Final Piece?

This week I have been continuing to work on this last piece for my exhibition. I am reasonably happy with it but can't help feeling that something else has to happen, but what I don't quite know at this point in time. I am having family staying for part of this week so this will give me space to remove myself from the piece. It will be interesting to see how I react to it afterwards. Its working title is 'Tree House' but that could change too.

Here it is, full size.

Detail of the tree house. I keep feeling it needs more definition, somehow......

This week I took one my grand-daughters (15 years) to see the film SEPTEMBER ISSUE, it being school holidays. It is a documentary-type film about the preparation for publishing the biggest Vogue issue for the year, ie the September issue (2007). Behind the scenes with the larger-than-life Editor, Directors and publishing people, as well as the models, photographers, the dramas and lots and lots of fashion! Fashion as an art form; the dramas and decisions so relevant to the whole of the art world. I loved it, grand-daughter loved it, she is into computer graphics as well as fashion.

20 dayssssss.....

Latest, and final, piece

Firstly, a decision to put this piece through a thiox discharge bath reduced the strength of the colours and made them much more pleasing.

Looking much better! Colour and patterns looking rather like camouflage.

Because of the somewhat foliage-look I decided to add a simple tree shape and a tree house. I now need to give this piece more definition.

And this week our local weekly newspaper included the two photos below. The first is of the Overall Winner in this year's WOW (David Walker, from Alaska). It is called Lady of the Wood. Wonderful! This garment is made from wood, and the hair from wood shavings. And below that is my piece.


23 days and counting.....

Exhibition Preparation

When preparing for a solo exhibition, there is the initial determination to complete a number of pieces to fill the given space. When one gets nearer to the opening date a whole lot of other needs come to light.

Everything has to be priced, titled (and in some cases re-titled), and a statement written about each piece. There is an exhibition title to decide, as well as the artists' statement, update of CV and a mailing list for invites to the opening. If working with a professional gallery, they will prepare the invites, dispatch to their mailing list (and your mailing list which needs to be supplied to them). The opening function will be organised by the gallery too. Then there is artist floor talks to organise and deliver, and possibly a teaching commitment or two to promote the type of work you do. Who says that any of this is easy! Not so, I am still not sure what the title of my exhibition is although I have published at least two versions so far. It will be confirmed only when I see it printed on the invites!

To make life a bit easier further down the track, when I complete each piece of work, I add data about it into my Provenance computer file. By doing this I have a full record of information about each piece and its possible life's journey. This avoids scurrying around trying to remember, re-measure and checking details etc. I have a standard form which I use for each piece, with headings as follows:

Title of Work:
Date Completed:
Size: Both cm and inches
Sale Price:
Artist's Notes: Description and thoughts about the piece
Provenance: Which exhibitions, galleries it may have been involved with,
and purchaser's details, if sold
Location: Either my own collection or perhaps elsewhere
Materials:
Techniques:
Mounting: How the piece is mounted or displayed
Images Available: Both JPEG's and TIFF's
Photographer: Professional photographer's details

I have now made a start on my 15th, and hopefully final, piece for my exhibition. A couple of soya wax applications on a pre-dyed piece. I have no idea where this is going...

I have used a silk / linen blend fabric. This is the linen side....

... and this is the silk side.

Only another 26 days to go now to my exhibition

WOW... it certainly is!

Last night I attended the Awards night for this year's World of Wearable Arts. In its 21st year this event certainly maintains the excitement and impact that it has always done since the beginning. Each year it seems to lift its game, not only with the performances, but the quality and creativity of the garments continue to expand into a very sophisticated spectacular show. For the designers, selection into the show is a real privilege. With more and more entries coming from overseas, New Zealanders have to create harder and they most certainly do that. Everyone should be very proud to be part of the show; I know I certainly am.

My piece Iced Sherbert is paraded in the FOLD segment. I was delighted with the way it was presented on the model and her stance as she walked around the stage. She looked very elegant. I felt she certainly held her own amongst the other entries and although not an official prize winner, I feel I am a 'winner', and that is good enough for me.

I can now publish images of my piece. This is definitely prohibited until after the show starts, for obvious reasons! Iced Sherbert reflects the cold, crisp, frosty, mornings when the air shimmers and sparkles as the sun strikes the frost and snow on our surrounding hills.

Here is the scan from the programme. As it is taken from a small thumbnail image it is rather fuzzy. In due course I will receive a certificate acknowledging my piece in the show and it will show a photo of it in action. I shall publish that then.

Front view on my mannequin. Bodice is ruched and stitched with beads and sequins and these reflected in the spotlights. The green tulle represents the trees on the chilled hill tops. The main fabric is a white and silver narrow stripe synthetic fabric which had its own shine.

A view showing the side panniers. The model walked with her arms resting between the two rows of peaks.

28 days to my exhibition. Today is going to be somewhat of a rest day as I bask in satisfaction.

Delta Flow

Continuing with the images of my latest piece...

Some colouring in the background areas. Nothing spectacular but enough to act as a base for further applications.

Then some discharge patterning in the main blue shapes after which I decided these shapes needed a bit more 'umph'. So, during the weekend I added another layer of blue dye over the main shapes, time consuming but it has made a big difference. I have also started to add more texture to the background areas.

And now it is finished and I have to make a confession (drum roll please, da-da), this piece is actually a diptych, and herewith the two pieces together. I did two 'over the bath' dye pours with my big screen and serendipitously, portions from each seemed to work together nicely.

I have called it Delta Flow. On one of my travels to the northern hemisphere the plane flew over the northern coast of Australia. Travel from NZ usually starts around midnight so that arrival, many hours later, is at a civilized hour. For some reason this particular flight chased the sunset and I had a great view of the many estuaries along the coast. My initial dye application reminded me of the various water inlets and ponds. The dots suggest aboriginal paintings, and the red lines are the latitude and longitude lines.

32 days left now....

Working on...

Last blog I showed you my screen with dye poured on to it, resting over the bath. Here it is screened on to the white silk, although I selected only a portion to work with. When I do something like this I put the soda ash into my dye solution, and not pre-soak the fabric in a soda ash solution. The reason for this is so that when I wash off the excess dye residue after cold batching, it does not get grabbed, and stained, by the soda ash in the fabric. This is a huge advantage if I want any of the fabric to remain pristine white.

The next stage underway, defining some of the spaces.

I hope you like this spectacular photo that Clare Plug sent me. It is of the public gardens in her home town of Napier, NZ. I recall my mother planting livingston daises, and marigolds, in her summer flower beds; in those days these were probably all that was on offer, not like today where we have such a variety of annuals from which to make our choice.

Oh yes, only 35 days to my exhibition.

Back home again

I am now back again after the Hamilton Craft and Show. Certainly a busy event with many many people moving through, especially on the Thursday. The numbers always seem to decline as the event comes to a close and on Sunday, not surprisingly, so do the sales! However it was a good event and it was lovely to see and speak to so many people that I know. Some said they actually followed this blog so that was extra nice!

Here are a couple of photos of my stall.





I have almost sorted and packed everything away again and am ready for that final spurt towards my solo exhibition. Only another 39 days to go now; gosh, where does all that time go! Being away with a change of focus certainly was beneficial; I am already back working on a piece just started before I went away. Below is the beginning of what could quite well be one of a diptych. My large screen was placed over the bath with some cold water in it. I then poured dye solution over the screen - very hands on is this! The excess dye drained into the water below (and no the dye doesn't stain the bath). When the screen was dry, it was screened on to the fabric.