Up Close and Personal

 

Each work was inspired by a female artist of the makers choice. Read how each artist was inspired and take a closer look. 

These first two by Lynn Anderson were based on the work of Billie Buford. Lynn especially likes the color tints that she works with and the movement of color across a piece. Her use of line as another intersecting point of interest appeals to her as well. She found it fun, though challenging, to produce a work with these details. The pieces use shapes to mix the colors and stitch to depict the lines.

Annette chose Lucinda Parker, who is a local Portland artist known for her big works displayed at the Convention Center and hotel lobbies around town. She has always enjoyed her abstract representational work of the landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. Her current fascinations are the mountains and volcanoes, most of which she has climbed. Annette also enjoys hiking in the mountains of the PNW which connects her to this beautiful work.

These pieces, A Single Moon over Many Landscapes 1 & 2, were inspired by Danish photography artist Inge Schuster. Hilde has always been drawn to her early architectural work. Her images are full of emotion, with a moody atmosphere, simple compositions, and faded colors that she finds very moving. Small touches—like a lamppost, a bench, a cat’s silhouette, or a few tree branches—give her work a quiet human presence. She often includes a super moon too, which adds to the magic. Hilde worked to bring in some of these same elements.

Georgia O’Keefe was an American painter who spent part of her life living in the southwest and also New York City—quite a contrast. Deb began to appreciate her art while living in New Mexico. This New York piece Nightscape inspired her with it’s monochromatic tones and simple lines. She wanted to elongate it and create it in fabric

Huguette Caland was a painter, sculptor and fashion designer but it was her paintings that Elaine admired most and wanted to interpret in Fiber. She tends to use bright, pure color and often applies paint with a grungy, muted texture. Her use of layers is most intriguing. She adds little elements such as checkerboards, stripes, dots and houses over the top of the base layer. These tiny elements are not a part of the focal image but make you want to get up close to notice. It is this level of detail Elaine tried to capture in Tickled Pink.

Leonora Carrington was one of the very few women Surrealist painters during the 20^th Century. She used symbols to express her feelings as a woman. Kat's work, Sliding into Spring, reflects her own perspectives as a woman in the 21^st Century. More than in the past, girls are encouraged to be brave and strong as they slide through childhood into womanhood. They can fear the journey, but also embrace the adventure, looking forward to the possibilities that life can bring, just like how spring brings daisies to show us the possibilities of a new season.

  

Ruth Aiko Asawa was an American modernist artist known primarily for her abstract looped-wire sculptures inspired by natural and organic forms. Betty has always enjoyed both the simplicity of the shapes and the complexity of the work to form them. The neutral colors and the depth of layering have also intrigued her. She wanted to capture this 3-D work in 2 dimensions and in fiber rather than metal. 

SHOWing Off

 

We are at it again. This time our work will be on display at St James Lutheran Church in downtown Portland. Join us to hear more about the artwork at the Artist reception. July 20.

Our newest body of work has been exciting. Each of us choose a female artist, whether she be painter, or photographer or sculptor from whom to draw inspiration. That became the starting point. Our work was to be 18 inches wide by 40 inches long. Inspiration could be color or style or form or mood. Just whatever we artists found appealing. Some needed to translate a landscape piece into this portrait size while others needed to crop their vision. The results are truly amazing. Here is a snapshot view of the art. Enjoy!

Walls in Stitches

If you are looking for some great fiber art, I suggest you head to St James Lutheran Church for Hilde Morin's most recent exhibit "Walls in Stitches". 

Architecture is a recurring theme for Hilde. She beautifully blends softness with structure. And, reimagines material and form, creating works that feel both organic and architectural. This exhibit invites viewers to explore fiber in a new and tactile way. It is not to be missed.