Blog - Textile Curator

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September 4, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

A Darker Thread Exhibition

Work exhibited at ‘A Darker Thread exhibition,’ artists clockwise from left to right: Spike Dennis; Philippa Lawrence; Laura Thomas and Rozanne Hawksley

A reoccurring theme for art at the moment is the reaction to the uncertain times we live in and the constant daily news feed. Some artists choose to reflect the darker side of what we see, others illustrate the alternative of a hopeful and peaceful outlook. ‘A Darker Thread,’ is a textile art exhibition in Wales where artists with a connection to Wales have come together under this theme.

Curated by Laura Thomas (a textile artist herself) she chose work that “demonstrated visual poetic eloquence, a mastery of medium and an absolute sensitivity to making and materials. Some of the work has a punk confrontational self-confidence, others, a gentle yet searing resilience.”

What makes it so interesting is the variety of materials, techniques and the diversity of the pieces under this disquieting subject.

A Darker Thread is exhibiting until 21st of October 2017 at the Oriel Myrddin Gallery, in Wales. www.orielmyrddingallery.co.uk

August 28, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Needlepoint artist Natalie Fisher

Above: Natalie sewing on location and from home.

One way to describe textile art is ‘painting with wool,’ and this is exactly what Natalie Fisher does. Here she explains how to transfer her image onto canvas:

” I start by printing my photograph onto an A4 sheet, then I create a tracing of as many details as I can. This is then taken to the printer to enlarge to the finished size. I then do another tracing, this time from the printed cartoon onto blank needlepoint canvas.”

Using a frame for needlepoint is personal preference but Nataile prefers not to, which makes it easier for her to sew on location. Read more of her inspiring interview on her page on this website or visit www.artweave.com.au

August 21, 2017 In Uncategorized

Chuck Close Tapestries

Machine woven tapestries by Chuck Close exhibited at Ushaw College.

Textile art isn’t widely exhibited but the flip side of this is when you come across a textile exhibition it makes it even more special. On a trip home to my home city of Durham in the UK I was thrilled to see six tapestries by Chuck Close. His monochrome photographs have been digitally woven on a Jacquard loom and the juxtaposition of exhibiting these 3 m high tapestries against the Gothic architecture of the chapel is quite incredible. As with all textile art you really want to touch them but unfortunately it’s look only, however, viewing the chapel and the tapestries on their own is visually stunning, and when you combine both it is truly worth visiting.

Chuck Close Tapestries are on show until 30th September 2017 at St. Cuthbert’s Chapel, Ushaw, UK www.ushaw.org. Donation encouraged, please check opening times before visiting.

July 2, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Behind the scenes with embroiderer Rachel Wright

Textile art is often described as ‘painting with thread’ and this is exactly what Rachel Wright does. Inspired by her father who was an artist,

and her artistic grandmother she honed her skills at university and started her business in the 1990s. Above is a peak into her creative process, stitch by stitch.

www.rachelwright.com

June 19, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Inside the studio of Anne-Marie Nygaard Eilertsen

Danish artist Anne-Marie Nygaard Eilertsen is now based in Southern Spain where she weaves her huge tapestries.

Only about 40 cms of the image is shown and the full image is only revealed once the weaving is completed and it is cut down from the loom.

Find out more about Anne-Marie’s fascinating work on her profile page on this website.

June 12, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Step-by-Step from Rachel Wright

Work in progress by Rachel Wright

We’ll be sharing an interview and work from machine embroider Rachel Wright in a few weeks,

but when she sent through this beautiful work in progress, we couldn’t wait to share it. Sew inspiring!

www.rachelwright.com

June 5, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Review of ’Queer Threads: Crafting Identity and Community’

Chris Bogia, ‘Selfie with Pink Eye’ (detail); Larry Krone, ‘Then and Now Cape’ (detail); LJ Roberts, ‘Portrait of Deb’

Books about Textile Art are often hard to find which makes ’Queer Threads: Crafting Identity and Community,’ an exciting addition to the genre. It features 30 artists of the LGBTQ community including the brilliant Chiachio and Giannone who we featured on Textile Curator a while ago.The range of artists is truly international and like our website it shows the diversity of fibre art today. From the opulent exquisite embroidery by Larry Krone to the minimalist textural shapes by Chris Bogia. As designer Todd Oldham explains “this book celebrates not just fiber art, but queer creativity, which feels all the more necessary and vital in today’s political climate.” It also includes interviews from a range of people in the arts world including Jonathan Adler and Tim Gunn. Curated by John Chaich with Todd Oldham it is published by AMMO Books and is available now on Amazon.

May 22, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Rijswijk Textile Biennial 2017

The Textile Biennial 2017 is now in it’s fifth year and features 24 international artists. It is incredibly varied including textile techniques such as knitting, embroidery and weaving.

Work shown above is:

Cristiàn Velasco, País Soñado (Country Dream), 2013, embroidery on cotton, 500 x 150 cm. Photo: Cristiàn Velasco

Jenni Dutton, Dementia Darning: Mum rubbing her hands, 2012, wool threads, fine netting, canvas, 130 x 90 cm. Photo: Rupert Mardon

Karoline H Larsen, Collective Strings, 2014. participatory installation three days, Helsinki Festival, Finland. Photo: Anu Pynnönen

June Lee, Detail Bystander, 2016, thread on plastic cast, 24 x 5 x 4 cm each figure. Photo: Myoung Studio

Daun Jeong, Fabric Drawing Yellow Lines, 2016, fabrics, frame, acrylic on canvas, 90.9 x 72.7cm. Photo: ©Daun Jeong

The exhibition runs until the 24th of September at Museum Rijswijk, Herenstraat 67, 2282 BR Rijswijk, The Netherlands and is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am -5pm.

For more details visit www.museumrijswijk.nl

May 15, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Sarah Perret

Part of the appeal of textiles is using methods passed down through generations that don’t rely on machines or technology, so it is hardly surprising that tracking down some of the artists I feature is a bit tricky. French tapestry artist Sarah Perret is our first featured artist without a social media presence, and while finding Sarah took a bit longer than usual it made the journey all worthwhile as to profile her and her work was a real pleasure and something you don’t find on numerous other social media. Thank you Sarah for being on www.textilecurator.com!

May 9, 2017 In Art, Textile Art

Penny Mateer

Penny Mateer’s studio and detail from This Revolution will not be televised (2015) in collaboration with Martha Wasik

Throughout time textiles have been used to tell a narrative and Penny Mateer’s work is no exception. Originally she thought quilts were “purely utilitarian objects, [but over time] I began to see the potential for quilt making as a way to ask questions and tell stories.” Penny’s work tells more stories than most, partly due to her earlier career as a social worker.

“I advocated for individuals who often were forgotten or had no voice. So I began to realise as I transitioned out of social work to art making that I could use what I learned about advocacy and apply it to my art practice and in so doing develop my artistic voice which centres on protest art and commentary. “

To keep her work fresh she creates collages from The NY Times and posts daily on her Instagram feed. Keep up to date with Penny’s work at www.instagram.com/pennymateer/ or check out her website www.pennymateer.com