Intersections of Cultures and Traditions

LAKESHORE  
Fiber   Arts   Guild 
October 2010

Intersections of Cultures and Traditions:  A Fiber Artist’s Journey
Speaker:  Boisali Biswas
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Holland Area Arts Council
150 E. 8th Street, downtown Holland
6:30pm Social Time, 7:00pm Business/Program Meeting

The Lakeshore Fiber Arts Guild will present Boisali Biswas speaking on”Intersections of Cultures and Traditions: A Fiber Artist’s Journey”on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the Holland Area Arts Council, 25 W. 8th Street, Holland at 7:00 pm. A $7 donation is requested of nonmembers.   Boisali’s work is a combination of weaving, painting, screen-printing,  surface design, beading, and wrapping, besides other inventive techniques.


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Blue Coast Artist Fall Studio Tour

21st ANNUAL
FALL TOUR OF STUDIOS
AND OPEN HOUSE
OCTOBER 2nd & 3rd
Saturday-Sunday 10am-6pm
For over twenty years the Blue Coast Artists have
been delighting and educating the public with
their annual Fall Tour of Studios. Viewers are invited
once again to experience the creative process in action.
See a piece of pottery form, watch glass beads take
shape in the torch, or watch colors come alive with
spun wool. These are just a few of the demonstrations
that art lovers of all ages are sure to enjoy during this
annual West Michigan autumn event, from 10AM-6PM
both days and is free of charge.
The 2010 tour includes seven working artists' studios
located between South Haven and Saugatuck. Each
site features demonstrations, original artwork,
refreshments and more. Hands-on art making
projects, unique art abodes, a haunted garden and
fall color makes this creative experience fun for the
whole family.
The tour can be completed in one day.

Guild member, Suzie Jenkins is a member of Blue Coast Artists.  For a map of the tour, click here.

ArtPrize

 The ArtPrize website states 'Designed as a very different art competition, the goal is for the general public and artists to collide, exchange ideas and come away changed.'  We are lucky to have ArtPrize  in Grand Rapids this week, and to have the connection of fiber artists we know exhibiting their work.

Guild member Alice Breese has taken recycled cotton mat board,  a small amount of abaca fiber mixed in for the background sheet and very finely beaten cotton fibers and with these humble materials, created pigmented pulp painting on handmade paper.  These beautiful pieces are currently on exhibit.


The top piece titled Cosmic Dance is at the Holland Area Arts Council on 8th Street in Holland.  The lower piece, Laughing Waters, is at ArtPrize at 38 W. Fulton in Grand Rapids.  

The description of  Laughing Waters as written in Alice's profile on the ArtPrize website follows;

"This piece combines the healing aspects of water and laughter, inspired by the moment after a friend’s passing, when as we all wept by her bedside, someone said, “We need to celebrate her love of the lake.” Together we ran screaming into the roaring surf, replacing our grief with an appreciation for life.

Papermaking is a time-consuming, meditative process during which the hands work and the mind floats. For this piece acid free cotton mat board scraps were soaked, hand-torn, and macerated with an electric hand drill equipped with a plaster mixing bit. Then the fibers were beaten for about 20 minutes in a Holland Beater. The beaten fibers were diluted with 40 gallons of water, agitated, and transferred to the surface of the mold and deckle. The water is then allowed to drain away, leaving the background sheet of paper. Pigmented pulp painting is done while both the background sheet and the pigmented pulp are wet. The artwork is then pressed and dried as a single sheet of paper."

ArtPrize is a show that should not be missed.  

Exploring the Love of Fabric

Jennifer Gould grew up playing with fabric.  After years of spinning wool into yarn and tapestry weaving, which included time studying weaving in a kimono factory in Japan, Jennifer began designing dolls.  Jennifer says,
"I am continually fascinated by the techniques and fashions that our cultures have worn to express themselves - from medieval and Renaissance clothing to today's experiments in spinning stainless steel into thread."

You may see her art dolls, hand printed fabrics and jackets, her unique doll patterns, and silk scarves at the Fallasburg Art Festival (booth #76), Sept.25-26, 9-5, (north of Lowell, Michigan).  This is Jennifer's last outdoor show this season, and a wonderful opportunity to get something really special for holiday gift giving.  For more information about Jennifer's work, her art, and classes, go to www.JenniferGouldDesigns.com

By the way, Jennifer is our guild President!

Beauty in the Design

Karen Hoekstra is an artist.  Her medium is thread, her canvas precisely created strip piece quilting.  We were mesmerized, and maybe even a little shocked, when she took a beautiful quilt and began to layer organza and stitching on its surface.  What appeared to be a random maneuver of her machine resulted in a perfect leaf shape of purple organza on the background of autumn colored strip piecing.  It was beautiful.

  


What makes the difference in her work is that it, in her words,  'reflects a process of change that takes place in our lives.'  There is a flow to her work in which change is evident. 

This summer, a show of Karen's work was at the Muskegon Museum of Art 82nd Regional Exhibition.  She has also exhibited at the Festival of Regional Arts Exhibition in Grand Rapids, and at shows in Grand Haven.  It won't be long before the rest of the fiber arts community nationwide finds out about her inspiring and thought provoking work.

For more information about Karen, go to her website  http://karenhoekstra.com/index.php?x=news