Textile Exhibition in Review

Last evening I was delighted to attend an artist reception for a textile exhibition in Fall River. Called MODERN SPIN: CONtemporary TEXTiles in an Historic Mill it was a fantastic blend of exciting textiles from a broad range of media. Providence artist, Jules of Heron Pond Studio was the juror and the artists came largely from the New England area but also from as far away as Romania.

Called "Pine Needles" this piece is a cutwork of triangular shapes. It is mounted several inches from the wall and with direct lighting on it, cast amazing shadows behind, creating very exciting imagery. Joy Stocksdale of Sebastopol, CA has two other pieces in the show that you can see peeking out in the photo above. Her panels are made of polychromatic screen-printed silk, stiffened and then cut. To see more of her work, www.joystocksdale.com 

It was unfortunate that the only place you could read about the materials was in an artist's portfolio booklet. The signs on the wall did not include materials or artist statements. Now I understand why it is important to have all the information printed on the wall next to the piece. While some artwork was easy to spot materials and processes, others were more difficult.

Always amazing in it's detail is the work of Salley Mavor from Falmouth, MA. This is a detail of a fantastic piece called, "Self Portrait: Personal History of Fashion". Spiraling outward from the center infant are images of Salley as she grew. She creates her vignettes from wool felt, trims and beads. Set inside a glass case it was difficult for me to photograph without glare and really this photo does nothing to accentuate the detail within this piece. If you are interested in Salley's work you can find her artwork and information at, www.weefolkstudio.com

Another favorite of mine was this piece by Laurie Carlson Steger, a weaver from South Dartmouth, MA. Laurie's weavings are studies in work with reflective properties and incorporate fiber optic strands. Called, "Black Forest Gold" this piece was inspired by patches of sunlight filtering through the dense trees of the Black Forest in Germany. 

In this detail of Laurie's piece you can see the beadwork she used to help reflect light. This piece is handwoven, stitched, beaded and quilted. Laurie also has other work in this show. For information about her work go to, www.liteweave.com

I fell in love with the intense work of artist, Kerstin Zettmar. Not only is it colorful work but it is dramatic, and peaceful at the same time. At a distance and in photographs, you see an image not unlike an impressionist painting, but up close and personal you realize she has created her image by embroidering large ply yarns of a multitude of colors that literally burst from the surface of the work creating a cacophony of wildly intersecting fibers and colors. Honestly, my jaw dropped and my husband, Tony wanted to take this one home.

Called, "Sunbursts", this piece by Kerstin radiates light and shadow in a very romantic and captivating way. She has three pieces in the exhibition and all three are well worth seeing. Kerstin is a native of Sweden but now calls Newport, RI her home where she is a licensed massage therapist and artist. She chooses her subjects from both landscapes and more mythological and spiritual themes. For more information about her artwork, www.zettmar.com

This is a shot of me with SAQA friends Sandy Gregg, Janis Doucette, and Diane Wright. Sandy's artwork is hanging behind us. This really is an exciting show that I recommend highly to anyone who loves textiles. You will find the show at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St. in Fall River, MA. It is open now through December 27, 2014. For questions on directions or gallery hours call 508.324.1926 or go to their website, www.narrowscenter.org/manager/gallery-details-new.php?id=1289