Looking back

Wow! It's been 6 months since I last posted any news about what I've been doing. My goal over the past year was to participate in sales events, so I've now been involved in 6 art/craft sales in the local area. This is a different experience than just exhibiting artwork. It involves grids, sunshelters, packaging, salesmanship, and long hours standing on your feet, just to name a few of the challenges to be met. But the payout is lots of great feedback from everyone who stops by your booth! Many thanks to all the wonderful people I spoke to over the past year, both visitors and fellow artists.

I have also set up my own website and continue to tinker with it to find the perfect fit for me.

Workwise, I am still making small folk art inspired textile pieces, mostly in themes for children. They are alot of fun to create and I think quite unique.

I have also added some local photographic images to my portfolio, urban and landscape images as well as flowers from my garden. It has been a very enjoyable experience exploring the area with my camera recording the beauty and charm of Ottawa.

Solo show at NFAL Gallery

Yesterday I spent a few hours hanging my solo show at the NFAL Gallery in Ottawa. After a little rearrangement of pieces by a friend it all came together, finally after weeks of preparation. Phew! Now I can attack my weedy gardens.

I have also set up my own website using Homestead, an easy to set up system with templates and simple point and click instructions. I will see how I like it over the next few months. I am still learning how to use it so it is a bit messy. I need to spend some time cleaning it up and adding more pages for pastels and other work.

My web address is janicesaunders.homestead.com

The NFAL show is a collection of my recent textile and pastel work. It is unified by similar warm gold, orange tones and black accents.

These small fibre works are done in the folk art style using fabrics, felt and beads. Each one is inspired by a proverb or common saying. They are meant to be fun and whimsical.

Welcome to my crazy little house!

If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. Chinese proverb

There are more examples on my website.

I have also included some larger quilted wall hangings that are crib size.

And some new mixed media framed textile pieces of the buildings and stormy sky images in a city. Very abstract.

Cityscape 1, clouds

The pastels include 3 figurative works and one landscape. I have used the Mi-tientes paper and board as well as a handmade paper I cannot remember the name of that has a very sandpapery tooth.

 

The NFAL Gallery is located in the Nepean Creative Arts Centre (Unit 11), 35 Stafford Rd. Bells Corners, around the corner from Bells Corners’ Wallacks store. This space, provided by the City of Ottawa and established in 2002, is dedicated to artist members of the Nepean Fine Arts League, allowing them to exhibit their work on a monthly rotational basis. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday: 8:30am to 9:30pm; Saturday 8:30am to 4:30pm; and Sunday 9:30am to 3:30pm. The telephone number is 613-596-5783.

Dye Discharge

I am trying a new technique with this quilt - dye discharge.  This is a process where you use bleach or something similar to take the dye out of the fabric to create new patterns and reveal new colours in the fabric. It involves a bit of chance as you don't really know what colours you will end up with. I didn't do any tests with this quilt, I just threw caution to the wind and went for it!  I wanted to harmonize the colours and patterns so I used this method as a kind of  'reverse glazing process'. I could have  'over-dyed'  the quilt to blend the fabrics as well. 

The final result is a much softer colour scheme and a gently, aged look to the quilt.  Following this I added another batting layer to the back and quilted random horizontal lines across the quilt to harmonize the design even more. I then added another complementary border and  beads for interest and texture.  I am pleased with the result and  happy that I had the courage to both drastically and irreversibly takes steps to alter my quilt.  Sometimes it is a happy ending, and then sometimes not!

The finished quilt is titled 'Blue Stratus" and is now hanging at a local museum for the next month.  The size is 34"x43".

This is detail of some of the textures and colours in the quilt.  Can you guess what the original fabrics looked like?  What were the original colours?