Myself, and two friends, travelled to Weyburn for the Fibre Art Walk, organized by Jaynie Himsl of Weyburn. It rained the first day we were there, but cleared up by the second day, and we had a marvellous time! We started out by walking along the main street, and going in to the various businesses that were displaying fibre art. A map that we had picked up at the first location guided us, and we knew to look for the yarn bombing in front of each location. It was a lovely stroll.
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| Val (L) and friend...and a bit o' yarn-bombing... |
Here are a few of the pieces that we saw...
I especially liked these two by Cindy Hoppe. Her use of recycled fabrics is inspiring!
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| Cindy Hoppe - Biggar, SK Cindy is a Juried Member of the Saskatchewan Craft Council |
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| Spring Pool - Cindy Hoppe (15" W x 12" L) |
The All Beings Confluence show was displayed in the foyer of a church and it was wonderful to walk through the sheer panels, and marvel at all the different techniques, used to create the panels.
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| Val among the panels of Martha Cole's collaborative project, All Beings Confluence |
And of course my friend and I, who both had art work in a dental office were thrilled to see our work hanging on the walls. I had “Just Because” (pink rose) and “French Wonder” (antique Clement motorcycle and rider) displayed.
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| French Wonder - Valerie Wilson |
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| Just Because - Valerie Wilson |
Jaynie had an exhibit at a gallery in the credit union. Her unique technique of making and using cords to create her pictures is fascinating. We got a sneak peek at her process later in the evening, when she treated us to coffee and apple pie at her house.
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| Jaynie Himsl - an example of her work with cords |
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| Rush Hour - Jaynie Himsl |
The second day we saw an exhibit in the Signal Hill Arts Centre. Jaynie had put out a call to Saskatchewan artists and had a great response. We spent a lot of time at this exhibit enjoying the great variety of techniques used.
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| Carol Schmold - Plenty, SK |
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| Caron Dubnik - La Ronge, SK |
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| Jeannette Luther - Regina, SK |
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| Rita St. Amant - Willow Bunch, SK (Facebook link) Rita is a SAQA member and a Juried Member of the Saskatchewan Craft Council |
The Fibre Art Network (FAN) had an exhibit “Abstracted” at a gallery in the library. For this show artists paired up; with one artist doing a realistic version of an agreed upon image, the other partner doing an abstract version. [Editor's Note: in some cases, the two pieces were created by a single artist.]
This exhibit first showed in La Conner, WA in 2013, and since then has been touring Canada. Here are some samples:
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| Milkweed 1 Marianne Parsons Originally from SK, Marianne now lives and works in the Okanagan Valley, B.C. |
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| Milkweed 2 Marianne Parsons |
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| Strong, Calm & Fearless - Donna Bray-Zakreski Donna lives and works on Gabriola Island, B.C. |
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| Strong, Calm & Fearless - Marianne Parsons |
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| Okanagan Landscape Coleen Adderley Coleen, SAQA WC Co-Rep (B.C.) lives and works in Peachland, B.C. |
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| Okanagan Landsape Maureen Carefoot - Kelowna, B.C. |
And last, but not least, we saw Martha Cole's prairie piece in its permanent location. This is a piece that Martha created in 1981. As my friend Krista, mentioned on her blog: "A spectacular bird’s eye view of a prairie landscape with colours and textures that draw you into the image."
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| Souris River - Martha Cole, 1981 6' x 9' Cotton, satin, antique satin, upholstery fabric, ultra-suede, acrylic paints, assorted threads, stretched on padded wood frame. |
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| Souris River - Martha Cole (Detail) |
Val's conclusion?
A very worthwhile trip!Indeed!
Please click on the links provided for more information about the artists who participated in this summer-long event. Some links are for Facebook; others, for the Fibre Art Network member pages; and still others link directly to the artist's website/blog. Researching these links, I discovered a couple of artists whose work I have to get to know better, and whose skills will inspire my development.
Thanks, Val, for your colourful report...and Jaynie, if you're reading...Next year in Weyburn, eh? :-)
