FIBER: Strings and Vines
February 18 – March 25, 2009      
Reception: February 27, 5 to 9 pm

"EMERGENCE"

LINDA BACON

 Artist Statement

I am intrigued by shapes and spaces, insides and outsides, within and without. Sometimes the aged fibrous outside disintegrates, cracks open and peals back so the inside can emerge. Inside joins outside and a new within becomes.

 "Hello Halo" 

FRANCELISE DAWKINS

Artist Statement

Collages, whether made of words, paper, objects or cloth, have always been my means of expression.  In 1988, I first coined the term “Silkollages” to introduce my meditative concept in textile collages to interior designs.  Then in 1992, I added “Ethnikollages” to re-activate cultural interests.  My collages are either embroidered into miniature quilts, or framed into window boxes.  When large and three-dimensional, they become hanging art quilts or soft installation pieces.  Abstract or representational life forms as dancing shapes seem to multiply in my work. I draw them out of colorful cloth from Asia, Africa and Europe to visually create a blurring of boundaries between such cultures.  

As a collage maze is formed, the viewers are invited to enter it. If my playing on fabric brings the viewers to rethink the multiplicity expressed, an expansion of their own true awareness might occur. What I seek is an element of uncensored, emotional surprise, beyond multicultural reality. I am on a spiritual exploration, deepening my sense of what it really means to belong to the human race. It is about exploring that sense of oneness, born out of welcoming the difference we are.Website

"Round Every Corner" 

DIANE EVANS

Artist Statement

Crayon-box colors and whimsical geometrics are characteristics of the fabrics that inspire me to create an art quilt.  The materials that make their way into my designs are those that not only play well together, but invite me in for the fun.  Mathematics and music are strong influences in my art. Dramatic curves, circular motifs, and radiating elements create rhythm; repetition of these features and the use of symmetry create harmony. Interconnected feathers and curls are used in the machine quilting to add flowing movement, and many of my pieces are named after favorite songs.  All the parts of the finished composition are chosen to bring a sense of delight to the art -- and to the viewer.

Web: http://www.DEsignedByDianeEvans.com
Blog: http://DEsignedByDianeEvans.blogspot.com

"Woven Pins and Bookmarks"

MARIA HULL

Artist Statement

Website

"Felt"

DAWNA JOHNSON

Artist Statement

My preference is that my work be whimsical and fun.  I love working with wool as an artistic medium for wearables, sculpture, wall hangings as well as curtains and rugs.  I prefer to buy wool directly from local farmers to then process and dye the fiber myself, then shape’s the fiber to it’s end product.  Unless I am felting a seamless garment I prefer to sew most of my designs by hand.  All of the hand stitching is visible.  A generation ago great lengths were taken to hide and obscure the fact that things were homemade.  In my work each stitch is clearly and definitively shown.

 "Looming"

RENATA MEMBOLE 

Artist Statement

My sculpture is rooted in formal elements of art – tension, balance, contrast, fluidity versus rigidity – translating everyday materials and found objects into a visual experience.  The work always begins with the medium or material itself; blending in concepts of transformation, gesture, history, and nature.  Using objects with a history allows for an instant life, a presence of time that is true and not constructed. 

 http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/renata-memole.html

 "Northern Lights"

JOANNA MONROE

Artist Statement

Mixed media art quilts enable me to express the tranquility I experience in nature and the amazement I feel at the complexities of relationships and the cycles of life.  I allow curiosity and experimentation to influence my work as I intuitively create with a diverse palette of materials. My challenge is to translate images and concepts into a visual representation that others can instinctively understand.  My reward is having a person tell me that my art has touched their heart or soul.
Web: http://www.joannamonroe.com

"Mountain Landscape #2"  

KRIS GREGSON  MOSS

Artist Statement

Primarily my compositions address color and form.  The pieces are enhanced by the movements of colors along with the texture and luster of the fabrics, quilting and threads. The shapes over which the fabrics are spread and attached allow for a myriad of interactions between colors and forms.

Inspiration is everywhere: pieces of fabric, nature’s flowing vistas, imaginary forms that need building, and statements that need shouting. I rejoice in all the visual stimulation that I can gather. Reform, and set out for you, the viewer.
http://www.krisgregsonmoss.com/

"Interlude" 

PAT SPILLANE

 Artist Statement

Nature provides the impetus for most of my art.  With an eye out for a pastoral scene or a gnarly shape, I am most drawn to placid waters, ancient trees and other post-card type images.  Much as a pianist uses separate hands for rhythm and melody, my compositions attempt to emphasize opposing elements and harmonize unlikely combinations.

My digital art begins with my own photographs that depict the most striking aspects of a scene.  Multiple images of the same subject might be used to reinforce a theme.  The composition develops as I blend in other influences such as fabric colors, line, shape, arrangement, and/or surface texture.  Representational work is based on my own original sketches, once again, drawing from the nature around me.  Illusion stitching by machine is a trademark of my fabric art, which is an additional layer of drawing that conveys  a unifying message to the overall design.  The grand finale for me is the privilege to name my art and observe the pleasure it brings to the beholder. 

Web: http://pmsdesigns.wordpress.com