Saturday, November 3, 2012

Silver Lake College Fiber Art Exhibit, Manitowoc, WI

 Colleen Ansbaugh photographs nature as a source of inspiration for creating her art cloths.


The first step in her process is a simple pencil sketch of the general shape.  The image is translated onto the cloth through hand dyeing or adding color with paint, often adding more surface design with silk screening, beading and stitching.  The colors of nature are reflected in the cloth often bold and bright with brush marks adding a painterly effect.
Course thread is hand stitched adding texture and visual interest.  It is an ongoing process where one piece leads to the next on her exploration of color and shape.
Also exhibiting are Ramona Gillaume, of Denmark, WI; and Anne Phillip, of Stevens Point, WI. Each woman’s individual body of work is linked to that of the other through a common love and exploration of fiber as a medium. The artist’s methods and creative manipulations of that material range from traditional to non-traditional mixed media. The exhibit, which brings together these three distinct artistic visions, will be in held in the Silver Lake College Hallway Gallery, located in the Fine Arts Department (accessed through the East Entrance), from October 15 through November 16, 2012. The exhibit is open to the public at no charge from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. https://www.sl.edu/about-silver-lake/news/all-news/
 
Colleen is a friend and fellow member of Studio Art Quilters Association.  www.saqa.com
 

The Sky if Falling, or is it just Nuts?



The nuts are falling from the trees, knocking me on the head, telling me its time to dye, its time to dye! I've done absolutely no regular dyeing and no rust dyeing this summer. I ordered silk scarves several weeks ago so I was prepared.  I gathered up some acorns, some pine needles, some leaves.   

 We had that really nice day in October where the temps reached 70+ degrees.  That was the day to dye.

I did some bundle dyeing like I did last year with Shelley Ryan, The Wisconsin Gardener at The Flying Pig Gallery and Garden in Algoma.   I used the nuts I gathered, some black walnuts, some black walnut soup (water + walnuts), assorted dry teas, turmeric, vinegars and some wire to wrap them up.  Placed them in zip lock bags and now I need to wait about a month and see what develops.  Hopefully something beautiful...