Plexus no. 10 by Gabriel Dawe

January 15th, 2012

This is beautiful. The film, commissioned by the National Centre for Craft & Design (Sleaford, UK), is of  the installation of stretched thread sculpture titled Plexus no. 10 by Gabriel Dawe.

Dawe speaks of his cultural upbringing in Mexico, his work as a graphic designer and his artistic growth, moving from clients’ design work that is produced to sell, to exploring embroidered art, to more conceptual work with textiles. The installation work is on a large-scale, the colorful threads like drawn lines flow together to create a blended effect. It is obsessive in nature to install and is removed after the exhibit has ended. Watch the film to see what he ends up doing with the remaining thread.

Gabriel Dawe: Plexus no. 10 from Electric Egg on Vimeo.

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Feminist art

January 1st, 2012
Forbid almost everything by Ellen Lesperance

Ellen Lesperance, “You Can Forbid Almost Everything,” She Wailed at an Occupied Greenham Commons. “But You Can’t Forbid Me to Think. And You Can’t Forbid the Sun to Shine. And You Can’t Shut My Mouth When I Sing”, 2010, gouache, graphite on paper, 23 x 29 inches

Elizabeth Leach Gallery, as part of their 30th anniversary, is showing a group of artists with a feminist leaning. I had only heard of a couple of the artists and was excited to see work by women I knew nothing about.

The artist’s work I was most engaged with was by Ellen Lesperance. At first I was intrigued by the grid structure of her work. It also appeared similar to a pattern draft. The drawing of her own grid and filling in the squares with color captivated me. I learned from the gallery director the relationship of her work to the sweaters worn by women activists. She uses archival footage and recreates the sweaters on a grid. She also knits a sweater from the grid pattern.

Artists working in the subject of feminism can charge a dialog, make one angry or inspire. I do enjoy seeing the older work from the 70s along with work by younger artists. Hearing the motivation of these artists, following their careers and ideas leads me to believe the history of this movement will not be forgotten.

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Decompi(culture) by Jae Rhim Lee

December 10th, 2011

Where, but on ted.com, can you find an artist exploring our relationship with the environment, death culture and a fabric death suit? As an alternative to embalming or cremation, the Mushroom Death Suit is embroidered with thread infused with mushroom spores. The mushrooms will not “eat you” while you are alive. You need to activate the mushrooms with a liquid culture medium applied with a dry mineral makeup to get the spores to develop and grow.  This is a great example of the genius of a creative artist’s methodology. Jae Rhim Lee’s art can be used to change our relationship to death and the toxic industry that surrounds our demise.

Infinity Burial Project

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Why Quilts Matter

November 23rd, 2011

I’ve been watching the 9-part series DVD “Why Quilts Matter” made by The Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc. It is a fascinating look at quilts from historical, political and artistic views. The views of collectors, artists and curators are represented throughout this series. I found it full of new information, wonderful imagery and great commentary from many sources.

Sunbonnet Sue, Sunbonnet Sue-icide

“Sunbonnet Sue-icide” by Barbara Brackman

My favorite quilt featured in the show is titled The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue made in Lawrence, Kansas by a group calling themselves “Seamsters Union Local #500.” The quilt contains 20 blocks illustrating ingenious ways to “off” the Sunbonnet Sue icon. Controversial when displayed, lovers of Sunbonnet Sue were outraged that such cruel, violent methods were shown of their beloved quilt icon. There were letters of protest written and the quilt was sometimes displayed with its face to the wall. These two images and more are on this site: GLQC Collections.

Sunbonnet Sue, Tied to the Tracks

“Tied to the Tracks” by Georgann Eglinski

This documentary series from Why Quilts Matter is great for any quilt lover or teacher of history, art, or quilts. It is well worth having on your viewing list.

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Jean Wells Keenan

November 9th, 2011

This video about Jean Wells Keenan made me feel so happy and a bit envious. She is living in a gorgeous location and doing work that she loves. And starting the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is a huge contribution to central Oregon. Enjoy.

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