I’m currently playing around with stuffed forms which I’ve always liked, and in the past did some shallow 3D bowl pieces with needlewoven structures in/on them. But in addition to needleweaving, such bars could also be wrapped, buttonholed, or even beaded, like this detail from “Below The Tideline” – think belt loops.

think belt loops perhaps

Needlewoven bars – only one I regard as successful – possibly the puff wasn’t stuffed fully enough. Someone commented this reminded her of a chicken… 🙂

Recently I saw an interesting fibreart piece online, in a grid made of something flexible (rope?) totally covered/wrapped with fabric and some stitch. All the crossover points were contained different sized 3D elements like blobs, which I wasn’t able to handle to examine throughly. The whole work, ~1.5mh x 1m was an irregular grid structure hanging 10cm in front of a wall, making the shadows it cast an integral part of the work. With grid structures being so important to me, it’s on my mind to explore something like this, but I’d make the blobs larger in comparison to the vacant spaces than I saw in that work, treating each blob or some key ones as a small embroidery with some stitched texture.

Also on my mind just now is the wonderful gold and pewter vinyl that I bought here in Montevideo late last year. It’s magic stuff, and looks like metallic finish leather, and while it’s softer, stretchy and easier to stitch through, it’s probably not as durable. It could have a bright role in top class sports gear or theatre costume. My figure’s too lumpy to wear some skinny pants made of it, but they’d look fabulous on the right person. I’ve used it in several works and found it’s terrific for raw edge applique, as sample making earlier this year showed:

SAQA is currently running a challenge like the one I took part in during 2021. As participants set our own agendas, on most days during this challenge I’ll be doing a small sample of some element of a bigger idea. Elements like those above could be applied to a blob about the size of an egg, I think, and whatever the material, the gathered edges at the back would need covering over, making a perfect site for some kind of stitched texture element.

Because I am always open to the creative potential possibilities of non-traditional fabrics and materials that I sometimes come across, sample making is a very important part of my practice. This challenge began while I was still working on my entry for the mask exhibition here in Montevideo, and so first up I posted a few pics of it on the challenge’s private FB page. I haven’t yet blogged about that mask here, as the entry date is still open for a few more days.

This week I had the opportunity to visit the 4th Biennial of Artisanal Objects from South American countries, in The Cabildo one of Montevideo’s Old City’s finest and most interesting old buildings, now a historic museum, overlooking the Plaza Matriz, a beautiful square with fountain that’s lovely any time of year. The day I went there were strong bitterly cold winds blowing, but even with lots of little branches and masses of autumn leaves strewn everywhere, it was nice to walk through.

This is a wonderful exhibition, featuring 110 artisan crafted works in several categories by artists from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay. I checked out absolutely everything, and though of course my personal focus is textiles, there are other fine pieces in woodwork, metalwork, jewellery, weaving, crochet, ceramic, felting and basketry. Of course, such is the exciting state of craft today that there are a number of hybrid or crossover pieces skilfully combining materials and techniques from several distinct craft areas in the one work.

There was no catalogue, so my descriptions might be a little off in some of the notes I made, but no matter – it is a lovely exhibition, and here are some of my favourites:

The Cabildo museum is located at Juan Carlos Gómez 1362, Cuidad Vieja, Montevideo. Opening hours are M-F 11-17.45, and Sat. 11-17.00. The museum’s website has not yet been updated to include this exhibition, which only opened this week, so I am not sure how long it will be on view. I recommend you make plans to visit sooner rather than later, then have a wander around the plaza before heading to your favourite restaurant for lunch!

(I provide direct links in my text where I think readers might like further information, and always welcome readers questions and comments in reply)

Each year I volunteer to mentor a fellow SAQA member, and recently my mentee mentioned a fibre artist she’d discovered while attending an exhibition in her own city. She was impressed, so I visited that artist’s website to learn more about her art. In her bio Lizz Freeman described herself as “an under-educated, community-taught artist based in New Orleans, LA.” Her art itself is interesting enough, but that particular comment really set me thinking about how textile and fibre artists learn to put inspiration into some form using the manual and intellectual skills we’ve acquired during our lives so far, and I’ve concluded that to some degree we are all “self taught”.

Throughout my husband Mike’s exploration geology career, mining companies frequently required us to move between towns, across the country or around the world. I never seriously considered signing on for a formal tertiary fine arts course knowing I’d probably have to abandon it part way through. Now he’s retired, and there’s nothing stopping me: it’s never too late, they say, but as the world has changed, these days there are excellent online in-depth courses available. I feel I’ve been well suited by taking a multi-day symposium kind of masterclass every few years, followed by several years during which I absorb what I learned. Frequent relocations shaped my fairly low-tech art practice, too, as my main equipment is a basic domestic sewing machine, a cutting table, plus an iron and folding ironing board – all highly portable. I don’t have the space for a long arm machine, or facilities for fabric dyeing, and for photography, I’ve always invested in a good working relationship with a photographer wherever I am. Tertiary courses offer opportunities to use art departments’ wide range of facilities and expensive equipment, and students experience regular critiques and guidance, networking and possible career opportunities. On the other hand, I’ve seen how within such a group of students working under particular professor/artists, inevitably at least some of them become influenced by their teacher’s distinctive style elements, which begin to appear in their own work, and the issue of derivative art comes into play. However an artist learns, though, really depends on their own individual drive to learn and refine the skills needed to produce their art.

I identify as self-educated, because as an adult I’ve continued to add to my childhood education by taking workshops from prominent practitioners in their fields. I’ve only ever signed on to workshops I really wanted to take, and either I’ve been lucky in those choices, or perhaps I’ve soaked up everything they offered me because I was ready for the treat of an in-depth workshop. The most significant teachers I studied with have been Cynthia Sparks, Constance Howard, Meg Douglas, Nancy Crow, Arturo Sandoval, Dorothy Caldwell, Ann Johnson, and the StitchClub workshops of Debbie Lyddon, Clarissa Callesen and Jessica Grady during that first difficult year of the pandemic.

I remember our son Ivan telling me in 1992, that as a visual artist I needed my own website, which he then set up for me. I knew very few people then who had their own websites; but now anyone can have one, either paying someone to set it up and run it or by using one of the many free templates available. At least once a week I visit an artist’s website to read their bios and artist statements because of something interesting I saw in their work.

Today, I believe that in addition to our own website, an artist needs to be on several major social media sites which is where a lot happens as people interact with others out there. Youngsters tell me Facebook is mainly for older people now, but most artists, galleries and businesses seem to be there and on other prominent ones, too, so for the moment anyway I have two FB sites – one strictly related to my fabric art, the other more general . Instagram is more visual than wordy and I love it for that. On Pinterest the images on most of my particular pin boards are textile and fibre art related. There are plenty of other platforms, but I just don’t have time for maintaining more, because besides sleeping, eating, walking, and spending time with hubby Mike, I love writing, and updating the ones I have… and making my art takes time, too 😉 Our offsprings and other family are scattered around the world, in Australia, USA and NZ and they need regular attention. I love to read and belong to a book club, and also play mahjong.

All my adult life, part of my ongoing self-education has been within the many sewing circles, quilting bees, embroidery and quilting guilds and associations I’ve belonged to. I joined StitchClub when it started 2020, the first year of the Covid pandemic. It was welcomed by literally thousands of stitchers around the world, ranging from beginner to advanced, all stuck at home during the pandemic, with time to spend and an interest in learning something more in embroidery – lots of self education going on there! I let my membership lapse last year because I realised I was no longer doing many of the fortnightly workshops. However I’m still a member of a small group of SitchClub embroiderers who met through the club. Calling ourselves PINKS, apart from myself in Uruguay, all the others are located across N. America and the UK. In fortnightly Zoom calls over the past 3-4 years we’ve stitched as we talked over stitch and textile art related things, and usually something about the current StitchClub workshop. We’ve become good friends, and everyone’s managed at least one in-person meet-up over time. I stayed with Barbara of Atlanta last time I was in USA, and hope to see her or someone else down this way, sometime. We share a lot of what we’re currently doing or learning, pass on information about artists, exhibitions and resources, and give opinions and critiques when asked. This group is a vital part of my ongoing self-education, as have been all the embroiderers groups, quilting bees, craft guilds and artist associations I’ve belonged to down the years.

(I provide direct links in my text where I think readers might like further information, and always welcome readers questions and comments in reply)

I found a few more photos from Dorothy Caldwell’s Expressive Stitch workshop that led into my previous post This workpiece, on black+tan cotton, has never been out of my sight for long, really, as I’ve repeatedly pinned it up and taken it down from my design wall many times over the years as space permitted. I’ve never got sick of it , and now I realise just how much influence this workshop has had on the what I’ve done since. Some of these styles I haven’t used much, like the heavy line of 6-strand embroidery floss couched down with one thread.