Whether knowingly or not, the week conspired to send me positivity
in bucket loads.
So, a thank you to those of you who sent me messages about the
last post, thank you to my regular Thursday class who were on great form last
week, thank you to the buyer of one of my pieces from Mairangi Art Centre, thank
you to the artist who carved a beautiful paddle which I fell in love with and which
is now my first Maori art piece, thank you to the ladies from the Warkworth
textile group who really got to grips with metal and machine stitching and at
the same time made my weekend visit such fun (even introducing me to the delicious Lumberjack cake - I really need that recipe!).
Thanks to Gill for organising the weekend and looking after everyone so brilliantly |
Gill's piece is combining a print she had made with coffee cups and some scraps from my box. This is going to be a lovely piece very soon! |
Sari silk, wine bottle tops and a little metal fabric in this lively piece. |
A book cover on the way, using sweet papers and an embossed aluminium food tray on a fabulous old blanket |
One half of another book cover, embossed metal shim, metal cloth, velvet, rust dyed book cloth and hessian scrim. Going to be wonderful very soon. |
Book covers were really in vogue this weekend. The copper curls are still under the soluble film, just a few beads and sequins to add now |
Cute! |
Music ran deep in this family so the symbols are absolutely spot on. |
More book covers ... |
... this will be beautiful with more curls, beads and goldwork stitching. Well done Margaret. |
And ... the sun really came out on Saturday morning via a
phone call from Ronnie who organises the 'Changing Threads' exhibition in
Nelson. My work (Negative Space II) has
been awarded the best in show Bernina Award for the most creative entry using a
sewing machine in the 'Changing Threads' Contemporary Fibre Art Awards.
The exhibition is held at the Refinery Artspace, Nelson, NZ from 16 May
to 6th June 2015.
This show has gone from strength to strength over the last 7 years and is
the most prestigious textile art show in New Zealand. Their mantra, 'Encouraging fibre & textile artists to produce creations which
challenge the public perceptions of work that is traditionally associated with
these media’, is one which I wholeheartedly agree with and suspect that you will too. The details will be on the
exhibition website in a few days at: http://www.acn.org.nz/changingthreads2015.aspx
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Negative Space II by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
This is the
statement for the piece:
The work is one of a series which
explore visualising the internal emotional environment entered into whilst
developing work. These pieces can be viewed as meditative and quiet, calm and
focused, pieces which depict the internal space entered into when concentrating
on a subject or really connecting with mental processes for learning and
creating, a positive, welcoming place, separate from other pressures in the external
environment or an entrapped, immobile, negative space which is akin in some
ways to the place retreated to during depressive, anxious times.
The depicted figures are fetally
curled, backs turned, heads down and eyes closed. They are drawn in thread on
backgrounds of patched, patterned and textured stainless steel cloth with
patterns derived from the gaps between spaces created by repeating and
reversing the figures.
What can I
say - perhaps (with apologies to Kim T for pinching her catchphrase) -WOO
HOO!!!
Wishing you
all a good week too.
x