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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
felt :: feutre Canada most sincerely thanks our exhibition awards sponsors. In every way you are helping Canadians make beautiful felt!
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This catalogue holds a collection representing three years of feltmaking in Canada. And it is a diverse and robust collection, including work from across the country. The exhibition theme, migration, was selected for the broad possibilities in interpretation. Migration describes how our felt is physically made as the layers of wool fibres move and entwine. Fibres migrating through cloth to create nuno felt; colours migrating to create blends and shadows; fibre breeds and weights migrating to build interesting surface structure. The exhibition is in the Fall‌a primary season of migration in the natural world. The idea of movement gives much scope for interesting and individual approaches to composition. The theme can be interpreted in many ways: the physicality of the medium, patterns in the natural world, our human migrations through travel and (im)migration, exploring current/historic social attitudes. The jury noted alongside their selections that they chose to fully reflect the nature of migration in craft, and included a variety of works, in form, style, and also in levels of experience. This decision reflects the migration we take in our creative practices from emerging craftsperson to international artist. All of the works were selected based on their individual artistic merits. Thank you to our jury for assisting in the difficult selection process, and to everyone for presenting your work for this exhibition. It is a privilege for felt :: feutre canada to be able to show your work here, and on exhibition at the Canadian Felt Symposium, graciously hosted by the Shatford Centre/ Okanagan School of the Arts, Penticton, BC. September 2016
president felt :: feutre canada
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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Functio Laesa corriedale wool; found objects 2016
Adoration corriedale wool; found objects (plastic toys) 2016
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On Knowing (As Logic Weeps) needle felted corriedale wool, embroidered fabric, wooden paddles, elastic, acrylic paint 2015
My felt-based sculptures explore the poetic interdependencies between macro and micro realms and of our own entangled relations with the world. I am interested in the material and gestural significance of what it means to felt. Felting, with a barbed tool that pokes into a soft material to create both fissures and bonds, mirrors these rhythms of life, interdependencies – of loss with gain, living with dying, and knowing with unknowing. These cuts that bind are quintessential to living in these fields of entanglement. In my studio practice, I am interested in the demarcation, shifting and blurring of boundaries of inclusion and exclusion - boundaries of the self with world, the self with other, nature with culture, human with animal, and male with female. My work explores, probes, and, at times, subverts borders of classification. Otherness not only impacts my interest in the interdependencies of human-animal, male-female, nature-culture and art-craft relations but also my engagement with the genres and materials of art. My interest in the processes and materials of contemporary craft emerges from a negotiation of difference, of materials and practices that have been relegated to the historical margins of fine arts practices. The same binaries that argue for the separation of human-animals and nature, and dichotomize male and female, have been used to separate the traditions of craft from the practices of fine arts. Through my studio practice, and the processes of working with and through materials and ideas, I engage with the interdependencies of species, groups, peoples and practices. My recent work explores spaces of ambiguity between otherness, where the other, becomes another that permeates the skin of the self, a self that is in turn, saturated by the flesh of the world. conniemorey.com
Connie Morie British Columbia 5
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Layers 500 x 250 x 30 cm installed wool and raw silk fibres ; wool yarn; wire 2016 The conception behind “Layered” is based on familiar climatic phenomena present in northern climates low cloud formations and their transformation and movement. This work captures a “moments” view and the ethereal quality depicts its essence.
Jacobs has exhibited her artworks nationally and internationally and has participated in Artist Residencies in Vallauris, France; Quebec City and Banff. For 30+ years, Jacobs has made sustained contributions to the arts community as a creator, mentor, educator, promoter and organizer. She lives and works in Meacham, Saskatchewan. www.handwave.ca
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Shards 40 pieces: varying dimensions wool and raw silk fibres, wool yarn; thumb tacks 2016
Each component of “Shards” reflects the process of the wind as it whips over snow, as it eats at it, reshaping it. Heated by the suns rays, it re-shapes again and it re-freezes and is newly transformed. “Shards” represents this delicate balance that humans occupy in relationship to their environment.
June Jacobs Saskatchewan 7
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Conveyance merino wool, silk, and cotton fabrics, silk fibre, paper, sumi ink, carbon fibre 2016
When meeting new people, I am always interested in how they came to live where they do. By choice, circumstance or history. The many make-ups of our physical spaces; social, political, geographical, geological; all have an impact on our everyday lives. These pathways and transitions sculpt fascinating stories. This sculptural dress explores this theme. Patterns of movement, complexities in textures,. The dress is held under tension, and can be shifted and transformed around our physical body, reflecting our experience as we encounter and merge with new communities. Fiona Duthie is a feltmaker recognized for her dynamic surface design. She loves storytelling, both in words and textiles and starts a new piece, thinking first of what story she wants to tell and then creates tactile metaphors in form, fibre and surface additions to best communicate that narrative. Fiona creates sculpture for the body, art objects and outdoor felt installations. Fiona’s work has been published in many international textile arts publications and she has exhibited her work in both public and private galleries in Canada, the US, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. Felting since 1996, Fiona Duthie has a full-time studio practice based on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.
fionaduthie.com
Fiona Duthie British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Living in a world where migration is commonplace, traditions and thoughts intertwine creating a metamorphosis of new identities, compelling us to delve deep into our consciousness and question our perception of “self�. Those Who Came Before #2 and Transference are a visual depiction of this migratory journey within.
Jennifer Tsuchida Ontario migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Jennifer Tsuchida is a Toronto felt artist who is enchanted by the magic of turning wool fibre into a cohesive felted fabric. Employing both traditional and modern felt making techniques, Jennifer creates hand felted sculptural pieces of functional, decorative, and wearable art. She is at once inspired by the natural world and the underbelly of the darkest corners of her imagination. Throughout the years, Jennifer's work has been exhibited in galleries as well as non-traditional exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. Her art has been published in Studio Magazine: Craft and Design in Canada, Filzfun- a German magazine dedicated to the art of feltmaking, and in the book Worldwide Colours of Felt. jennifertsuchida.weebly.com
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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
The Journey 30 x 116cm merino wool roving and prefelt, california red roving 2016
I immigrated to Canada from Europe as a young adult. My roots are in Europe where my ancestors took part in Europe’s great migrations during the upheavals of the 20th century. So I follow the current European migrant crisis in the media with special interest. In The Journey I try to go beyond seeing the masses of people spilling into Europe daily from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan to imagining the journey of the individual. Do they feel hope for a brighter future, fall into black holes of despair, encounter violence and abuse, compassion and rejection? How often do they walk through a green, bucolic landscapes just to encounter borders barred with barbed wire at the end of the day? I layered and shaped white, black and red pre-felt, dyed wool roving and resists to create an unpredictable landscape with furrows, cavities and welts. I dyed the white areas green and blue, the colours I associate with land and sky. Stitches traverse the landscape like the migrants steps. Alice Pallett is an award-winning Kelowna artist with a passion for innovation using traditional and contemporary materials and processes. She loves fibre, such as wool and silk and the processes of felt making, painting, drawing and printmaking. The work unfolds and meaning emerges through her intentional engagement with the materials. She holds a Diploma in Art and Design and has studied visual art at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, at Red Deer College and with visual and fibre artists. Alice Pallett is a member of Art Felt Collaborative, an award-winning group of visual artists working in fibre who inspire and support each other. Her work is available at the Lake Country Art Gallery Shop and during ArtWalk. alicepallett.com
Alice Pallett British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Fluvial 25 x 132 cm prefelt, merino wool, finn wool, wool locks, tencel, silk fibres, silk cloth, linen cloth, driftwood 2016
The river landscape is symbolic for natural migration, continual, transporting and forming an ongoing process, bringing changes slowly, but certainly. Perpetual, gradual shifts are needed in the formation of new environments. The river and all forms of natural movement and migration are teaching us this concept.
I am mostly attracted by the lightness and fluffiness of the wool, all the different colors, the smooth tactile touch of the wet soapy wool and the versatility felting offers as a medium. From sculptures to flat wool images to goods for daily use - loose wool fibres can be transformed into almost anything. I make mainly accessories and figures, and hopefully much more in the future, since the possibilities are only limited by one’s imagination. I am self-taught and have learned the art of felting with lots of experimentation. My inspiration comes mostly from my love of nature. Felting as a form of art has implemented the great joy and satisfaction of creating, into my daily life. With the support of other people enjoying my artwork, the opportunity to turn my felting devotion into a lifestyle has evolved. I am very grateful for that. felting.ca
Heike Fink Saskatchewan 13
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A Year Later 30 x 60cm merino and other wool, silk and linen fibres, wool nepps 2016
Forest fires blazed through northern Saskatchewan in the summer of 2015, displacing many people from their homes. Weeks later, people returned to a changed landscape. Parts of the forest had completely burned to ash and in other areas trees were killed, but still standing. A year later new plants have moved in, covering the forest floor with a blanket of green and an abundance of colour, among the remaining blackened sentinels, charred and deformed. This piece honours this remarkable transformation. Living in northern Saskatchewan, I am immersed in the beauty of the Canadian Precambrian Shield. The tactile nature of felt lends itself to reflect the rugged wildness of the landscape extending out from my backyard. I am passionate about this place - the rocky shores, the boreal forest, the lichens and mosses, the waterways, and the creatures who inhabit it. I take photographs during my kayak paddles on the lake, walks in the bush, and even through my kitchen window to use for later reference in my studio. I use wet and needle-felting techniques to create felt pictures and sculptural works to express the rich colour and textures in both the grand and the small places around me.
Donna Stockdale Saskatchewan migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Salmon Run 30 x 70cm 100% merino wool, recycled silk 2016
This piece represents the migration of the Pacific Salmon. A vigorous and exhausting trip from the ocean up river to the spawning grounds of their birth. After completing the journey to spawn the salmon die and the life cycle begins again. The process of felt making fulfills my desire to create and appeals to my curious nature. Immediately after being introduced to felt making I fell in love with the versatility of the medium. Felt making allows me to play with colour, texture, pattern and form in infinite ways. I am inspired when I see an exciting colour combination or by unique design. I am fortunate to live in a place where I can feel a connection to the natural world every day which also fuels creativity. christiannaferguson.com
Christianna Ferguson Ontario 15
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Purple Rain 12 x 38in merino wool, silk, shetland yarn, acid dyes, ink, wax crayons, paint, beads 2016
Purple Rain is about migration in various aspects. The migration of two artists being inspired by each other. The migration of felt and silk. And finally the migration or absorption of dyes and ink into the felt and silk. This piece is inspired by Cassandra Bradshaw's painting 'Purple Rain'. Cindy has always had an interest in art, however it wasn’t until she discovered fibre art that she decided to follow her passion. She has a certificate in graphic design and works full time as a graphic/web designer. Although she is a self-taught artist, she feels her work experience has helped in designing her art. She enjoys using various mediums in her art such as organza, cheese cloth, chiffons, yarns and beads. She likes to experiment with various embellishments to add dimension and interest to her work, which has an abstract and contemporary feel to it. The prairie surroundings that she lives on are apparent in her work. Cindy has shown in her work in group and solo exhibitions including, Prairie Reflections, Prairie Closeups at the Joe Moran Gallery, and In the Dirt -A Felted Exploration as part of the Members Showcase through the Art Gallery of Regina. She is a juried member of the Saskatchewan Craft Council.
Cindy Obuck Saskatchewan migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Migration 30 x 75cm felt, metallic threads, mixed media 2016
The magical process of transformation from the recycled to create a new textile is the essence of my fascination with the medium of felt. Employing the traditional and the innovative processes and methods of textile making, my current body of work includes the stitched threads, textile collage, handmade and needle felt, recycled and vintage textile, and embellishment. My artwork today, is the convergence of my experiences of collecting and reuse of textile. Described as abstract, the simplicity in the combinations of the threads and mixed media to create a new form is what is empowering. Inspiration comes from the forms, colors, and patterns and movement of the natural environment. m-siegel.com
Melanie Siegel Ontario 17
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Prairie Dog Ghost Town 30 x 117cm merino wool, silk, wild silk worm cocoons, tsugumi wrapped silk, copper wire, cotton image 2014
My geographic perspective informs my art practice by providing subject matter, memories and analytic tools. I grew up in Calgary and remain strongly influenced by my love of the foothills and prairie. My work is characterized by a rich and bold pallet and the incorporation of unusual organic materials. The process of wet felting is integral to my work. The technique is a means of contextualizing and surfacing ideas about inheritance and resilience, and the patterns or traits left behind or carried forward. Many of my landscapes embody key elements of past human or animal activity - buffalo wallows, middens, lost villages. My latest work uses a couple of techniques to build a more dynamic aspect into the landscape that conveys change, movement and the passage of time. I am exploring themes of migration and inheritance using landscapes, and captured and reworked images as my devices. To show the past embedded in the present, I hide an image of a real place behind a knitted copper wire screen sewn into the landscape that represents the current conditions. My second technique creates multiple interrelated felts meant to represent imperfect memories of past times and places. I create a first generation felt that is then photographed and printed on silk. Portions of the silk image of the first felt are then worked in during the creation of the second felt. I am effectively patterning the new landscape with elements of the old. sheilathompson.ca
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Through the Hills in Search of Water 30 x 115cm merino wool, silk, copper wire, wool fibre, african porcupine quill, silk image, slide, sweet grass 2016
Through the hills (in search of water) imagines barriers to migration – a long dusty journey through hills to a cooler night, mirages and faint paths to guide or confuse. My inter generational technique, uses a silk image from a previous felt “Watering Holes”, as the top layer of the hills to create the mirage effect. A slide tucked into the resist hole is of grazing zebras. The purple side represents the cooler night. Handmade wool and silk felt depict annual migration through the hills in search of water. Holes contain surprise elements
Sheila Thompson Ontario 19
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Through Time and Space 30 x 88 cm ink on felt made from wool, alpaca fibre, silk, bamboo tops, and hemp fibre supported on canvas 2016
'Through Time and Space' is a dual celebration of ancient art forms and the migration of wildlife. Cave paintings, some of the most ancient extant human artworks, have fascinated me since childhood. They make the 10,000s of years between their creation and now seem insignificant and transport us through time and space. The antiquity of felt making and its raw material being animal fleece make felt an appropriate medium on which to capture images inspired by ancient cave paintings and herd migratory behaviour. This decorative art piece, suitable to adorn a 'contemporary cave,' references cave art by using variations in wool thickness, shibori techniques, and different fibre types to mimic the complexity of a stone surface while staying true to the soft, organic nature of felt. Hints of emotion, character, or personality often appear as the piece starts to take shape and I see it as my role to build on and reveal these. In the end, the final piece feels like a collaboration between me and this inanimate substance that has a mind of its own. For me, creating art is a way to express or share a feeling or concept and to communicate at a very basic but powerful level. fayhodsonart.blogspot.ca
Fay Hodson Alberta migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Black Poplar Tree to Log 95 x 230 cm merino wool, cross breed local wool, silk, cotton 2016
The migration through life from birth to death- from tree to log to soil and back. This “log� is intended to cover a body that is wrapped for natural burial. Display it, use it as a catalyst to talk about your end of life wishes and then it will completely decompose along with you to transform into something new in the circle of life. Carmen Ditzler is a self taught artist exploring felt for the last seven years. The combination of wool, water, soap and hands has infinite possibilities in felt and is continuously fascinating. She is inspired by natural textures and patterns and has taken classes from internationally known felt makers such as Lyn Pfleuger, Marjolein Dallinga, Fiona Duthie and Andrea Graham. She sees felt as a way to help reconnect humans, nature and death. Carmen holds both a BPE and an MA.
carmenditzler.com
Carmen Ditzler British Columbia 21
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This piece was made in 2014 for Remembrance Day. Inspired by the poppies in the fabric, I felted and sculpted the hat to contrast the delicate beauty of the flower to the stark reality of the crosses row on row. Today, as Canadians, we still remember. With continual changes in our cultural make-up, as a group we seem to understand the historical significance of paying homage to our forefathers. The migration of people and merging of ideas.
Poppies 8 x 10in, 7in high merino wool, silk, elastic, turkey feather quill. 2014 trishraine.com
I am enchanted by the glamour of the 20’s and classic design. Inspiration comes from the up-cycled fabrics themselves, details already in the silk or the feeling that the garment conveys. My hats incorporate comfort, style, function and practicality - all important aspects when choosing a hat. Each piece has a unique design, is comfortable, warm in cool weather, and repels snow and rain. My hats can be worn out snowshoeing or to the theatre! Some can be rolled up and put in your purse. It’s rewarding to see the response to at shows where my hats are greeted with enthusiasm, excitement and sometimes awe. My current work incorporates silk, beading and sequins with a goal to bridge the gap between felter and milliner - creating hats not only for the glamorous woman in each of us but for the practical girl too, so all will feel empowered to take on the long winters in comfort and unique style.
Trish Hirschkorn New Brunswick
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Drifting 56 x 15 x 10cm merino,corriedale, silk, and banana silk fibres,driftwood, silk thread, glass beads, pearls 2016 sandiluck.com
Living in rural Ontario, surrounded by lakes and forests, one cannot help but be influenced by nature. On my kayak outings I experience the colours and movement of water, the reflections of the encircling forest and rocks and the sparkle of light on the waves. Driftwood worn by the currents and bleached by the sun migrates through the waters to small inlets for me to discover as I paddle about the lake. I like people to smile when they see my work. Using bold colours with an overabundance of pattern, texture and trim transforms the everyday into the fantastic. By multi-layering simple shapes and textures I create complex pieces with hidden depths that allow the viewer to explore the joy of imaginary worlds. Hand stitch and bead add further dimension to the simple shapes.
Sandi Luck Ontario
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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
The work Cradle is an interactive floor carpet that celebrates the distinctive Tablelands rock of Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland.. The serpentinized peridotite is rock from the earth’s mantle, found on the surface in only a few locations throughout the world. It represents my ties to the province of Newfoundland where I lived as a child and young adult and still has a strong pull for me. Born in coastal northern British Columbia, but living west to east and back in Canada, I am a person who has lived more than two thirds of my life by the sea. Relationship to place through landscape has been the central theme of my textile work, first through colour and currently through form based on specific elements of the coastal landscape of my rural island home in the Pacific Northwest. I work with wool, a material which needs to submit to a process mirroring the unstoppable rhythm of the sea to transform from insubstantial airiness to substantial textile. I am concerned with “nature deficit” and how experiences in nature contribute to human health, well-being and spirit. I create work that encapsulates an experience of nature for an audience that often must deliberately seek out and arrange such meaningful experiences. deborahdumka.ca
Cradle 106 ix 64 inches wool fibre, silk ribbon, silk fibre, merino prefelt, conductive fabric, thread, audio electrical components 2015
Deborah Dumka British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
A Kindness 6 x 4in merino wool, broken tea cup, glue 2014
The commonplace articles used in my work hold a given function. I consider the cultural understanding of a broken tea cup once cherished and used on rare occasions now broken and tenderly reassembled. My work explores the journey from inception through to deconstruction as nature reclaims her own. A new story is created which explores our connection to our heritage and place. Fascinated with the delicacy and strength of wool, exploring these properties has naturally led to the incorporation of found objects, gathered and repurposed. With these, I create new narratives connecting memories and experiences, evoking notions of both a personal and collective history. I enjoy working with renewable resources and exploring their regenerative properties; often the resilience of nature informs my process. Questions often come to me while I am working on a piece: “What stories do you hold?”, “Whose lips have you touched?”. I am fascinated with the legends of inanimate objects and how they gather and loose stories as they are passed down from hand to hand. I am considering inheritance and the generational shifts affecting the rituals and traditions of women. A contemplation of this tea cup as it transitioned from treasure to burden and the remains of its emotional quotient. Kim Tucker lives and makes her art on the Canadian shield in the small village of Apsley, Ontario. In 2012, Kim enrolled in the Visual and Creative Arts Program at Haliburton School for The Arts and after graduating with honours has since pursued further studies in felting. She has shown her work in both private and public art galleries in Ontario.
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Taking In 6 x 9in merino Wool, broken tea cup 2014
Reclaimed 9 x 4in merino wool, broken tea cup and saucer 2014
Kimberly Tucker Ontario 27
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Eden 42i x 73in hand dyed wool, organza, chiffon, yarn 2015
This piece exemplifies the theme 'Migration' in its use of multi-layered wool, fabric and yarn. The fibres migrate beautifully to create a fabric that is full of texture and depth. This piece, 'Eden', is wet felted using Elana’s own hand-dyed wool. Elana Sigal is a fibre artist from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She has been designing and producing hand made wet felted art pieces for over 20 years. Her work is playful and sophisticated demonstrating her love of colour, line and texture. Her subject matter encompasses still life, abstract and figural motifs. Elana exhibits in solo and group shows and welcomes both residential and commercial commissions. elanasigal.com
Elana Sigal British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Coeur Battant 12 x 13 x 9in merino short fiber, merino roving, recycled silk, wool for stitches 2015
The heart was my inspiration for the theme of Migration. The Beating Heart; a vital vessel which creates a bridge from birth to the passing filled with love for the final crossing. The hollow pod (the heart) was wet felted using a resist. Tubes, cords (the arteries) were attached to the base layer at the pre-felt stage. Shadowing techniques were used to create shadows and contrasts (the chambers). Carmen Laferriere's love of fibers originated from when she was a little girl living on a farm in rural Quebec. She recalls the exciting experiences she and her sisters had when her mother opened the cedar chest filled with textile remnants on Sunday afternoons. In 2013, she discovered a passion for felting. “Felting is a very versatile, intuitive and sensory art which connects me with my inner world allowing me to explore places, memories, and emotions.� Carmen’s works include garments, accessories, tapestries and sculptures, which are displayed in art galleries, museum, and at the Kelowna airport in the Okanagan valley, where she has her studio. carmenfelt.com
Carmen Laferriere British Columbia 29
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Monument 11 wet felted wool fibre (solid wool construction) 6 x 14 x 4 inches 2015
Monument 2 Wet felted wool fibre, solid wool construction 15 x 9 x 3 inches 2015
Andrea, a Canadian artist residing in San Diego, California, exhibits and teaches internationally. A 2013 Niche Award Finalist and named as one of the top influences in contemporary fibre art by Fiber Art Now magazine, Andrea is collected by Sonny Kamm and the prestigious Bronfman family’s Claridge Inc. collection. Widely published and recognised as an innovator, she is regularly supported by provincial and local arts councils including a 2015 Creation and Development grant as an established artist from the Ontario Arts Council. Andrea's solo exhibitions in Verona, Italy for “Verona Tessile” and at the Canadian Guild of Craft (2015) followed a joint exhibition at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (2014). A solo at Modern Fuel in Kingston, Ontario follows her solo in Prato, Italy. Andrea was Artist in Residence at Queen's University (2011) and has taught workshops for numerous guilds and conferences throughout North America and Europe.
Andrea Graham migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Feminine Mysteries 25 x 59 x 59cm wool and silk 2014
The bucranium, (bull’s head and horns) with its shape being similar to a uterus and fallopian tubes, symbolizes life and regeneration. In past times it was depicted on images of the Goddess in place of the uterus. ‘Feminine Mysteries’ presents the migration of life’s cycle from birth (eggs), to growth (horns) to maturity (flowers) to aging/decay (holes and cracks) through to death (skull/bone). This is the sacred process of life itself, the wonder and mystery of which we are all migrating through. In my work I like to explore the space between what I know and the unknown, to discover or uncover the life that wants to emerge; to listen to what arises out of the relationship between the materials and me, with the process uniting and transforming us both. I want my pieces to offer revitalization to viewers through a shift of perspective - a call to mystery, wonder, curiosity and inspiration. yvonnefreigang.com
Yvonne Freigang British Columbia 31
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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Propaganda 25cm x 38 cm x 45 cm 100% wool 2013
Lip Service 18cm x 32cm x 54cm 100% wool 2013
Propaganda is a part of a series that expresses the ways dishonestly and misinformation are perpetuated. I saw the rug hooked details as faces. Their orientation with the felted sculpture tells the story of a big mouth and the many minions that carry the message. Propaganda's creation was part of a healing process after a very difficult experience, however, it also represents a very positive artistic migration. When I combined rug hooking with felting it brought my work to a more sculptural and personal place.
Lip Service is also a part of this series. The orientation of the 'faces' within the felted sculpture tells the story of Lip Service where face to face talking is just an illusion.
I found my true voice in fibre when I developed my own methods to combine rug hooking, felting and knitting. Felting moved my work into a more sculptural arena and has allowed me to create more expressive and personal work. I continue to be enchanted by the transformative properties of wool and my hands feel most connected to my heart and soul when I'm working with it. dianekrys.com .
Diane Krys Alberta 33
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Tablecloth Dress brings together and honours the beautiful forgotten hand made skills (crochet and lace) brought by European women to Canada.
Tablecloth Dress 85c x 45 cm merino wool, vintage crochet table cloth, vintage lace 2016
I am a multidisciplinary artist and draw inspiration from my surroundings, nature, and my own life. I create mixed-media sculptures, textile art, and paintings that evoke a sense of time, place, and forgotten memories. For the past 15 years, I have been experimenting with felting techniques, seduced by this ancient craft of working with wool. I am always exploring new ways to bring together natural fibres and recycled materials. All my pieces involve reclaiming materials, selecting found objects and imagining stories. This very lengthy intuitive and selective process is central to my work. I might use beautiful transparent silks, or create unusual printed fabric, then add fragments of lace which carry traces of knowledge and tradition from previous generations, and small found objects which take on special meanings when incorporated into my work. Like a chameleon, they undergo a transformation and become part of a deeper narrative. The fusion of water, human energy, and a variety of materials gives life to this delicately beautiful and fragile creation. dianelemire.com
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This seamless dress symbolizes Champlain's dream, which was the fusing of multiple cultures, native and immigrants, coming together to create a nation.
Champlain's Dream 95 x 40 cm merino wool, silk, recycled vintage fabric, with hand-stitched and beaded embroidery. 2016
Diane Lemire Quebec 35
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Journey 13 x 13 x 3in bergschaf, shetland, corriedale and coopworth fibres 2016
Jo-Ann draws her inspiration from both the world around her and her active imagination. She has always been filled with the curiosity that fuels much of her experimentation and development of new techniques. The tactile nature of the fibers allows her to see and create through her hands as well as her eyes. She initially worked with silk fibers, but recently has introduced woolen fibers into her work. She hopes to draw viewers closer through the textural nature of her art. She is fascinated by the unknown, the unexplored and the quirky. In migration, the individual bodies moving are often loosely related - same species of animal or groups of people seeking a more peaceful life...They are united in movement, but often only small numbers of individuals have deeper ties - animal or people families. This piece represents the path towards a common geographical place with small 'families' and larger numbers of individual bodies moving forward towards their goal. The fibers from the four breeds are also representative of migration - intertwining geographically. joannzorzi.com
Jo-Ann Zorzi Ontario migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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FUKURO-MONO No;1 Ripples FUKURO-MONO No:2 Underwater FUKURO-MONO No:3 Lakebed varying dimensions merino wool, cotton cloth, silk cloth, silk rope. 2016
FUKURO-MONO No:1 Ripples 'Fukuro-mono'is a Japanese word which means a bag that a man or woman in kimono would carry small items such as wallet, tissue, or medicine. Anything that I required for that journey or migration.
I was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. In high school I studied oil painting while in university I took courses in pottery and ceramics. My first job was as a salesperson in a craft gallery. In 2006 I immigrated to Canada after my retirement to start a new life. One day, I had an opportunity to watch a TV program on felt works. This felting, which was completely new to me, attracted my interest immensely. With the internet as my guide, I started making scarfs using felting techniques. Then, in 2011, I joined Peace Arch Weaver & Spinners Guild BC. With a lot of guidance and support from the guild members along with experience in workshops and craft markets, I am learning and improving my techniques.
Masami Norisue British Columbia 37
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Birds 01 30 x 40 in wool felt, metal wire 2016
Laleh Javaheri's work attempts to explore and re-interpret the intersections of the natural world, classical works of Persian literature and the complexities and interactions between parts and wholes. Through the exploration of textures and colours of the uncommon and unfamiliar images of the natural world, she attempts to derive colours, textures and patterns. Laleh’s exploration of these natural patterns is supplemented by interpretation of the classical literature and poetry of the Persian language, mainly the works of Attar, Rumi and Hafez. Her work attempts to identify and re interpret the concepts and themes expressed in the classical worlds of these works within the framework of contemporary form and language. Living between Canada, Iran and the United states in the past twenty years has had a profound effect on Laleh’s work both conceptually and formally. Conceptually, impermanence and movement can be see as recurring themes and in addition to a conceptual influence, recurring relocation has resulted in a fusion of Persian themes, motifs and metaphors with a contemporary approach and structure, further deepening the impact of immigration in the formal qualities of her work.
Laleh Javaheri British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Birds 02 wool felt, cotton thread 2016
This series is a contemplation of a celebrated work of Persian literature, The Conference of the Birds by Attar of Nishapur. The poem deals with issues of unity and individualism as well as the mystery and guise of nature and uses it as metaphors of the human condition. The tension between parts and the whole are manifested in the formal conditions of these interpretations where pieces come together to form a whole. The threads are direct metaphors throughout the series hinting at a dialogue, holding the pieces in place.
terme.ca
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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Pelt: Migration from Sea to Land 35.5 x 24 inches finn wool, thread, found objects 2015
In this work, I played with skin, sinews, suckers, receivers of noise, tendrils, and other sensors. These “Pelts” could be imaginary animals reminiscent of cephalopods, or the first organisms that migrated from sea to land. Embodiment and the senses is a continual theme in my work. I continue this exploration with this piece. How do our senses and bodies guide our decisions and processes, and how are we called to new migrations through our ever-evolving sensoral capacities? Alexandra Goodall is an artist living in Penticton who works predominantly in paint and fibre, with an emphasis on felt-making. She is drawn to the shaping of perception through the arts, tweaking processes in the service of insight, especially as it pertains to embodiment. “I enjoy seeing how the course of my artistic development traces my relationship with embodiment. I see the beginnings of this present in my interest in historical costume and society, exploring adornment and cultural ideas of beauty. This has evolved to an exploration of contemporary experiential approaches in the therapies and spiritualties – For me, these are different ways of integrating all aspects of ourselves with our physicality as human beings. In my current artistic works, I feel a lot of these prior threads coming together. ”
Alexandra Goodall British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Geode 3 x 7 x 2 inches short fibre merino, chiffon, beads and other shiny things 2015
Felting is my passion. I love the versatility of creating with wool roving; the materials providing opportunity to work in 2D, 3D, large or small. My imagination and experiences from previous pieces inspire my work. I work with different wool breeds appropriate to the project. I create samples before committing to making a larger piece to best understand the relationships and reactions between my selected materials to ensure I arrive at my desired outcome. Learning more about this medium and techniques to work with it is important to me and I feel very privileged to have the taken classes, both in person and online with many wonderful teachers.
Pat Moore Northwest Territories 41
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
No Going Back #2 is an exploration to see how far I could push my nerve, and the materials I was using. I wanted to see how much of the object I could remove and still make it strong enough to support itself. The more cut outs I made, the more I had to let go of the outcome, and accept what happened.
No Going Back #2 - Accepting the Outcome 23c x 13cm shetland/blue faced leicester wool from Are2 and Bea2 2016
My practice is based on the desire to explore the interplay between form, function, material, and strength. I create pieces inspired by natural forms, colours, and textures. I begin by considering the characteristics of the fibre I have chosen. Often I know which sheep the wool comes from, and my knowledge of that animal can inform the use of the wool. The act of creating something strong out of millions of fine fibres through the simple act of pressure, and agitation seems so unlikely that making pieces that look and feel strong intrigues me. I like to explore the different ways of laying out different fibres to see how it behaves, how much it shrinks, and how strong I can make it. I like to play with extremes of materials to see just how much it takes to achieve something. I am always exploring the possibilities of my materials. Felting is a one way trip, once felted, fibre cannot be unfelted. Each piece is an exploration of possibilities. Decisions are made at the point of needing to make them. The felt directs me, teaching me to let go of original expectations and letting the fibre tell it's own story, taking me along with it. More often than not this leads down new and interesting paths and to new techniques. Each cut out made alters the piece in a way that cannot be changed, expanding my comfort zone and stretching my felting abilities feltworks.ca/
Jennifer Osborn Ontario migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Sea to Sky 28 x 24 x 30inches finn, romney, merino, bamboo silk, silk, nuno felt sari silk, locks, gold threads 2016
Using colourful shapes and design elements that all fit together like a puzzle, my work symbolizes evolution. Layering wool fibers from the ground up is a meditative and thoughtful process. Fibers all migrate during the active manipulation where they are worked together and the image transforms, this creates an element of unknown only to be revealed at the end. Wet felting constantly brings surprises and new outcomes. My sculptural forms can be viewed as both utilitarian and aesthetic. amybydesign.ca
Amy Burkard British Columbia 43
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
In Awe of Mother Nature 60 x 28 Xx48 cm merino, silk, wood, beads, 2016 From the tiniest of eggs the mighty fragile Monarch rises. Mother Nature instils strength, beauty and incredible ability in the annual Migration from the north shore of Lake Ontario. I am in awe as they wait patiently until they sense the wind is just right to carry them across the expanse as they continue their journey along the eastern flyway to their winter home. Fine merino wool was both wet and needle felted to construct this diorama. Diorama of the four stages in the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly from egg, to caterpillar to pupa to finally emerge as the magnificent Monarch adult Colleen is a long time fibre artist. Starting in the late 70's after a visit to New Zealand she began weaving then moved into dyeing and spinning her own yarns . Later came felting and she found her present passions in practicing of all these skills. Travel again influenced her work around the theme of migration. On a trip into the mountains in Mexico she experienced the winter habitat of the Monarch butterfly. Trees were laden with clusters of thousands of resting Monarchs. She has been in awe of the fragile appearing Monarch ever since.
Colleen Thomson Ontario migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Upstream Battle 153 x 30 x 16cm wet-felted wool on driftwood 2016 The instinct for a species to survive is no better demonstrated than in the late summer migration of the red salmon. The red salmon runs up rivers to varying distances from one mile to 1,500 miles. Into small streams and lakes the red salmon crowd by the thousands at spawning time. The homing instincts of Pacific salmon is a migrational miracle; they return to the remote parent stream that they left four years earlier as fingerlings. What connections are there between the migration of salmon and humans? Home calls deeply. Fibre arts has been part of my life from an early age, knitting ill-fitting sweaters and hats as a ten-year old, learning through tears and fear to sew clothes on a treadle machine, and always experimenting with multi-media crafts in my classrooms as an elementary school teacher. Five years ago I picked up a wonderful book,'Complete Feltmaking' by Gillian Harris that opened the door and then a series of simple felting workshops in 2008 led me fully into the world of felting. I carried my first felted tea cozy with me for days - I was so intrigued with the felting process - how a fibre, so soft and ethereal can change into a firm, tough, functional, yet beautiful fibre through a seemingly simple process. The directions that I now seek to take in my work moves from the functional to the whimsical. It is affirming and very satisfying to create felted pieces that both provide function and beauty for individuals and homes.
Debbie Katz 45
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Caribou Roaming 36 x 54.5 x 11cm merino, finn and pender Island raised, rare breed cotswold sheep locks. 2016
Northern caribou move across the tundra, an ancient migration threatened by industrial development and climate change. A key species for the environment and indigenous peoples across the polar region. My current body of work seeks to remind us of Nature's creatures, their beauty and their vulnerability to human activity. Our daily actions have an impact on their lives. The sculpture's two side pieces reference caribou antlers and feet, while the centre piece references the head and their migratory flow pattern over the land. My art is designed to be engaging and appealing while making a statement, either social or environmental. With my current work, I want to celebrate Nature's beauty and majesty but remind the viewer of its ongoing destruction. I love working with felt as my art medium because I believe that fibre is an approachable, familiar medium which makes my thoughts and ideas more accessible to that viewer. monicabennett.ca
Monica Bennett British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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"Sheepish is an exploration or the qualities and interactions of numerous sheep breeds, enticing the viewer to inspect the elements and feel the urge to touch and understand the textures. This piece works with positive & negative spaces, movement on the diagonal from top to bottom and clusters of Gotland, BFL, Llama & Finn locks rooted to the base. All of these elements came forward as I was working with the wool. The fibers interlock with each other, some quickly, others needing more coaxing, like relationships. Physical interaction with the wool fibres and my own relationships, especially with my Mother, Rozalia. Migration and immigration, the distances she traveled leaving her homeland Hungary during the 1956 Revolution in hopes for a better life for her husband and children. The challenges of living in a new country, culture and language weigh heavy. How do you hold it all together in adversity? Integrated fibres create fabric, strength, durability, flexibility and uniqueness, just as family and relationships weave into new physical locations." Violet Racz is inspired by nature and the complexity of relationships with our environment, beliefs, perspectives and misconceptions. She likes to reinterpret concepts and give them a new voice. Violet envisions colour, pattern and form and once her hands feel the fibre, the piece develops its own identity. She is constantly reminded to relinquish control and cooperate with the fibre and materials, often arriving at an unanticipated outcome. Violet Racz has travelled the globe to learn from many acclaimed fibre artists. She loves to learn from others, always seeking more exposure to the art of feltmaking while building friendships and community along the way. Violet is a founding member of the ArtFelt Collaborative, founder of the community fibre initiative Felt It Forward, and founding board member of felt :: feutre canada.
Violet Racz British Columbia 47
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Ori necklace 85 x 2-4 inches merino wool 2016
The Ori necklace is a part of a collection of portable sculptures, born of a fusion between the idea of folding, inspired by origami, and shibori technique, a Japanese manual resist dyeing technique, which produces patterns on fabric. Research in the creation of this work was specifically on making links or migrations with paper folding techniques adapted to the textiles. Precision work, fine details, a wide range of colors and textures of an accumulation, both organic and geometric: this is what is at the heart of the artistic projects of Julie Carmichael. Finding inspiration both in the work of the great Impressionists, in their color breaking game, as in contemporary artists, creators of grandiose artworks that use recycled objects, she tries to approach the idea we can appropriate an object, and decide his utility by ourselves. Julie learnt to sew at a very young ago, then studied at the Cegep fashion design Marie-Victorin, and continued her studies at the Centre for Contemporary Textiles of Montreal. Her way of using the fabric, creating and transforming it, has evolved and become more complex by learning felting with shibori, or other interventions by knitting machine. Her work with the fabric is controlled, details are added in density. The intention, however, remains the same: to create a different aesthetic, which arouses interest and curiosity, with colorful creations, three-dimensional, rich textures. juliecarmichael.com
Julie Carmichael Quebec migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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'Once upon a time migration moved through a garden of Eden. A war torn, polluted toxic in many places boundaries prohibit flow caught in a net fenced refugee camps waste ponds is it safe? what have I left, ran away to find barriers netting fenced nomads so hungry abundance, where is it? schools of fish used to be plentiful what is the earth becoming. Migration, let us look into this mirror, how can we bring our Eden back?'
saltspringfiberadventures.com
Migratory Humpback Whale Bowl 18 x 36 x 118cm merino wool, corriedale wool, lace fabric, mirror 2016
Laurie Steffler British Columbia 49
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Rose Alba 30 x 34 x 9cm natural and dyed wool, various breeds; reclaimed birch bark piece 2016
Rosemarie Peloquin is an artist from Ste.Rose-du-Lac Manitoba who traded in her jobs and her loom for a tiny toolbox of needles that fits in her pocket. In her recent body of work Vis a Vis, she uses the malleability and texture of wool to create heads that appear eerily paused in mid-thought. With her barbed wands she sculpts fragile moments that tug at our remembrances, portraits that represent character rather than physical likeness. The expressions of a moment in time are what draws us to these characters and we become complicit in their story or, they in ours. Rosemarie's work emerges from a background of design, teaching, coaching, travel, home and family. It is fuelled by a passion for discovering connections and the belief that Life's richness is found in the ordinary and in the unexpected. Rosemarie is a member of La Maison des Artistes as well as Drawn Together – An Art Collective of rural women artists, Manitoba Craft Council, Manitoba Craft Museum and Library and a past member of the Western Manitoba Spinners and Weavers Guild. Her pieces have been shown in group shows and local juried exhibitions.
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Sortons des Bois 30 x 32 x 9cm natural and dyed wool, various breeds; reclaimed birch bark piece 2016
The spirit in the natural fibres migrates from wood to wool to maker's hand to viewer's consciousness. Regardless of what fences you build or boundaries you establish there will be movement into and out of those boundaries. Nothing exists in isolation. I've found it best to be open and work with the will of the materials, sculpting intuitively to give voice to the spiritual elements. Colours from the bark spill out and into the wool. The natural fibres move and connect, transforming to shape a portrait, giving life to the spirits within. Kindness emerges from the abundance of homegrown resources.
Rosemarie Peloquin Manitoba 51
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
September Transformation Dress 19 x 48 x 17 inches merino wool, silk, acid dyes, thread, oxidized safety pins 2016 September typically marks a transition of seasons through the change in weather and our daily routines. This dress is reflective of that through it’s changeable nature and ability to morph with the needs and moods of the wearer. It is reversible, with one side being wool and the other, silk. The wearer can play with the length of the skirt by gathering and pinning the folds in an interactive manner. The collar is removable, so that the dress can be worn as a more casual tank dress. This variability allows the dress to be a versatile and solid comfort piece, regardless of the change that occurs within and without. Jessica de Haas has had a lifelong fascination with fibre arts. She studied at Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, BC, and has been a felter for nearly 20 years. She finds constant inspiration in the natural world, body adornment, patterns, colour and travel. She creates her clothing line, Funk Shui Felt, out of her Granville Island atelier in Vancouver, BC, Canada. funkshuifelt.com
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Imperfect Mandalas 62 x 57 inches corriedale wool, silk fibres, acid dyes 2016.
Interpersonal relationships can be similar to the felting process. The emotional fibres can move together and become entwined in a way that is irreversible. Within a relationship, this entanglement can be to the detriment of the individual. In Jungian psychology, a mandala is a symbol representing the effort to reunify the self. These Imperfect Mandalas I’ve created represent the strength required to find peace at the end of a relationship. Note :: Imperfect Mandalas is featured on our exhibition cover .
Jessica De Hass British Columbia 53
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
Romance might just be the biggest impetus for the migration of humans and animals! This kimono-inspired robe was created to evoke a feeling of romance, sensuality and beauty in the wearer. In this piece, migration happens on two levels. The first is obviously the migration of fine merino wool fibres into silk, which bonds the decorative elements together. The second migration occurs as dye color is handpainted on by brush. The unexpected happens when fibre, fabric and pigment meet, and then, dance! That moment, when a woman tries on a piece and her eyes light up in delight because she feels beautiful, that is the moment that Judith strives for in her work.
Romance silk & superfine Merino wool, handspun silk yarn 2015 $1950
Judith enjoys sharing her love for felting by teaching others her unique techniques and encouraging her students to explore and expand their own creativity. Judith works from her studio on the idyllic island of Salt Spring, British Columbia judithdios.com
Judith Dios British Columbia migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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Alexandra Goodall Migration from Sea to Land ……………………..…....….. 40 Alice Pallett The Journey ………………………………………...….....…… 12 Amy Burkard Sea to Sky ………………………………………...…….....… 43 Andrea Graham Monument 2, Monument 11 ………………………...…....….. 30 Carmen Ditzler Black Poplar Tree to Log ……………………………….…….. 21 Carmen Laferriere Coeur Battant ………………………………………....…… 29 Christianna Ferguson Salmon Run ………………………………...………….. 15 Cindy Obuck Purple Rain ………………………………………....…….....… 16 Colleen Thomson In awe of Mother Nature …………………………..………...44 Connie Morey Functio Laesa, Adoration, On Knowing ………………......4, 5 Debbie Katz Upstream Battle …………………………………...….……….. 45 Deborah Dumka Cradle …………………………………………….……..... 24, 25 Diane Krys Propaganda, Lip Service ……………………………...….... 32, 33 Diane Lemire Champlain's Dream, At the Table Please ………...…….34, 35 Donna Stockdale A Year Later ………………………………………….......…..14 Elana Sigal Eden ………………………………………………...………...…..28 Fay Hodson Through Time and Space ………………………..…….…...… 20 Fiona Duthie Conveyance ……………….………………………..……...… 8, 9 Heike Fink Fluvial …………………………………………….……….…....….13 Jennifer Osbourn No going back #2 - Accepting the outcome …….…….…..42 Jennifer Tsuchida Those Who Came Before #2, Transference ……..…10, 11 Jessica de Haas Imperfect Mandalas ……………………………………...…. 53 September Transformation Dress …………………...… 52 Jo-Ann Zorzi Journey ………………………………………………….…...... 36 Judith Dios Romance . …………………………………………....….…….... 54 Julie Carmichael Ori necklace ………………………………………….….….. 48 June Jacobs Shards, Layers ……………………………………….....…… 6, 7 Kimberly Tucker A Kindness, Reclaimed, Taking In ……………..........…26, 27 Laleh Javaheri Birds 01, Birds 02 …………………………………...…..38, 39 Laurie Steffler Migratory Humpback Whale Bowl ……………....….…...…49 Masami Norisue FUKURO-MONO No;1 Ripples …………………...…....… 37 FUKURO-MONO No:2 Underwater ………….….....…. 37 FUKURO-MONO No:3 Lakebed …………………..…... 37 Melanie Siegel Migration …………………………………………….…..….. 17 Monica Bennett Caribou Roaming ……………………………………..……....46 Pat Moore Geode …………………………………………….…….……...….41 Rosemarie Peloquin Sortons des Bois, Rose Alba ………………....….. ..50,51 Sandi Luck Drifting ………………………………………….…….………..... 23 Sheila Thompson Prairie Dog Ghost Town ………………………...……....... 18 Through the Hills in Search of Water ……….…………..………...... 19 Trish Hirschkorn Poppies …………………………………..…......………….. 22 Violet Racz Sheepish World ……………………………………...……….… 47 Yvonne Freigang Feminine Mysteries …………………………...…….……... 31
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migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
migration :: canadian contemporary felt exhibition
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