Each Little World

"Inside the Gardener's Head in Spring"

My concept for a fall silhouette using pine needles, seed pods, stones and other natural materials from the garden proved so frustrating that I gave up on it — and decided that maybe my winter silhouette was going to be my lone fiber project. Then, a book I'd placed on hold at the public library came in and changed everything.

"The Art of Embroidery: Inspirational Stitches, Textures and Surfaces" by Francoise Tellier-Loumagne is the most inspirational embroidery book I've ever looked at. It is less about technique and more about how to interpret your ideas in fiber. Great photo illustrations (also by the author) including stitch samples all done on heavy white paper making for the clearest instruction I've seen.

I was so excited by Tellier-Loumagne's book that I sat down and started another textile silhouette. This time I focused on Spring with all the greens pushing through the snowy winter detritus. I cut two silhouettes out of dark green net and then cut them into pairs of puzzle-like pieces. I experimented with a number of techniques for stuffing, stitching and attaching them to the black background. 

They're filled with felt, fabric, ribbon, threads pulled from assorted fabrics, and bits of green plastic bags. Some pieces have small pieces of white lace inside them but most of that fabric is melting across the large silhouette image, held in place with beads and sequins.

I've started a summer silhouette but my concept involves more preliminary background stitching than the first two pieces, and it feels more like a chore than creative work. Hoping to be ready to move on to the fun parts soon!

You can read about my winter silhouette, the first work in this four-part series, here.

"Inside the Gardener's Head . . .

. . . in Winter" is the name of a textile work that I recently completed, after many years away from doing any fiber arts. I was inspired to pick up a needle again when I saw the beautiful piece (below) at the Madison Contemporary Fiber Artists exhibit at Olbrich in January. 

The work was created by Marty Petillo who is the volunteer services coordinator at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. I was so taken with her piece that I dragged my sister-in-law — who is proficient in many textile techniques — over to see it. This photo, snapped with my phone, doesn't begin to portray the quality of Marty's concept or technique. Suffice it to say that she did a profile of a head from the back covered with embroidered evergreen branches, a mixed media bird's nest complete with eggs, and a stitchery bird perched on the rim of the nest which is not visible in my shot. Nor can you see her beautiful border of perfect stitches interspersed with equally perfect French knots.

I had been doing drawings based on silhouettes of my head and Mark's a couple of years ago, and had sketched out some ideas for further development of that idea. When I saw Marty's piece, I decided to detour into textiles for my next silhouette. I used my head for the shape and used black linen for the ground. I also decided I would do four silhouette portraits and make them views of the inside of a gardener's head in each season. Since it's winter outside, that's the season I started with. You can see the results below. 

I used contemporary fabric of gray lace flowers on a net ground to provide a visual and textural break. I actully cut out flowers, leaves and all kinds of assorted bits of lace and net and stitched them down separately in the size and shapes I wanted. Then I filled in with old beads and buttons (many from my sister-in-law's huge stash of buttons), as well as snap fasteners, bits of silvery paper ribbon from a Christmas present and the selvedge from the lace fabric. I also cut up an old pearl bracelet from my childhood jewelry box and added an old family religious medal.

If you want to know how long it's been since I did a project of this type, I can only say that my boxes and tins of textile materials included skeins of DMC embroidery floss marked 10 cents and packages of rocaille beads from Ben Franklin marked 39 cents! But, of course, one never gets rid of such treasures just in case . . .

Now that I've finished my winter portrait, I intend to put it in a round silvery frame. I started the next seasonal portrait but have ripped everything out a few times and completely changed my concept as well. It is very possible that doing one fiber piece was enough to get the urge out of my system instead of starting me on a glorious new art path. Only time will tell.

A taste of Milwaukee

Whenever we go to Milwaukee, we never seem to get beyond the Milwaukee Art Museum, our usual destination. So we decided to spend a few days in the city with no schedule to follow. Though we drove from Madison, we parked the car and walked everywhere. Milwaukee has wonderful architecture everywhere you look, with lots of open space making for an attractive urban experience. Since we were on foot, we also noticed that Milwaukee drivers — unlike most Madison motorists — respected pedestrians and always stopped for us in crosswalks.

I had to make a stop at the historic Geoge Watts & Son whose building (below) is one of the most gorgeous retail stores imaginable. Though reduced in size, the store still carries a dazzling array of china, glassware and linens and their Tea Room is still serving Sunshine Cake — a Milwaukee sweet treat for more than 100 years. Today the building is also home to the De Lind Gallery and a bridal shop. The gallery was showing posters by many of the artists whose work is on display in the big MAM exhibit, "Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and his Contemporaries" (which ends on 9/9).

Eero Saarinen's Milwaukee Country War Memorial

Unknown grande dames

We came across this refreshing little oasis and walked through it to take a break from the heat and sun. Since only a couple of people were enjoying this park-like space, it may not have been intended for the public but just the people who work in the adjacent buildings. 

Since we hadn't taken an official vacation in a couple of years, we decided to splurge and stay at The Pfister Hotel. This is a stunning 1893 masterpiece with a noted collection of Victorian paintings on display. There are big meeting rooms named after presidents of the era when the hotel was built (like Taft and McKinley) and a room whose walls are covered with photographs of all of Wisconsin Governors. The hotel underwent restoration in 2008 and just sparkles.

There's a piano lounge tucked into one corner of the grand lobby and the long-time pianst was playing Gershwin when we arrived to check in. We had cocktails there one night before going out to dinner. 

We stayed in the original part of the Pfister on the eighth floor. I adored the hotel's classic staircase and made Mark walk down all eight flights to the lobby every time we left our room. I wanted to savor every bit of the 19th Century experience!

We did take advantage of the new tower that adjoins the old hotel. It has a spectacular martini bar — Blu — on the 23rd floor where we watched the blue moon rise over the city and light up Lake Michigan.

We stopped in the lobby each day to chat with Timothy Westbrook, the Pfister's charming artist-in-residence. Yes, the hotel actually has an artist-in-residence program. This program and the fact that Westbrook is a textile artist actually convinced us to stay at the Pfister. Westbrook is creating costumes of the Pfister era using looms and an historic sewing machine but employing recycled material like cassette tapes. 

 You can read more about him on the hotel's blog or his web site.

Retreating to the garden

I've spent the time since Tuesday's election in the garden: the most restorative place I know. I've been weeding, watering and spreading the last of the Olbrich leaf mulch that's been sitting in a pile in the driveway. I have noticed, however, that I've been humming union songs as I work!

This weekend, when temperatures are expected to be in the 90s both days, I'll be indoors. But I've got a garden waiting for me there as well. Mark brought me this lovely new book, "Angie Lewin Plants and Places," from the Kohler Art Library on the UW-Madison campus. I love Lewin, which is easy to see if you type her name into the search box at the top of my blog. She's a British artist: painter, printmaker, fabric designer. Lewin finds both inspiration and imagry in weeds, wildflowers, and natural found objects like stones and feathers.

This is the first book I've seen that is actually about Lewin and her works as opposed to the garden books I have that she's illustrated. If you are an artist who looks to your garden for ideas and inspiration for your artwork, Lewin is a great example. She reduces the most complex flowers — Alliums and Queen Anne's Lace, for example — down to their essentials. Form, rather than scale or perspective, is her guiding principle which makes for very unusual compositions. 

What I find particularly satisfying about "Angie Lewin Plants and Places" is that it is large enough that you can study her work in detail. It also includes working drawings and paintings which I often find more interesting than the finished prints. If you are curious about Lewin's work, you can look at the book's pages on her website. You can order the book there as well. 

Rumi O'Brien in Spring Green

Textile artist Rumi O'Brien is exhibiting (and selling) some of her exquisite quilts as well as a large selection of framed and unframed watercolors at the Jura Silverman Gallery in Spring Green. There is an opening reception for Rumi this afternoon (Sunday May 6) from 2 to 5 p.m. The quilts include both abstract geometric designs and Rumi's signature personal story quilts, like the one illustrated below, called "Digging." (This quilt is darker and much more subtle in color than this image suggests). 

The watercolors — which I had never seen before — cover a wide range of subjects treated with both humor and sensitivity. Rumi suffered a stroke in 2010 and this is her first show in many years. While the quilts are older work, the watercolors include recent paintings. For anyone who loves her work and has missed seeing it, it is well worth the drive. My sister-in-law and I went out yesterday to be able to enjoy Rumi's without a crowd getting in the way. And we'll be going back to pick up our own personal Rumi splurges after the reception.

Woven Memories

March means it's time for the annual Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture. Presented by The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, this year's event includes both a lecture and film screening on consecutive evenings.                                          

"Woven Lives/Vidas Entetejidas" 

 A film by Carolyn Kallenborn, Design Studies Department

Wednesday, February 29th, 6:30-9:00 p.m.

The film will be shown first and will be follwed by a textile viewing and a discussion with Prof. Kallenborn and Ana Paula Fuentes Quintana, Director, Museo Textil de Oaxaca 

“Marrying Tradition and Innovation: Collaborations between Oaxacan Artisans and 21st-century Designers”

A lecture by Ana Paula Fuentes Quintana, Director, Museo Textil de Oaxaca

Thursday, March 1st, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Both events will take place at: 

Ebling Symposium Center, Microbial Sciences Building

1550 Linden Drive, UW-Madison, WI

Both events are free and open to the public

. . .

 

The textiles of Oaxaca, Mexico are known for their vibrant colors and bold designs. The master dyers and weavers of Oaxaca who make them have inherited skills passed down for generations. Thanks in part to the work of social entrepreneur Ana Paula Fuentes Quintana, this rich heritage will endure through collaborations between Oaxacan artisans and international designers. The pioneering director of the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, Fuentes Quintana is passionate about preserving and renewing Oaxaca's vibrant textile culture by fostering innovation that respects tradition.

. . .

UW-Madison Design Studies professor Carolyn Kallenborn has participated in this exchange. Her beautifully crafted film documents the "woven lives" of some of Oaxaca's finest textile artisans working at this fertile crossroad between the old and the new. 

You can watch a trailer for the film here.

The above information is via the HLATC mailing and website.

Barbie's doll

My cousin Barbara (below right) and I reconnected last summer at a family reunion — our first meeting since we were in high school. We were delighted to discover that we were cousinly clones: we showed up wearing the same style (and label) clothing, and shared a history of similar jobs and interests. 

Since then we've stayed in touch in a one-sided way: she reads the blog, I think about her. She sends me mementoes and I envision creating appropriately personal responses but don't seem to quite get around to actually doing anything. Luckily, being family, she doesn't hold my delinquency against me. As proof, she recently sent me one of her exquisite hand-made creations for my birthday.

This mysterious woman in white is about 17 inches long and made of a bits of lace, fabric, ribbon and beads plus a little loop of thread so I can easily put her on display. There is a message to me on the back that looks like it was written with a fountain pen (or even a quill!). It would be hard to determine the age of this treasure if the note wasn't dated 2011.

Something this beautiful was, of course, also elegantly presented. The monochromatic missive arrived ensconced in two kinds of tissue paper and nestled within a long box whose lid was decorated with floral images. A perfect present from my perfect cousin. 

GBBD: 02.15.11

No flowers outdoors as yet, but we are enjoying a bit of a warming trend that's helping to melt our huge snow piles. There are abundant blooms indoors however, all from a beautiful book on Swedish scarves and shawls sent to us by our friends, Julie and Mats, who spent Christmas with Mats' family in Sweden. Enjoy these colorful bouquets from "Folklig Grannlåt" by Birgitta Farhang and Ingrid Herrdin. 

And be sure to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in gardens around the world.

Remodeling: the finishing touch

We both love textiles: African Kuba cloths, Japanese ikats, Paisley shawls, Chinese emboideries, Lao scarves — and especially antique Persian rugs. We dreamed of someday being able to add beautiful rugs as accents on top of our new wool carpet. The weekend before Thanksgiving Mark suggested we visit David Ward at Stony Hill Antiques in Madison. Over the years we've found a wonderful Kuba at David's along with African masks, jewelry, books and paintings. The shop is eclectic and an afternoon digging around while we gab with David is always fun.

I didn't really expect that we would find a rug to our liking since David generally stocks contemporary Iranian rugs. U.S. trade barriers have kept the supply of rugs coming into this country an on-again-off-again situation. When the last embargo ended, rugs poured into the U.S., meaning there were lots of rugs at reasonable prices for consumers, if not as profitable as the dealers might wish. A new barrier on rug imports from Iran by the Obama administration went into effect at the end of September, so prices are likely to rise again. We started flipping through David's rugs, took six home to see if they would work in our rooms — and kept five of them!

This pair of pictures shows before and after of the front entrance hall. The ceiling was torn out of this space so we could insulate it and change the heat vent and lights. We also swapped out old linoleum flooring for ceramic tile. Luckily neither the old floor nor its adhesive contained asbestos. We had to send samples to the state lab for tests, and asbestos would have meant major abatement issues and costs.

Another view of the space showing the paint colors: the walls are "Coastal Fog" like the stairwell walls while the doors are "Woodcut" like the display wall in the strairwell. The rug adds the punch the area was lacking and also helps to tie the wood tones of the stairs themselves to the rest of the design.

We brought home a couple of rugs that were very similar in color and style, hoping we might be able to use them together in one room. We love the look of overlapping rugs that we've seen in books and magazines and were hot to try it ourselves. That idea worked but not with the pair of rugs we anticipated.

We realized that two rugs in this space worked only if they contrasted in style and scale, as this pair do.

The rugs really tied the whole look together, giving it a polished aura that the room lacked before — something that was not apparent to us until we brought in the rugs and put them down. We also brought in an antique English Windsor chair and a Thai rain drum to finish it off.  

The pair of pictures above shows the corner bookcase wall before and after. The ceramics on top of the new bookcase are all by Bill Farrell of Galena, Illinois; one of our favorite potters. 

 

So two rugs in the library and one in the front hall. Where, you ask, did the other two rugs go? They went into other rooms that were not part of the remodeling, but felt like completely new spaces with the addition of these delightful rugs. You can see one in front of the couch in the living room and the other in the red sitting room. As a final note I should mention that these five newer rugs cost about the same as the pair of small antique  Kurdish kilims we bought elsewhere a few years ago. David Ward's rugs turned out to be a very big bang for the bucks!

 

500 paint colors here.

We pick the wall paint colors here.

We begin teardown and construction here.

Putting it all back together here. 

Yarn: Remembering the Way Home

"Kyoko Mori is an artist with words. She stitches them together in phrases that make you catch your breath at the aptness of a metaphor or the sharp sting of truth."

— A blurb from the back cover of Mori's novel, "Stone Field, True Arrow," taken from my review of the book in The Capital Times newspaper

On my bookshelf are two hardcover books by Kyoko Mori: one a novel, the other a collection of essays. I'll probably never read either one again, which suggests they should go to make space for other books. But they were so affecting when I first read them that I keep them as reminders. As you can see from the quote at the top of this post, I think Mori is an impressive writer. 

Like many authors she mines her own life for material; a life suffused with tragedy, sorrow, strangeness, and a long struggle to make sense of it all. Mori spent half her life in Japan and half in the American midwest: Green Bay, Wisconsin to be exact; and was an outsider in both cultures. 

 

 

Like the two books pictured here, Mori's latest volume, "Yarn: Remembering the Way Home," continues this exploration. This time she uses fiber as the thread that binds these stories into a narrative. Thus the book has lots of detail (and trivia) about spinning, knitting, weaving, the Shetland Islands, sweater design and more. Mori's story is endlessly fascinating and her prior re-tellings of it have been fully engaging.

But this time I felt as though Mori were going through the motions; that she had thought of another way to approach the tale using the traditional female fiber arts she practices as the framework. As someone who has experience with many of the same arts as Mori, I admit that's what drew me initially to the story. Perhaps I am too familiar with Mori's history and that's what made this book so much less satisfying. But I never found myself re-reading a sentence or stopping to savor a phrase or remembering anything at all once I closed the cover. She does, however, continue to be spot-on in her description of small town life and evocation of the midwestern landscape.

 

 

To fully appreciate Mori's story and her talent, I'd forego this latest book and read one of these earlier titles. For those who prefer memoir and essays, read "Polite LIes;" for fans of fiction, pick "Stone Field, True Arrow."