the gallery as a whole...
And again
From the front of the gallery
Another shot
At the back
And off to the other side
We're looking forward to seeing you this Saturday.
