Featured Artist: Brenda Wilton

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Brenda Wilton

Feather Coat (Front)
Wool/Knitting
20" x 26"

A Coat of Many Feathers: Woodpecker: This jacket is a tribute to the many black, white and red woodpeckers that grace our countryside. From the  tiny downy who visits my feeder in the winter to the crow sized pileated I hear hammering on the trees in the summer, and the sapsuckers and red-headed in between, their graphic patterns are strikingly beautiful

Feather Coat (Back)
Wool/Knitting
20" x 26"

Bio:

Artist/designer Brenda Wilton is inspired by nature and by traditional and contemporary quilt designs. Her goal is to have her clients feel great about their appearance by providing them with a stylish, classic, and quality alternative to fashion fads.  She favors using domestically produced yarns, clay, and silver to make clothing, accessories and jewelry, under the designer label Brenn Wilton. She works in Pennsylvania in a studio that is attached to a stone grist mill and surrounded by flower and vegetable gardens.

Featured Artist: Hope Wilmarth

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Hope Wilmarth

Penthouse View
Cotton fabric/
machine pieced
and quilted
31" x 39"

Penthouse View is an intuitively pieced and quilted black and white abstract. It is both architectural and tactile, evoking a “cityscape” view from high above the street scene below. Cotton fibers were used in this machine pieced and quilted abstract wall quilt.

Penthouse View, detail
Cotton fabric/
machine pieced
and quilted
31" x 39"

Artist Statement

I have been creating intuitive, contemporary fiber art for the last three years which evolved from years of traditional quilt making.

My work with color and texture has lead me to a world of new techniques, including digital printing with grounds, painting acrylics on silk, felting with wool roving and yarns, thread and bead embellishment, stamping, and resist dying,

Surface design and mixed media manipulation continue to challenge the creative spirit which I strive to express in my contemporary art quilts.

You can view my work at hopewilmarth.com

Featured Artist: Doerte Weber

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Doerte Weber

WSJ: Sweet & Sticky
Structural weaving with
various fibers &
Wall Street Journal's
plastic liners
31" x 36"

 WSJ: Sweet & Sticky
The red plastic wrappers which protect the Wall Street Journal during delivery were well suited to weave this piece. Using those bags as the dominant material over mostly black & white plain weave gives an interesting texture and adds a playfulness to the piece. Reminiscent of candy being unwrapped, the red criss-cross pattern is tightly held together over the woven center; its top and bottom part hang freely.

WSJ: Sweet & Sticky, detail
Structural weaving with
various fibers &
Wall Street Journal's
plastic liners
31" x 36"

Artist Statement

Having returned to weaving after a long absence, I find myself inspired by Bauhaus Weavers. They were self taught - creating beautiful and unique works of art.

I am trying to translate that into the 21century. Currently I live in the USA which is going through a recession.
This motivates me to look at my expenses more closely, be frugal and work with materials at hand.

Every morning I get my local newspaper delivered in a thin plastic wrapper. These plastic wrappers have almost no color, only logo and address of the paper printed in small black letters. But when I started weaving with them, colors became visible and it was like I was weaving a story of my diverse community.

This is the concept I am expanding on: to take something which most people throw away or recycle and reuse it in art, either by itself but mostly with various yarns to accentuate texture.

In weaving with plastic wrappers, I use mostly traditional weaving patterns. They give an assurance of  familiarity, balancing the texture and sometimes distorted structure created through the medium of the plastic wrappers.

Featured Artist: Mary Stoudt

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Mary Stoudt

Circles of Red, White, Black
cotton
21" x 26.5"

When I read the suggested rules for entry my first thought was, "black, red and white?!!! Yikes!!" It seemed to me like a good choice for a bicycle, but a quilt...I'm not so sure; but then I figured a challenge would be good. I used my raw edges technique and ended up really enjoying the red, white, and black challenge.

Circles of Red, White, Black, detail
cotton
21" x 26.5"

Ada's Buttons
cotton, buttons
10.5" x 14"

 
For the piece entitled Circles of Red, White and Black, I attempted to get a rhythm with the simple circle shapes to create a depth of field. I started the smaller piece entitled Ada's Buttons by manipulating the red, white and black buttons on the fabric until I was satisfied with the composition.  You might wonder why I used the name Ada for the title. It is my mother's name, and she had an enormous box filled with buttons she had saved and gave it to me before she died. I think of her every time I stitch a button to fabric. I believe that fabric can be connected to our memories in a very special way.

Ada's Buttons
cotton, buttons
10.5" x 14"

Artist Statement:


 I create my art quilts looking through a lens informed by decades of experimenting with a wide variety of art media, manely photography, printmaking, ceramics, weaving, collage, bookmaking, and sculpture, etc.

To begin an art piece I imagine a basic composition in my head concentrating on color and form, and then work intuitively through each piece. As I progress through the quilt, I improvise, perhaps like a jazz musician would.

Sometimes, I give myself quilt assignments such as, "See how big you can make a quilt', or "use wool and cotton together" or "see how many layers you can add to make a quilt. Some of my quilt creations could be put into categories such as color studies, storytelling, or optical illusions.


About the Artist: 

Since the 70's I have been stitching, weaving, making paper, creating mixed media all to create diverse works some of which have been described by critics as being whimsical and spiritual. In 2003 I started layering fabric in a grid-like fashion. Simply put, I visualize the quilt composition , its colors and forms in my head and then as I move through the process, I improvise the details. For certain pieces, I make an actual size pattern as I move through the process, but I introduce new elements while using the pattern. I love the warmth, the flexibility, the play of color and textures of quilt making.

Here is a mixed list of my favorite artists and other inspirations:
Paul Klee . Gees Bend Quilters . Pennsylvania Mountains, Fields . Traveling . Andy Goldsworthy . Red Grooms . Blues Music . NY times Sunday paper . Gustav Klimpt . Oiseaux Sisters . Joseph Cornell . Fabric Stores . Frank Gehry . Audrey Flack . Childhood Memories . My family . Hundertwasser . NPR . Goggleworks . Literature

http://www.marystoudt-artquilts.com/

Featured Artist: Rowen Schussheim-Anderson

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Rowen Schussheim-Anderson

Fly by night
beads, fabric/bead embroidery,
photographic imagery
19.5" x 17.5"

Fly by night is comprised of bead work and photographic imagery.  It is the first time I have used photography directly with bead work so this present new challenges and new potential.  Using the white and black palette with the red accent created an exciting direction to focus the interpretation of this composition which derived from a butterfly image.

Fly by night, detail
beads, fabric/bead embroidery,
photographic imagery
19.5" x 17.5"

flutterby
beads, fiber/woven tapestry,
bead embroidery
38" x 23"

flutterby is comprised of both woven and bead embroidered areas. I’m very interested in contrasts in surfaces: contrasts of warm and cool colors, and also contrasting textures.My work in recent years has been inspired by butterflies and this piece was inspired by observing an enlarged photograph of a butterfly called a “papilio actururs.”    
               

flutterby, detail
beads, fiber/woven tapestry,
bead embroidery
38" x 23"

Artist’s Statement

Texture and color are integral components in this new work. Incorporating beads with the woven surface allows new possibilities with color. Glass beads bring an intensity of color to another level in their luminosity, especially when juxtaposed with fiber, which is flat in comparison.  A force at work in these pieces is a fascination with butterflies.  The beauty of butterflies has struck me since creating an abstract butterfly design tapestry to celebrate a friend’s birthday several years ago.  Not only the beauty of the structure of the butterfly, but the amazing richness of its surface, the color, the contrasts of line and wonderful organic shape, the points and splashes of color—all are enticing me.  It is as if I am layering the structure of the butterfly, its color and pointillism-like qualities, the richness of its pattern, and the influences of African art together to create new syntheses. African art has been an inspiration to my work for quite a while, with its fascinating boldness and rich contrasting surfaces.

Many works are clearly inspired by butterfly imagery. The beautiful structure of the butterfly, the color, the contrasts of line and lively organic shapes, the points and splashes of color—all are speaking to me.  In 2009 I had the chance to spend time in the Peruvian rainforest—with my students--where I saw gorgeous butterflies bigger than hummingbirds and more abundant than mosquitoes in Iowa.  From the desert to the rainforest, from bustling color filled markets to elegant breathtaking butterflies, design is everywhere for the artist to pick and choose, layer, collage, and synthesize.  So much art to make….

Featured Artist: Constance Old

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Constance Old

“red (for Gail Citrin)”
mixed paper +
plastic/rug hooking
17 3/4" x 17 3/4"

“red (for Gail Citrin)”

Contemporary, non-traditional materials associated with the word “red” are rug hooked on red linen for this piece: sales receipts (in the red), Chinese language newspaper and twines from Chinatown (communism and good luck), gros grain ribbon (AIDS),  mylar and sparkling ribbon (ruby slippers), feminine hygiene product wrappers (blood), the octagon shape (stop).

“red (for Gail Citrin)”
mixed paper +
plastic/rug hooking
17 3/4" x 17 3/4"

Artist Statement/Bio

Constance Old captures the spirit of the 21st century in her work by taking advantage of the excesses of the consumer economy. Old uses the traditional craft of rug hooking to make three dimensional wall pieces. Rug hooking with contemporary materials, her work is both timeless and an index of our time.

Old states: “Paper and plastic interest me as abundantly available fibers that, with imagination and coaxing, can be made into ‘rugs,’ or at least wall pieces. Living in a time of material excess, it intrigues me to work in a medium that originated from need and a scarcity of materials.”

Constance Old received her MFA from Yale University in Graphic Design and worked as an art director for Martha Stewart Living and as a freelance book designer before committing full time to making her own work.

She has exhibited at Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland ME), Gallery for Contemporary Art at Sacred Heart University (CT), International Print Center New York (NYC), Affordable Art Fair (NYC), ArteAmericas Fair (Miami), Editions and Artists Book Fair (NYC), Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (CA), Hunterdon Museum of Art (NJ), The Carver Museum (TX), Katonah Museum of Art (NY), Brookfield Craft Center (CT), Some Things Looming (PA), Silvermine Guild Arts Center (CT). Old’s work is in corporate and private collections throughout the US and in Australia and Argentina.

www.constanceold.com

Featured Artist: Veronica Miller

 During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Veronica Miller

Sophisticated Daily
100% Cotton Fabric,
Iridescent Thread,
Handquilted, Found Object
32" x 40"

 Sophisticated Daily

    A discarded item from the library inspired this fabric design, centered on the vintage newspaper holder.  The Bargello technique was selected to create the illusion of a newspaper, and the process of sewing began.  Using approximately fifty different black and white cotton fabrics, the newspaper unfolded to completion, only then to be hand-quilted using red iridescent thread flowing through the design.  The addition of the bold headline with its subtle Chinese letters and gold ginkgo leaves was also hand-quilted using gold iridescent thread.  The artistic process gave new life to this antique object.

Sophisticated Daily, detail
100% Cotton Fabric,
Iridescent Thread,
Handquilted, Found Object
32" x 40"

Featured Artist: Kachina Martin

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Kachina Martin

Crimson Shadows
Nuno felting using
hand-dyed silk &
hand-dyed cotton
68" x 6" 

Crimson Shadows, detail
Nuno felting using
hand-dyed silk &
hand-dyed cotton
68" x 6" 

Crimson Shadows combines nuno felting with hand-dyed silk and cotton pieces.  Nuno felting enables me to combine my own fabrics with wool to add depth and dimension to my wearable pieces, creating a sculptural quality to my work.  I feel that my pieces' wearablity enhances, rather than detracts from, their depth. That the work will be worn is significant, indeed essential, to its artistic value.  It is when the work is worn-when the wearer imbues it with her own sense of style and integrates it into her daily life- that the work truly comes to life.

E is for (front)
Vintage dress, mended;
altered with embroidered
text and images,
supported on
recycled dress
form with
paper mâché accents
from recycled texts
14" x 8" x 6"

E is for (back)
Vintage dress, mended;
altered with embroidered
text and images,
supported on
recycled dress
form with
paper mâché accents
from recycled texts
14" x 8" x 6"

 Little Girls: The Alphabet Series - E

Easy - [ē-zē], adjective. 1. requiring or indicating little effort, thought, or reflection. 2. readily taken advantage of. 3. readily available. 4. (slang) sexually promiscuous.  I have been working with narrative and context in my most recent work, The Alphabet series, exploring how garments can be altered to reflect as well as defy societal norms and expectations, particularly of women. All the words selected for the series are common, and yet, are words that are layered with meaning, and can be used as a pejorative term.  Thus, the finished piece speaks to the notion of "women's work" - the needle arts - as well as how society view the role of women. I aim to defy the viewer's expectation of what fiver is, can, or should be and re-imagine these vintage dresses as enduring, sculptural artifacts.

E is for (back,detail)
Vintage dress, mended;
altered with embroidered
text and images,
supported on
recycled dress
form with
paper mâché accents
from recycled texts
14" x 8" x 6"

Artist’s Statement

      My most cherished childhood memories center on fabric - the comfort of a blanket edged in silk, the feel of a well-worn cotton tee, the nubby texture of a hand-knit sweater.  As the daughter of a mother who teaches in the field of fashion and design, I was acutely aware at a young age of the transformational properties of clothing.  My artistic interests were equally shaped by my grandmother.  Guided by her firm hands, unwieldy lengths of fabric were coaxed to behave, ultimately shaped into a variety of forms marked by perfect, crisp seams.  The drama that surrounded the cutting of the fabric felt epic – she possessed such confidence as she sliced thorough layers of cloth, following the edges of the whisper-thin tissue paper that outlined its eventual shape.  My grandmother taught me to decode the language of patterns, to sew, and later, to knit, crochet, and embroider. 

      When I discovered shibori, I was awed by the limitless possibilities inherent in this ancient Japanese dyeing process.  Areas of pure color are seamlessly blended in an endless variety of tints and shades, revealing where color meets resist, creating a rich visual texture that transcends the notion of pattern.  My experimentation with dyes introduced me to felting, and I am fascinated by the sculptural properties of wool.  Nuno felting enables me to combine my own fabrics with wool to add depth and dimension to my wearable pieces.  I feel that my pieces’ wearability enhances, rather than detracts from, their depth.  That the work will be worn is significant, indeed essential, to its artistic value.  It is when the work is worn—when the wearer imbues it with her own sense of style and integrates it into her daily life—that the work truly comes to life. 

      While all of my work fiber-based, not all of my pieces are intended to be worn.  I am drawn to old garments that show evidence of the hand that created the piece as well as the person who wore it.  These indelible marks—stitches, stains, mended holes, and spots rubbed almost bare by continual contact with the body—speak to the hours invested in the making of the garment as well as the years that have passed as it was worn, again and again.  I am interested in ways in which to transcend both the utilitarian nature and the inevitable entropy that continually affect these garments and reimagine them as enduring, sculptural artifacts.  In so doing, I aim to defy the viewer’s expectation of what fiber is, can, or should be.  In my most recent work, I have been working with both narrative and context, exploring how garments can be altered to reflect as well as defy societal norms and expectations, particularly of women. 




http://www.howlingruth.com/

Featured Artist: Chris Motley

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Chris Motley

Paths
wool/knit, fulled,
sewn/embroidered
7" x 17"

‘Paths’ is a piece derived from the knitting process itself.  I knit intuitively and a desire to explore shape and color as well as their juxtaposition can emerge while I am knitting. The knitting of very subtle gradations of color challenged me to explore the bold combination of black white and red and ‘Paths’ emerged.

Paths, detail
wool/knit, fulled,
sewn/embroidered
7" x 17"

Steps
wool/knit, fulled,
sewn/embroidered
18.5" x 10"

‘Steps’ is a piece derived from the knitting process itself.  I knit intuitively and a desire to explore shape and color as well as their juxtaposition can emerge while I am knitting. Knitting very subtle gradations of color challenged me to explore the bold combination of black, white and red;  ‘Steps’ emerged.

Steps, detail
wool/knit, fulled,
sewn/embroidered
18.5" x 10"

Artist Statement

I explore texture and form with fiber, using the techniques of knitting and fulling.  The process of knitting can itself be a driving force in my art.  Since hand knitting is a slow process, a design concept can emerge as I knit.  Free from any preconceived notion of typical knitted fabric but armed with a lifetime of technique, a piece can emerge from pushing the boundaries of the stitches and I can explore three dimensions

A design will emerge as I am knitting, which is itself a meditative process for me.  Alternatively, I see something or have a concept from the real world or in my head, unrelated to yarn at all, that triggers a curiosity to translate it to fiber.  This is the case with my  sculptural projects which involve body parts, particularly heads, hands and arms. The knitting process itself has also branched into studies of forms and colors, which I am currently enjoying.  I knit intuitively and make a new piece just by starting to knit without pre-planning, a wonderful exploration free of the confines of patterns or garments. This use of  of my life-long avocation of knitting and felting as my medium for creation is also a wonderful grant of freedom after 30 years in a left-brain job. 

Featured Artist: Claire Marcus

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Claire Marcus 

Karori Rose
Repurposed Heirloom
Handkerchiefs
stitched w/
vintage button
20" x 20"

KARORI ROSE  is part of a mixed-media series that addresses my family history.  I used my grandmother's  vintage handkerchiefs to create a piece that recalls my grandfather's skill as a gardener.  The piece is named for the Karori section of Wellington, New Zealand, where my family lived during World War II. By my grandmother's account, the plants my grandfather raised were "bowed over with blooms", and provided some respite from the stresses of wartime life. 

Karori Rose, detail
Repurposed Heirloom
Handkerchiefs
stitched w/
vintage button
20" x 20"

Artist Statement:
My work is created in series with processes including painting, drawing, and photography printed on silk, stitched with found objects. It reflects my background as a fifth generation fiber artist, synthesizing family heritage with training in painting, architecture, and design, based on nature and landscape studies.  I have special interests in the structure of land- and cityscape, and its power to evoke memory and narrative, as well as the interaction of built and natural environment.

All aspects of my work have been exhibited or published. Recent exhibits include the FiberPhiladelphia  show REFUSE/re-seen at some things looming in Reading; a solo exhibit at the Monroe County Bar Association in Stroudsburg, which included works from my current Golden Door series inspired by my life and family history in New York City; and  a third participation in the New Arts Program Small Works Invitational in Kutztown.

As an artist in education for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts since 1998, I have conducted community arts projects, K – 12 residencies, and professional development seminars addressing the needs of diverse populations, including adjudicated youth.  Many of these programs result in permanent installations created by the participants for the host site.

www.ClaireMarcusFineArts.com

Featured Artist: Denise Linet

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Denise Linet

Sketches 5-11
Hand-dyed cotton and
silk collage and stitch
22" x 17"

Sketches 5-11, detail
Hand-dyed cotton and
silk collage and stitch
22" x 17"

Sketches Series #5, #7, #12

The richly layered surfaces of my collages incorporate the visual elements of mark making, writing, pattern, letters and symbols as influenced by Cy Twombly’s writing of graffiti-like marks and scribbles.   A language of symbols and codes created with layers of paper and cloth, juxtaposed, to form a visual vocabulary.  I use a combination of techniques in my stitched collages; carefully selected fabrics and papers are pieced, patched and stitched together, creating a textured background.  Paints are then applied using a variety of painting and printing techniques.  Surface texture is built up by fusing more fabrics and papers, then the surface is stitched by hand and machine.

Sketches 7-11
Hand-dyed cotton
and silk collage
and stitch
26" x 20"

Sketches 7-11
Hand-dyed cotton
and silk collage
and stitch
26" x 20"

Artist Statement

My work investigates time and change-the subtle evidence of time’s passing as reflected by the transient nature of time and the effects of time on memory; the layers of faded memories and the fleeting traces of long forgotten recollections.  My imagery is based upon the natural world.  Using dye, paint, silk screens, fabric, old newspapers and thread these images become sketches, layer upon layer that float between there and not there, dissolving into abstraction and reconfiguring themselves into a recognizable form.

Sketches 2-12
Hand-dyed painted cotton and
silk collage and stitch
22" x 29"

Sketches 2-12, detail
Hand-dyed painted cotton and
silk collage and stitch
22" x 29"

www.DENISELINET.COM

Featured Artist: Linda Laird

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Linda Laird

And While We Sleep
Commercial cottons,
linen, and synthetics;
machine applique and
embroidery
35" x 29"

Piece Statement:
This quotation is from the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus.  Robert Kennedy recited it from memory while speaking to a group of African-Americans on the night in 1968 that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed.  Kennedy himself would be killed about 2 months later.  This quotation becomes more meaningful with every passing day.

And While We Sleep
Commercial cottons,
linen, and synthetics;
machine applique and
embroidery
35" x 29"

Artist Statement:

I make art to express emotions, and to tell stories.  I use fibers and fabrics because of their wonderful flexibility and infinite variety of color, pattern, and texture.  If I could figure how to put scent, flavor, and sound into my work, I’d have all the senses covered.  I’m working on it.

Featured Artists: Donna Kjonaas and Vicki Kessler

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Donna Kjonaas and Vicki Kessler

Read Between the Lines
Contemporary fiber collage,
embroidery, quilting
25" x 17"

“Read Between the Lines”


What’s black, white and read all over?  News about the “Oil Patch” in North Dakota!  These newly recoverable underground resources are predicted to last at least a generation.  The talk about this resource tends to fall into “black” and “white” categories.  “NO WAY!”  or  “FAST FORWARD!” summarizes much of contemporary opinion. Meanwhile, the land bleeds red.  People in North Dakota have deep roots.  Their ancestors (often Norwegian) settled here long ago. They worked hard and built fortunes in terms of human values. “Mineral Rights” trumps many of these values.  How does this conflict unfold now in North Dakota?  “Read Between the Lines” suggests we ought to listen with our heart to discern the direction.

Read Between the Lines, detail
Contemporary fiber collage,
embroidery, quilting
25" x 17"

Artists Statement:
   
What sustains us?  What nurtures us?  What holds us in connection?  What is satisfying?  What is enough? What challenges turn us toward awareness?  Collaborative, contemporary fiber artists Donna Kjonaas and Vicki Kessler explore these fundamental questions in their artwork. They reclaim historic, vintage and practical fiber through a variety of processes including discharge, painting, monoprinting and overdyeing.  Rich embellishment with stitch, beads, buttons or felting completes each piece.  What was once old or useless emerges as an energetic and unexpected creation. Tactile and interactive, the art invites viewers to move to the inside of each piece.  Their abstract compositions focus on color, connection and imaginative use of commonplace materials.

Donna Kjonaas and Vicki Kessler began their work as collaborative artists in the mid-1980’s with liturgical installation art.  In the last three years, their combined efforts have produced a body of work that varies broadly in scale while honing specific techniques.  Each one’s hands engage each piece of art, and the exchange of individual pieces provides reincarnation at multiple layers.   Vicki and Donna have a long, rich history in fiber handwork, from sewing to needlepoint to quilting to contemporary fiber art compositions.


Biographies:

Vicki Kessler

     My first stitches, uneven and unsteady, were fashioned with bits of yarn on left-over scraps of fabric.  Sneaking into my mother’s sewing basket for small treasures, I sought to repeat the image of beauty everywhere around me in my homeland of southwest Wisconsin.  The wide and turbulent Mississippi River taught me about the subtleties of color shading.  Muddy, brown shore waters gradually shifted toward blue until they reached the islands, where greenish hues took center stage.  Tall, verdant hills with rocky outcrops demonstrated the power of texture and contrast.  Wild, dappled valleys revealed their secrets in undulating rhythms and surprising bursts of color.  These true delights of earth became my first teachers.

    Color, rhythm and shape are key components in my art.  As in nature, the whole is more than the sum of parts.  The hideous stands beside the beautiful, the predictable companions the surprise, the exotic and the mundane are born in the same ground. The ancient, seasoned and well-worn offers perspective.  Newly emerging patterns bring a leap of inspiration.

      Working with old fabric, linens, quilts, yarn, sweaters and clothing provides a balance to consumptive patterns and habits that threaten us. It offers an opportunity to reflect on values of connection and relationship, and helps me feel that with each stitch, I am mending a little portion of the world. 

    Vicki Kessler, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, was born and raised in southwest Wisconsin.  She currently resides in Fargo, North Dakota.  She is a self-taught fiber artist who has been experimenting with cloth and stitch since childhood.  Vicki is a founding member of The Women’s Fiber Art Collective in Madison, Wisconsin.  Her work is permanently installed in the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ in DeForest, Wisconsin; Pilgrim Heights Retreat Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin; First Congregational United Church of Christ and Community of Hope United Church of Christ, both in Madison, Wisconsin.
   

Donna Kjonaas

    The abundant, wide-open plains of North Dakota stretched into endless horizon under the dome of blue sky; this became first home to my imagination.  Grain fields waving in the wind marked time through seasons of planting, growth, harvest and rest. In life on the land, invention is the mother of necessity. Leftover utensils and farm tools made toys.  Hand-made clothing became a treasure, passed-down, taken-in, let out and refashioned for the next child in line.  Food from large gardens, preserved for the coming season, created an exhibit of form, color and texture.  Nothing ever wasted; potential found and cultivated beyond the present purpose.

    Reclaimed and repuposed materials such as linens, clothing, sweaters and quilts are transfomed into compositions that hone principles of color, scale and texture, rich as the land of my birth. Seasonal palettes of prairie landscape dance through my work, varying from the intense green of spring to the golden-yellow hues of fall.  Dakota’s characteristic expansive swaths of land find reflection in techniques of collage, piecing and stitching.   Buttons, beads, thread and yarns are found objects that become embellishments building layers of texture.  Raw materials, old and worn with accumulated history, evolve expressively into art that honors the continuity of life made fresh for a new day and time.

    Donna Kjonaas, a retired United Methodist minister, was born and raised in North Dakota.  She currently divides her time between residences in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Sanibel, Florida.  Interested in fiber and beauty from childhood, she has a background in clothing construction and quilting.  Her creative impulse along with her affinity for innovation soon led to exploration of non-conventional methods and materials in her artistic compositions.  She has taken several classes in paper-making, painting and book arts.  

Featured Artist: Marlene Gruetter

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Marlene Gruetter

Wounded (front): wool/recycled, silk, felting, 25"x25"

Piece Statement:

At some point in our lives we all experience emotions which inflict wounds in both our hearts and in our minds.  This piece is a wearable interpretation of how these life experiences can permanently wound our harmonious outlook on life.  Black represents the darkness or evil which lurks within each of us and white symbolizes the purity or innocence each of us is graced with at birth.  When these conflicting human forces collide with one another inside each of us, we become wounded forever.

Wounded (back):Wool/recycled, silk,felting25" x 25" 

Artist Statement:

In creating my Shambolic fiber art, I use a combination of contemporary and traditional feltmaking techniques in a unique way to form pieces with exceptional movement through texture and color.  Composition of color is fashioned using pieces of silk ripped from recycled silk garments.  Fine merino wool is used to fiberseam the composed silk pieces together.   During the fiberseaming and final felting process, the wool and silks move according to their own natural flow miraculously providing exceptional texture and movement.   This captivating combination allows creation of various forms of wearable art that evoke deep feelings and strong emotions.

Featured Artist: Dianne Vottero Dockery

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Dianne Vottero Dockery

Hide and Seek
Silk, cotton, screen-printed,
collaged, machine stiched
12" x 12"

Hide and Seek

As this collage’s design unfolded, it took on its own personality.  It makes no difference if we are playing a childhood game or experiencing our everyday life:  the world is full of hiding places.  You can seek and find a hiding place in these fields of red, white, and black.

London Bridge
Silk, cotton, screen-printed,
collaged, machine stitched
12" x 12" 

London Bridge

Watch out below!  The bridge is falling!  London Bridge is falling down!  This collage is the third in a series of red, white, and black compositions depicting some of my favorite games and pastimes from childhood.  London Bridge is falling down… falling down… my fair lady!

Pocket Full Of Posies
Silk, cotton, screen-printed,
collaged, machine stiched
12" x 12"

Pocket Full of Posies

This piece began as a non-subjective composition in red, white, and black, but as it came together, it began to express itself.  I soon found myself singing a familiar song from the playgrounds of my childhood:  “Ring around the roses… pocket full of posies….”  This collage takes us back to a time when life was as simple and as delightful as a “pocket full of posies”.

Gallery: from left to right,
Doerte Weber, WSJ: Sweet & Sticky
Marlene Gruetter, Wounded
Dianne Vottero Dockery, Hide and Seek, Pocket Full of Posies, London Bridge

Artist’s Statement

     My life as an artist began early.  My tools: a box of contè crayons inherited from my artist uncle and recycled butcher’s paper from my grandmother’s kitchen.  At age three, I rose early and claimed the vacant kitchen table where I drew to my heart’s content. 

     Decades later, fibers have replaced the crayons.  Using fibers as a medium challenges me to step away from the photo-realism I find myself striving for with paint or pastels.  My goal with fibers:  portray reality with graphic interpretation.  I often approach the medium much like a painter who chooses and arranges colors on a palette, preparing for the marriage of color, form, and texture to surface. 

     I am fortunate to have acute sensitivity to the beauty in shapes, textures, and colors that can often go unnoticed by others.    If the art I make stirs the viewer to a higher awareness and appreciation of the world around them, then I humbly consider myself a successful artist.

Featured Artist: Janna Carrozza

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Janna Carrozza

Artist Bio

Janna Carrozza began her studies at Philadelphia University, where she studied Fashion Design. She received a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and Art Education from Kutztown University.  Janna also completed a Masters degree in Education.  Janna is involved with community mural projects in the city of Reading. She works full time as an art teacher for the past twelve years as well as a keeping a working studio at The Goggle Works Center for the Arts since 2005.

Piece Statement:


Weaving with respect for the environment is my passion. The fibers used are environmentally friendly, and pesticide free. The natural dyes used in my weaving are harvested from my garden using carefully chosen and blended colors. The colors and patterns are uniquely woven together like paint on a canvas. As all organic things in nature are one of a kind with each one being unique, I never repeat a design pattern in my weavings. The best part of the whole process is cutting off the fibers and admiring the texture and drape of a finished weaving that did not deplete, or harm the earth to create.

Featured Artist: Marie Bergstedt

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you: Marie Bergstedt

Dressing For A Delicate Condition
reconstructed antique tablecloth
28" x 18" x 9"  Wall Hanging

Dressing For A Delicate Condition, detail
reconstructed antique tablecloth
28" x 18" x 9"  Wall Hanging

 Dressing for a Delicate Condition

"Dressing for a Delicate Condition" came to mind when a crocheted tablecloth I washed fell into pieces.  The work recalls my birth mother, who was pregnant twice during my teens.  Her "delicate" emotions frequently broke down, much like the cloth from which this piece has been reconstructed.

Girl
Crochet, buttonwork, Applique, embroidery
35" x 16" x 21" 

Girl, detail
Crochet, buttonwork, Applique, embroidery
35" x 16" x 21"

Girl, detail
Crochet, buttonwork, Applique, embroidery
35" x 16" x 21"

 Girl

Traveling back in time, I cannot separate myself from the photographic images where I emerge… alone among the dairy cows, as a white figure etched into the shadows and lines of a snowy barnyard, or swathed in the cowgirl finery my foster father always bought for me.

Ripples
Crochet, knitting, buttonwork
25" x 14" x 23"

Ripples
Crochet, knitting, buttonwork
25" x 14" x 23"

 Ripples 

"Ripples" represents a source of personal power and affirmation, available to me during my pre-school years.  At that time I was especially vulnerable and had no control over decisions about my life.  Conversations with Ripples were safe, appreciated and private.