Playing Favorites: textiles

Lisa Call
http://www.lisacall.com
http://blog.lisacall.com

Three of my favorites:



Structures #10
copyright 2004 Lisa Call
35"x52"



This is one of my favorites and by far one of the public's favorite pieces. It's about growth and strength and recovery and was designed a few months after I initiated a divorce in late 2001. I didn't purposely make a piece about the event, it's just the result of creating art during that time. It took several years to complete the piece as I worked through the process of moving forward with my life in a positive way.



Structures #35
copyright 2005 Lisa Call
32"x49"




This is the piece I use to brand my website, blog, business cards and I use it as my photo anywhere I'm requested to provide a photo on the web. I love this piece - one of the first large structures pieces with thin lines. The movement of the lines and the soft colors really resonate with me. The piece was recently sold to the University Hospitals in Cleveland where it hangs in the waiting room at the Twinsburg Medical Center - images of the installation are on my blog here:
http://blog.lisacall.com/2008/01/university-hospitals-cleveland.html.



Markings #7
copyright 2007 Lisa Call
64"x72"

This is my favorite (or at least one of my favorites) in my newest series, Markings. It feels very Colorado to me - tree trunks and blue sky.



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Gail Pierce
http://expressionstudio.blogspot.com/

Vessel #1

At times I've found it difficult to find a reason to create anything; life has been continually bumpy with health issues. At the end of 2007 the only resolution that made a bit of sense to me and encourages me to continue creating was to become involved in art challenges. The impetus for my resolution was Vessel #1 that I created for a fiber challenge yahoo group last November. I had no idea at that time that I was also choosing my "true colors" for a fabric paper quilt that I entered in Quilting Arts True Colors Challenge. Blue is said to be a calming color which is reason enough for me to be drawn to all shades of it. Toss in a little ochre, rust, sepia, soft yellow or a dash of red iron oxide and I'm happy. The patina of rust has always fascinated me to the degree that I now rust metal objects in order to make mono prints or rust dye fabric.

The fabric vessel started off life as a flat uninteresting piece of rust dyed felt that came to life when it was distressed with both a soldering iron and heat gun. Lutradur is intriguing in that it doesn't have a grain, doesn't fray, loves paint and can also be heat distressed making it the perfect choice to layer with the felt. Once the two fabrics were glued together there was only one seam left to cover. After trying a variety of ways to cover the untidy seam I settled on a fabric wire wrapped stick and some yarn.

At the La Quinta Art Festival earlier this month I bought a 4x4 inch abstract from Jennie Thom in my "true colors." Shades of blue, oranges, yellows and a touch of red iron oxide simply dance next to Vessel #1.
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Karen Hall
http://artistsgarden.wordpress.com
http://www.karens-gardenstudio.blogspot.com

I have chosen three pieces of work that are special to me. They are variations on the amulets that I make periodically. Amulets are important to me – The ones that work well, are the ones that I put my soul into – (not ones that are simply assemblages). These three, “The Journey”, “The Wish” and “Eternal Cycle” were done between 1990 and 2002. They were meaningful to me when I made them – but the reason that they are so extraordinary to me is the response they evoked in people who saw them. At some level they touched some people deeply. When they were exhibited – people were moved by them, or thanked me for allowing them to be viewed. The most memorable, has to be a lady who stood in front of “Eternal Cycle” with tears running down her face. In her words – “It was her life”. When I make amulets – I also do a piece of writing with them – some people chose to read the words some don’t. However – usually the people who buy the work choose to have the writing as well.

So briefly about the pieces themselves.



The Journey









This was the first amulet I made – way back in the day. In 1990 water-soluble fabric for machine embroidery was still comparatively new and textile artists were still exploring the boundaries of the product. So given the context of 1990 this piece looked quite “different”. Coats Patons Crafts also selected this piece for a yearlong travelling exhibition. So the Journey – began its journey. And I had a very different journey that year, as I became ill. Not a life threatening illness – but enough to make me take stock of my life and make some changes – so this piece, I will always associate with my personal life journey.


The Wish
This was made in 1994. It was an exploration of what it means to be a granddaughter, a daughter and a mother. Each object included in the work was carefully chosen for its symbolism. Including a seed for birth and amber for protection. The bone at the bottom of the piece is covered with the words from a poem “A wish for my Children” by Evangeline Paterson


“And may you grow strong
To break
All webs of my weaving”

The last piece is the “Eternal Cycle” and below are some of the words that accompanied the piece.


“Throughout time the number three has held significance
Man, woman, child.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost.
Mind, body, spirit.
The mythology for this picture is drawn from
The trinity of aspects: -
Maiden, Mother, Crone.
It is a treasure map,
And holds clues so that
We may understand our journey.
During our lives we move from
Maiden, to Mother, to Crone.
But within the life cycle
These aspects are intertwined so that
At any time in our lives we may call upon the
Energy associate with a particular phase.
The joy freedom and potentiality of the Maiden can
Feed the nurturing and creativity of a project for the
Mother.
While Crone energy can help us make changes,
To evolve, or if necessary to close a chapter ….
So that the maiden can open another
The Eternal Cycle.”