Book of the Month

While my blog does not feature any how-to books with patterns, I am happy to recommend well-illustrated publications with information on new techniques and processes. Ruth Singer’s 2013 Fabric Manipulation (published by David & Charles, UK) teaches pleating, gathering, stuffing, cording, layering, and more–techniques that can be applied to fiber art in general as well as to fashion and costume.  The author has degrees in both Medieval Studies and Museum Studies, and her work has been inspired by hands-on experience with vintage and historic clothing. Her 150 techniques in this book will get your creative juices flowing, and no special machinery is required.

http://www.ruthsinger.com

Natasha Kempers-Cullen, Mandala Meditation (2004), 57.5 x 36 in.

Reflections: Old Work and New

Those of you lucky enough to escape to Maine from the summer heat have the chance to see a solo show by Natasha Kempers-Cullen, quilt and collage artist, at the Fellowship Gallery in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick (1 Middle Street).  I have admired this artist’s work in textile art since the 1990s for her love of color and graphic sensibility. The exhibition is open until August 12. Textile and fiber art are flourishing in Maine, with statewide support from Maine Fiberarts and a vibrant network of makers.

http://www.folio.mainefiberarts.org/kempers-cullen

Ann Liddle, Waters (detail).

Fiber National 2016

Jennifer Lindsay juried Fiber National 2016 for the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia (southwest of Alexandria, near the Potomac River).   She selected approximately 50 pieces by 34 artists, fewer than one-third of the number of works submitted. Techniques include quilting, weaving, felting, crochet, beading, embroidery, basketry, crochet, as well as digital and screen-printing on fabric.  The juror comments, “The works on view demonstrate these artists’ mastery of form, material, content, process, and design, and reveal highly personal, imaginative, historically thoughtful, and courageous approaches to fiber’s immense transformational and healing power.” This show, well worth a trip if you are in the D.C. area, runs through August 21.

Texas Quilt Museum, in La Grange.

On the Fringe: Innovative Art Quilts from California and Nevada

This exhibition of twenty art quilts exemplifies some of the more interesting work being done today by members of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) who belong to the northern California and northern Nevada regional group. Premiering in summer of 2016 at the Texas Quilt Museum, On the Fringe features the unique character of the West Coast in a variety of diverse materials, subjects, and surface design techniques. Connotations of “fringe” include areas on and near the Pacific Rim, looking toward Asia; the geography and topography of California and Nevada as western limits of the continental United States; and, artists pushing the boundaries of their medium, in the spirit of “fringe” festivals worldwide where art challenges and provokes the imagination.  I had the pleasure of jurying this exhibition as Curator of the Texas Quilt Museum. The quilts can be viewed until September 25.

 http://www.texasquiltmuseum.org

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