Thursday, March 12, 2015

HOLLY DEAN arriving for THE MUSE JOURNAL Workshop April 17-19th at St. Lawrence College, Kingston. COME - Create your own personal journal!


Creating Muse Journals
Holly created this beautiful MUSE JOURNAL, now in the collection of Bethany Garner




Holly Dean expresses her delight in beauty through her art. While contemporary in style, her mixed media paintings, book art and altered images embody an age-old quality: a connection to the arthurian mythology and love of nature that shapes her life. Organic layers of texture and rich colour conceal and reveal fluid lines of calligraphy and shapely letter forms. Holly’s use of words in her art awakens a very personal connection with each piece.


hollydeanartist_portrait_web

THE MUSE JOURNAL

Holly's Fabulous Workshops series, held in her "gothic" studio in Merrickville are a smash hit. She loves to share her knowledge while encouraging all participants to experiment and grow. 

For the future, you can treat yourself to one or more of these workshops and experience the magic of Holly's creative world. Make more art and come away inspired!

For NOW....

YOU will be lucky enough, if you register very soon, to be able to take part in this wonderful workshop with Holly as your Instructor during our FIBREWORKS KINGSTON Weekend Workshop to be held on  the weekend of April 17th-19th at St. Lawrence College.


More details are available for you here on the Workshop #3 Page here at the blog on the right sidebar.


Don't wait - registration is limited...
 
The Fee is $150.00 and we will be in Room 00060, Lower Level, Green Wing from 9:30 – 4 pm Saturday and Sunday. Holly’s Trunk Show and Lecture will be in Room 12040 on Friday evening, April 17th fro 7-9 pm

Hoping you can join us…

Please print your Registration Form at www.FIBREWORKSKINGSTON.blogspot.ca (on the sight sidebar)

Bethany

Sunday, March 8, 2015

SAQA's 25th Anniversary Traveling Trunk Show E is in Ontario now... would you like to see the quilts?

Water Tower#4, Heather Dubreuil
SAQA Central Member
Sumac Song, Joyce McKinnon
SAQA Central Member


We are pleased to announce that the SAQA 25th Anniversary Trunk Show, TRUNK E, is in the Ottawa area until March 31, 2015. The trunk will be at the Art Gallery of Burlington for the SAQA Central Canada Regional Meeting scheduled for Sunday, April 12, 2015.The Trunk will remain in Burlington and area until June 1st. A schedule has been booked with a number of local Guilds and Fibre Arts Groups.
 
 
You may view the entire collection of 7" x 10" art quilts that are included in the Trunk E exhibition HERE . Each is a stunning small art quilt, matted and packaged in a clear envelope to protect it as it travels. Each quilt has it's Artist Statement and details in the envelope on the back to be read and enjoyed by the exhibition viewers. This is your chance to bring an interactive art quilt exhibition to share with your group of fibre art friends.
 
 
Each of the small quilts was created especially for the 25th Anniversary Exhibition in 2014, and the 470 quilts donated were divided into 8 traveling Trunk Shows. They will travel the world until 2017, when they will be returned to the artists. 50 Quilts were selected from the total Exhibition to become a permanent collection at the National Quilt Museum  Paducah, Kentucky.
 
 
In June, the Trunk will move to Kingston for it's first display opportunity on June 3rd. The trunk will be available in Kingston and surrounding area for the summer, with a number of visits planned with  area arts/community groups and educational facilities where visitors will be able to see the 51 pieces of art through the summer. We hope to have the exhibit at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte with the Kingston Fibre Artists Exhibition from July 28-September 5th.
 
 
Trunk Show E is available to your group for a visit and we encourage you to contact our SAQA Central Canada Co-Representatives to arrange a visit to your Guild or group of friends.
 
Copper Water, Ellie Flaherty
Swimming Upstream, Bonnie Smith

 



















Please feel free to contact either Dwayne Wanner or Bethany Garner, SAQA Co-Reps, for more information and to arrange a visit to your Guild or Group.

Bethany: garner@kingston.net
Dwayne: DWanner@sympatico.ca

Friday, March 6, 2015

Bethany Garner and several artist friends in Canada will have their work in 1000 QUILT INSPIRATIONS coming soon to your favourite book seller...

A Quarry Book by Sandra Sider

This new book is a tribute to the many ART QUILT makers around the world.

Dr. Sandra Sider sought submissions in 2014 for a spot in the new book and many quilters quickly responded. The jury selected the featured artists along with Dr. Sider. Sider is a New York quilt artist and independent curator, who has published articles and reviews concerning fiber art and other aspects of visual culture for three decades. Her graduate degrees include an M.A. in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She was President of Studio Art Quilt Associates (2010-2013), and is currently Curator for the Texas Quilt Museum.
A number of Canadian artists including our SAQA Central Canada friends have work in the new book due to be distributed mid-March 2015.  If all of the other artists will let me know, I will post all of the names...  Here are a few I know as of today:
 
ARJA SPEELMAN
DIANE EASTHAM
DIANNE GIBSON
HEATHER DUBREUIL
LINDA KITTMER
MARY B PAL

 
Great to see our SAQA Canadian Artists featured in all of these great publications.
Bethany
Fibreworks Kingston Coordinator
fibreworkskingston@gmail.com

Saturday, February 28, 2015

SAQA Central Canada member ELIZABETH ABBOTT is sharing her ACID DYES workshop at the Tett Centre March 7-8, 2015 in Kingston

Acid Dyes

Dates:  Sat - Sun. March 7 - 8, 2015
Time: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Instructor: Elizabeth Abbott
Cost: $120.00 members, $150.00 non-members
TETT CENTRE
Located on the waterfront, King Street W.
at Ellerbeck Ave.
this is a workshop sponsored by the
Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners
Studio on second level
 
 
It would be great to have a few more participants to expand the number of samples everyone would get to take home.  This workshop teaches basic skills that can then be applied to any other type of dying you would like to try.    
 
This will be a controlled acid dye workshop where students will dye colour wheels on protein fibres using different primary colours and then dye to specifications such as overdyeing or dyeing to a sample either on paper or an actual yarn. 
 
Students  will be fully comfortable with dyeing after this course using proportions and math needed to reproduce a colour.  This will also include dyeing with food colours.
 
Specifically directed to those who like to dye wool rovings/yarns for spinning or other needle work.
For additional information please contact:
 
Beth Abbott, Instructor at : elizabethandronabbott@gmail.com   

Sunday, February 22, 2015

COMING EVENTS... now is a great time to see ART, and mark your calendar for upcoming events...


Peta Gillyatt Bailey, Linda Coulter, 
Janet Elliott and Janine Gates 

VERNISSAGE
 Saturday, March 7th
3:00 - 5:00 pm
VERB GALLERY
Wellington at Princess Streets, downtown Kingston
inside Wayfarer Books




The Kingston Fibre Artists Group
HANGING BY A THREAD
At Window Arts Gallery, Kingston
May 6- May 31, 2015

Tina Barnes, Janet Elliott, Susan Farber, Robin Field, Bethany Garner
Sandra Garner. Janine Gates, Phillida Hargreaves,  Wilma Kenny
Frankie Lemonde Meunier, Margaret Morris, Sylvia Naylor
Elinor Rush, Hilary Scanlon, Denise Sokolsky
Hana Sramek, Kit Vincent and Mary Ev Wyatt

and in August, 2015

Timeless Textiles 
 Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte
July 28- September 5, 2015

VERNISSAGE
Saturday August 1, 2015
2-4 pm


Monday, February 16, 2015

Many thanks to all our Fibreworks Kingston CABIN FEVER RETREAT WEEKEND friends and attendees... great time had by all!

Even while the snow filtered down softly each day, what a terrific way to spend a deep winter weekend - with many great friends (and their friends invited to join in) all involved with fibre and stitch. Friday February 6th,  the hall was packed with twelve wonderful Quilters working on the LINKED-IN project and having a great time chatting as they cut and stitched blocks for their quilts. The day went swiftly as the sewing machines churned out beautiful, very contemporary adaptations of this old favourite LOG CABIN variation. Can't wait to see the results - and hopefully a few in upcoming Quilt Shows!
I would love to see some of your  pictures from the Quilt Day. When I got home and ready to download the pictures from the weekend, my camera's memory was evidently over full and did not record those taken on Friday... please share YOUR photos and  I will be happy to post them...

Saturday morning, the snow had not given up overnight, but the sun was shining, and the hall was filled to the brim with a great 16 dye enthusiasts all ready to colour cloth using the FLAT DYEING  technique that is easy and so much fun to use. The serious work of dyeing got underway quickly.

Tables and floors were quickly covered and the dyes chosen and taken to individual tables. The avid 'colourists' worked all day to change their soda soaked white cloth into stunning variations using the 15 dye colours in a wide ranging palette. Working their magic as they mixed the hues to create a collection in their own personal style, the students produced many really beautiful  collections of hand dyed cloth.

We watched as many different variations of laying down the dye were seen across the room, with much sharing and helpful tips passing from the experienced dyers to those who were trying the process for the first time. Table mates shared their supplies willingly, as it never fails that some are forgotten along the way. Threads in floss, pearl cotton and crochet weights were added around the perimeter of many of the pieces of cloth, making for a stash of coordinating threads for stitching into the planned art pieces to follow. Thanks to those who shared threads and cloth with others.

We saw colour bars, wide bands of bright yellows,  red and subtle deep, intense watery or nature colours... landscapes evolved and so many exciting results were seen all around the room. The piles of white cloth were quickly reduced - transformed into wonderful palettes of the dyers choice.

I am hoping if you were with us to dye fabric on February 7th that you will share your photos for the blog... just send them along to Bethany in jpeg. format to fibreworkskingston@gmail.com .
As for me, I happily came home with a collection of 10 pieces in my much needed blue, purple and greens palette... all processed and ironed, ready now for stitching new work before the next Kingston Fibre Artists Show coming to the WINDOW ARTS GALLERY on Princess Street in May, 2015!
Unfortunately, the wild winter weather caused our Sunday students to start calling and emailing cancellations for our planned FREE FORM COLLAGE  workshop almost as soon as we returned home after the dye class.

Saturday's almost hurricane strength winds that lasted overnight meant that only two of the students were able to come out to the hall Sunday - and then just to pick up things they had left the day before in anticipation of working on their collage projects. Three foot snow drifts at the door greeted us, and the parking lot had filled with new snow...truly a monumental snow event!


The Free Form Collage Course will be rescheduled for our students in the near future, so please keep watching your email inbox and the FIBREWORKS blog for the date, location  and time announcement.
Thanks again to all of the participants for the Cabin Fever Retreat Weekend this year, and hope you will continue to be involved as we keep FIBREWORKS KINGSTON growing for the future.
AND
Please take a peek at our descriptions and information on the two terrific upcoming FIBREWORKS Spring 2015 Workshops. You will find all of the details on the right sidebar here at the blog...

** WORKSHOP #3
HOLLY DEAN will join us  from Merrickville  to share her "MUSE JOURNAL" Weekend on April 17-19th...

** WORKSHOP #4
DIANNE GIBSON travels from Fonthill on the weekend of May 22-24th to bring us her great "MIXED MEDIA ASSEMBLAGES" Weekend Workshop...

Do stay warm and make time to stitch!
Bethany
Fibreworks Kingston Coordinator

Saturday, January 31, 2015

DIANNE GIBSON to share MIXED MEDIA ASSEMBLAGES Workshop in Kingston, May 22-24, 2015... please join us!

We are excited to have DIANNE GIBSON, well known and highly respected Artist from Fonthill, ON as our visiting Guest Fibre Artist for the Weekend of May 22-24th, 2015. Dianne will share her MIXED MEDIA ASSEMBLAGES workshop with those who have secured the limited number of seats in this exciting hands on and creative Textile Design Workshop weekend.
 
Dianne's work is stunning, and always perfectly suited to large scale exhibition space. The piece below, Undulations, was a show stopper at the Art Gallery of Burlington this past fall, hung alongside her beautiful Waterfall shown father below.
 
Please consider marking your calendar now and plan on spending the May 22-24th weekend at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, ON as you study technique, design, stitch and critique with Dianne and our Workshop students.
 

Undulations

My collaged assemblages explore a love of richly textured surfaces. Inspired by the idea of flotsam collecting in undulating waves. An assortment of fibres, papers, fabrics, metal, threads & beads.


Dianne Gibson

Dianne Gibson

I have a passion for rich textures. Distressed papers, torched metals, abaca fibre, wood and wire have all found their way into my work. I feel drawn to the juxtaposition of these hard-edged materials, against the softer qualities of cloth and threads. I am happiest when I’m experimenting with new techniques.

 
WATERFALL, Dianne Gibson
 
 
Registration information can be found along with all of the details about Dianne's workshop weekend on the right sidebar here at the FIBREWORKS BLOG. Please do let us now soon if you will be available to join us.
 
Bethany

 

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Seats are still available...CABIN FEVER WEEKEND will prove to be a great sharing time for area fibre enthusiasts...

Woodland by A.J. Casson inspired Bethany's Sunday Collage project
So many thanks to all of our area quilters, dyers and fibre arts loving students. The hall is rented, the three days of shared learning scheduled and the response has been great! What better time than a winter weekend to get together to play with FABRIC... creating a quilt,or colouring fabric in a fun filled way or by layering cloth for free form applique design in YOUR own way! It's all about exploration of new techniques and FUN!!

Love that many of you have signed up for all three days and that friends are joining friends to make a weekend of it! There are many opportunities to learn new skills in the sharing time with old and new friends ... think about it. Our many friends in fibre arts bring so much experience and knowledge to the table in workshop settings! It is always fun to see the twists and turns as quilters and textile artists make a simple workshop plan turn into the magical time among friends that just could help YOU make that step toward an all new take on your own fibre art.

Come explore the various techniques and have some fun along the way. There is still time to prepare... and Show and Tell after the end of the weekend is always the best!

Looking forward to seeing all of our students in Odessa Friday February 6-8, 2015...

Registration information is in the blog post just below or on the right sidebar here at the FIBREWORKS blog. See you in the classroom soon.....


Tuesday, December 23, 2014

CABIN FEVER WORKSHOP WEEKEND - a new line up of one day workshops in Odessa February 6-8, 2015

Cabin Fever Weekend returns to FIBREWORKS in 2015
Three Days - Three Workshops
Perfect for giving you a new start on projects in the new year...

Inspired  by Velocity by Beth Studley, UK Quilt Artist and designer

DAY ONE: Friday, February 6, 2015 
"LINKED IN" 
* A day for quilters to come together and play
* Piecing guidance and tips included with a comprehensive handout
* Supplies list provided with paid registration
* $50 workshop fee

QUILTERS TAKE NOTE - Friday's workshop is for YOU! Start the New Year off with a date to stitch and play and create a great quilt. You can even choose to do table runners or place mats instead of the quilt if you like - or a great tote bag for your quilt meetings.

A wonderful, easy to piece Log Cabin version, I made my new quilt with shirting prints and fabrics from my stash. I will work with you to create your own adaptation of this quilt which will be a fun gift for a friend, family member or even to have on your own bed. Beginners skills are all that is required...straight sewing! I will send the cutting directions in advance of the play date workshop so that you come with many of the component parts cut before you arrive at the Odessa Hall. If your love to make quilts, this one says "summer is coming" and "cottage country".  I don't know another project that will!

and...




DAY TWO: Saturday - February 7, 2015 
FLAT DYEING
* brilliant original fabrics created in such a fun way
* all dye and auxiliary supplies furnished
*  you need white cotton/linen/silk fabrics, pre-washed 
* supplies list provided with paid registration
$50 class fee includes dyes and comprehensive handout


NOTES: All of the fabrics for my RED SKY AT NIGHT piece above are flat dyed using a palette of the red, blue and yellow primaries in Procion MX Dyes that will be available to you at the workshop. 

By pouring the dyes across your fabric, laid flat on the table in front of you and moving the dye with your gloved hands, you will create a beautiful palette of 'ombre' colours  that you can combine for your new work.

I can't tell you how much fun this is - and YES you can attend the workshop day and use the dyes to do shibori pole wrapped pieces, folded and painted pieces using the dyes available or just "dip dye" a great palette of gradations to be used in quilts or fibre art projects. Just play with the dyes to do whatever YOU want to do...screen printing, dye painted cards, scarves - your choice. (and yes, I will have print paste available for you to add dyes to for screen work/direct painting of fabric)


 and....



DAY THREE : Sunday, February 8, 2015
 "Free Form Collage"

* Create one great, original piece in small or large format
*use a combination of your stash fabrics, and be inspired by nature/a photo you love
* experiment with fusibles, free form cutting by hand and layering for effect
* more inspiration will come from a collection of your favourite cloth bits and threads
* experiment with  fused applique, layering sheers and machine stitching
* supplies list provided with paid registration
* $50 class fee includes handout full of tips


Inspiration for my new collage work comes from the 'Group of Seven'

SPECIAL WEEKEND PRICING: 
$120 for all three days

at the Odessa Fairgrounds Hall
Odessa, ON
on Highway 6 in the Village
9:30 am - 5 pm
Brown Bag Lunch needed for all students
Break time treats and Coffee, tea and water provided

Registration is Open NOW

Please complete the registration form on the sidebar under CABIN FEVER WORKSHOPS

Your cheque should be payable to HERITAGE QUILTWORKS  CANADA
and mailed to
Bethany Garner
3275 Orser Road
Elginburg, ON K0H1M0 

Hoping you can join me for a great weekend of play and that you will bring a friend or two and really make a weekend of it - stitching, designing, dyeing, painting with dyes...  COME PLAY!!!

Contact Bethany at: garner@kingston.net
 or fibreworkskingston@gmail.com

Monday, December 15, 2014

To all of our Fibreworks Kingston students and friends...


As the snows begin to fall and the winds pick up, do focus in on your home, your studio and all of the things you love the most.

Be kind and loving to your friends and family, and helpful to those who are might be in need of your assistance at this time of year. Remember those who are less fortunate and bring the blessing of your smile to those you meet along the way. Simple gifts.

As we head toward the new year, please know how much your ongoing support and encouragement mean in this quest to bring new Workshops, the very best of the best Instructors your way, and the opportunity to share techniques, new design options and the just plain fun of being together with like minded artist friends old and new.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a most Blessed New Year!

Bethany