Saturday, August 2, 2025

New Flags for 2025-26 by Connie Tiegel

 The Theme this year is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Since we are in danger of losing these words from our vocabulary I wanted to express them in a beautiful way and to send prayers to the universe for the return of these ideals. The blue flag has "Diversity" written on it in gold foil, the golden flag has  "Equality" in gold foil and the red flag has "Inclusivity" on it in gold foil.

I sit and watch them blow in the breeze while I braid and wind the flags from last year. In order to braid the flags I wash, dry, iron and cut them into one inch strips. Then I braid the first 3 strips, one from each flag. When I come to the end of a strip I hand stitch a new strip to it. At the end of each braiding session I wind the braid into a ball. I use the braiding sessions as a way to relax and reflect. I run out of strips after a month or two. 




Saturday, July 26, 2025

Seattle Art Fair by Barbara Matthews

One weekend a year for the last nine years, an extraordinary celebration of art occurs in Seattle—the Seattle Art Fair. Galleries from around the world and the greater Northwest come together to show leading artists. Among the 80 or so booths, painted wall art predominates, however this year highlighted glass and even featured a hot shop--all excellently described. in the Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/visual-arts/seattle-art-fair-2025-provides-a-meeting-ground-for-art-lovers/

I want to highlight the fiber art that I found. As you might expect, a rather scanty percentage of the entire show consisted of fiber-related pieces. Because installation of the pieces sometimes required engineering, I try to capture the installation method.

1)      Deborah Butterfield – Wood Sculpted Horse




2)     Niki Keenan, Meteor Flower in the Astral Islands, acrylic on canvas, gauze, and plaster on wire frame,15x9x7 1/2 feet



3)      Flora Carlile-Kovacs, Waterscape II, Merino wool and silk, 30”x 60”, $4,980




4)      Seiko Purdue, Undisappeared Clouds, Ikat installation with wood, nails, cotton yarn dyed with natural dyes, 82”x73”x59”, one continuous yarn woven on nails,$4,000

  



Sonya Yong James, Shapeshifter, horsehair and thread, (limited details about the piece)



6)      Peter Combe, Liz w/ Pearl Necklace, Mixed media, 48”x60”, $26,000








7)     Ko Kirk Yamahira, Untitled, Graphite and partially unwoven linen and wood, 69”x69”, $8,300 and partially unwoven canvas 42”x42”, $5,800






8)      Brenda Mallory, Constraint to Vertical #17, Waxed cloth, nuts, bolts, 12”x28”, $3,500, sold




9)      Anida Yoeu Ali, The Red Chador Becoming Rogue, Many Chador garments available to try on (more photos in Seattle Times article).





Holly Ballard Martz, (Dis)regarded, Vintage quilts, thread, glass seed beads, hardware, 49”x12”x12”, $9,500




Angela Glajcar, several pieces, paper and linen(?)






Irene Palomar, Plastic World, Stretcher fabric, cotton yarn, plastic  packing thread, $1,800




Melissa Monroe, Duplicating Everything, Ceramic feet, found wood cat bench, paint, wool, 40”x13”x24”, $6,500 and Stay Awhile Crocodile, wool tufted and upholstered on wood bench, ceramic feet, 84”x19”x 15”, $8,500, sold.





Saturday, July 19, 2025

The International Fiber Arts XII Biennial Exhibit, June 22-August 3, 2025, blog by Ileana Soto

In the greater California Bay Area, we benefit from numerous art centers that play a vital part in the health of their community. They include fiber-only exhibits as well as multi-media exhibits that welcome fiber pieces. One of those art centers, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts (SebArts) in Sebastopol, CA, sponsors a biennial show, “International Fiber Arts XII”, which opened on June 22nd . It was sponsored collaboratively by SebArts and the Surface Design Association. 84 artists were chosen by the Jurors, Jessica Hemmings and Ramekon O’Arwisters. I was honored to have a piece chosen, alongside two other Art Cloth Network artists, Deborah Weir and Viviana Lombrozo. This show was intentional in showing the ways that artists are pushing the boundaries of fiber. From the catalog: “In this exhibition, fiber becomes a medium of visibility: for identity, for protest, for care, and for joy. The works … come from a diverse range of artists … and together they reflect the deep, expressive potential of fiber at this cultural moment. They offer more than beauty; they offer presence, power, and perspective.” (Serafina Palandech, Executive Director)
On July 10th, I participated in a three-part panel with Mirka Knaster, George-Ann Bowers, and myself, at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts (SebArts) (https://seb.org). Jamienne Studley organized the questions for the panel and distributed them beforehand. That gave me an opportunity to prepare my thoughts … and appear spontaneous! Thank you, Jamie!
We were each invited to talk about our piece in the show from the perspective of what we wanted the audience to notice or understand about our piece. George-Ann shared the sequence of weaving steps that are compose the journey to the complexity of her woven “dresses”. The surface is dynamic and dimensional. Mirka talked about her artistic process through a series of slides of her work.
My piece is titled “On the Wings of Freedom”. Here’s what I had to say. This piece is a part of my Voting Rights series, inspired by the words and actions of civil rights activist John Lewis: “we will find a way, make a way out of no way.” I began to play with V shapes, creating “V is for Voting”, “Barbie Votes.” In this piece, the V’s have doubled, becoming wings, representing ‘wings of freedom.’ The ‘wings of freedom’ are a reminder that we can never give up the fight to encourage access to voting for all, to eliminate restrictions, to protect those in marginalized communities, and to safeguard and increase safety nets for those who have less. At one point while making this piece, after adding surface fabric, other color, over-printing, and stitch, it was not working. I recognized it and was (gulp) courageous enough to cut it into 3 sections that appeared to be good compositions. The next morning I woke up asking myself: what if I recombined the 3? The reorganization worked … the sum of the parts was greater than the original whole! The piece is printed on a section of a vintage, mended sheet from Belgium, so there are stitches that take the dye differently; there are irregular seams that give surprising results through dye and printing. That’s fun to me and creates irregularity that is unexpected. I value that.
We were then asked to talk about the evolution of our work. For myself, I focus on three aspects: 1) The theme: does it tell a story about our relationship to current events? 2) Is this an effective composition; how can I make it better? 3) Are the shapes, the marks, the expression, unique to me? When I look back at my work, I see that my basic themes climate justice, voting rights, immigration, culture and community are universal to our human condition and they are relevant today. Voting rights, (aka, human rights, Democracy, respect for one another, understanding that we’re all on this planet together and we must take care of each other) is still a concern. That is validating. Now is the time to add to my migration series. Migrants are our friends, neighbors, fellow human beings. It is legal for them to live in our world. We see on in our communities how cruelly migrants are being targeted. Also, we’re all asking ourselves how we can stay grounded in the midst of chaos and fear. How can we keep ourselves apprised, resist, and not let the outside narrative dominate our internal balance? Our art helps us to return to balance and then take effective action, whatever that might be. I think this winner of the first prize by Estzer Bornemisza, “Unseen Pangs”, reveals an unraveling waiting for repair.
Jamie asked us to think about the ways that fiber artists are pushing into new territories. The last three decades have seen the growth of 3-dimensional fiber pieces. In this show, artists are using beads, paper, wood, wire, sisal, recyclables, unrecyclables, electric cables, old saw blades, felt, inorganic and organic materials, to form their 3 dimensionality. It’s exciting to see: new uses of old materials; new uses of new materials. I also see artists I know continuing to explore and develop what they are drawn to, what they love to do and say. Judith Content’s muffin tins, with exquisite detailing, placed in antique muffin tins; then, she also takes her careful aesthetic sense into large outdoor and indoor installations. She makes sure we look more carefully at what we have.
Last, we talked about the benefits of arts organizations to the community. Local art organizations offer more than just exhibit opportunities. They educate their community of all ages about the joy and importance of art. Art is education. Art offers another way of thinking, using our hands and brains. Our hands are little brains. Some of our very talented artists may not do well in traditional school settings – and so art promotes self-esteem and success in life. Art organizations also form a community within their community. Sebastopol is 80 minutes north of the Bay Area. Within an hour’s time from my home, there are at least four vibrant local art organizations that include or feature exhibits with fiber: SebArts, Gallery Route One in Point Reyes, Olive Hyde Gallery in Fremont, and the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley. I could name five others that I’m less familiar with. How about your area? I’d like to hear about community art centers in your area! I end with another quote from Serafina Palendech, Executive Director, from the catalog: “At a time when creativity and expression are being challenged and censored in many places – from classrooms to libraries to cultural institutions – fiber art offers a powerful reminder that art has always been a tool of resilience, resistance and remembrance. At SebArts, we are proud to stand with artists who speak through their work, and to hold space for voices that might otherwise be pushed aside.” Remember: now is the time to support your local art venues during this time in which funding is actively being taken away from the arts.

Friday, July 18, 2025

EXPLORATIONS WITH EARTH PIGMENTS, SOY MILK, DAMAR RESIN AND BEESWAX by Lynda Williamson

 Lately I have been working with earth pigments, soy milk on cotton and linen in various weights. Once the fabric was cured and ready to work with I then manipulated, stitched and treated the fabric with a combination of damar resin and beeswax. The following pictures are the results of these explorations.....


Fabric painted with earth pigments

 
Fabric stitched and shaped

Working with damar resin and beeswax

Closeup of stitched and waxed fabric  
                                                                                           

                                          


These 12 are currently in the ACN "ReVision" show in Bloomingdale IL at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum


A few of the larger 24" leaves/canoes

A close up

What started out as a small project exploded to 123 (at last count). The question now is what to do with all these lovelies. Each leaf/canoe is completely unique and was an absolute joy to create.


Friday, June 27, 2025

25 YEARS and COUNTING!!

 ACN 25th Anniversary - Part 1: 2000-2010


2025 is a very exciting year for the Art Cloth Network (ArtClothNetwork.com).   Way back at the turn of the millennium, attendees at a Jane Dunnewold Complex Cloth workshop in Texas realized that the bond that had formed between them was too strong to walk away from.  Out of their shared love of fiber, and what they hoped to gain from deepening their supportive connection, ACN was born.  To this day, we can see the influence of Dunnewold’s forward-looking experimentation and her skill at building community.   There are still 4 of the original members active in the Art Cloth Network!


The first decade is the toughest to encapsulate.  Early pieces the group created were often directly influenced by Dunnewold’s work with Complex Cloth - multiple processes applied to one length of fabric: dyeing, printing, and gilding, for example. The work went from panels - one  long piece of fabric (usually silk) and a few garments, to multiple layers and new creative techniques.  Over time, the popularity of art quilting and new surface design techniques and materials started to impact the output of ACN artists.  


Some original members left, new ones joined.  The group of inspired friends shifted to a highly organized, internationally recognized organization.  This was due to professional level organizational skills in addition to the evolving art making.  By-laws, juried membership, and exhibitions with a full catalog and an accomplished juror are some of the innovations which were put in place during that first decade.  A public face was added with a blog (artclothnetwork.blogspot.com) , website (ArtClothNetwork.com)  Facebook page (facebook.com/artclothnetwork) and Instagram account (instagram.com/artclothnetwork).  Articles were written and photos were taken.  Well… some photos were taken.  No one carried a quality camera in their pocket during this period, and it was expensive to hire a professional photographer.  Photoshop was just creeping into the skill set of the art world!

 

As a result, the quality of the photos in the ACN archives from the first decade vary greatly.  Here you can see work by several current members who joined ACN during the first 10 years.   Dates and attributions might be a bit foggy (we can be sure that members will note corrections and/or additional info they may have).  Dive in and enjoy  a fewimages from the first decade of the Art Cloth Network!!




C. Tiegel
The Sound of Trees




W. Slocum
Lichen 2



D. Koppisch Hricko
BePop





M-E Latino
Quake (detail)




D. Weir
Harem



J. Langille
Scroll




R. Little
Nature

Thursday, June 26, 2025

ReVision Artists Reception at Bloomingdale Park District Museum, Bloomingdale IL

Please join us at the Museum, 108 South Bloomingdale Rd.,
Bloomingdale, IL on Sunday, June 29 from 2-4 pm.  



Saturday, June 21, 2025

Mary Tyler at Quilt National by Dianne Hricko

 I was so pleased to learn that our former member Mary Taylor has a piece in this years Quilt National. The glow and inner beauty of this piece led me to want to learn more about it so I've written to Mary. 

    One Drop 


This piece continues her interest in fractals as a source for her imagery. 

She told me that typically “First I set the parameters for a computer app, to generate fractal images. Then I select a suitable image, correct it and render it into a jpeg, this usually takes 2 to 3 hours. The next step is to take the jpeg into an Photoshop, where it will be turned into the final image . Then this image is sent to be digitally printed on cotton or other fabrics. Finally it is stitched and finished.” 


Music of the Universe 


Mary also says that “Fractals are complex geometric formulae. Mathematicians have speculated about them for a very long time but until computers became widespread they lacked the tools to visualize the formulae. I am not a mathematician but I find the patterns fascinating. They can be found throughout nature, in fern fronds, lightning, tree branches, the shoreline of England, snail shells. Fractals are called

 fractured geometry or the geometry of nature. The Wikipedia explanation takes 18 pages.”


Welcome to Gold Mountain 

I loved seeing this piece and was prompted to think of the beautiful symbolic works of Hilma af Klimpt https://hilmaafklint.se/selected-works/ whose works I enjoyed at the Guggenhiem show 20198-19. The symmetry, delicacy of color and transparent illusion of depth  prompted my memory of the show.