10.31.07
Posted in Art, NYC, Textile(s), Weaving, fashion at 4:36 pm by delipics
Last Sunday I went to see Tapestry in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The fiber-artist in me felt it was an obligatory pilgrimage. The tapestries are massive. I am amazed at the craftsmanship and time that went into each piece. When I looked closely at a tapestry, my mind was staggered at the level detail and complexity of the design. This is a show that deserves a second visit.
What stands out the most for me is the history connected to the art. I only thought of creativity and craft with the tapestries but there was much, much more: war, upset economies, intrigue, royalty, religion and the art market. Knowing all that background information only makes the art work more interesting.
Another show that’s worth the trip is the Luxury exhibit at FIT. Hurry because it is closing November 10th. After making your way through Luxury, go downstairs to see Chicago Chic. These are my two favorites from Luxury - Chanel and Rodarte. Why are beautiful clothes so satisfying?
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10.15.06
Posted in Art, Fiber Artwork, NYC, Textile(s), Weaving at 10:37 am by delipics
The Sheila Hicks show, Weaving As Metaphor, was closing this weekend so I made it a point to hike up to the upper west side so as not to miss it.
This collection of her small works displays her weaving knowledge and experience over time. For me, I focused on her weaving structures. I wanted to learn how she created a specific shape or texture. I was also fascinated by the tools and materials she used. Stand-outs in my mind were the synthetic monofilament, stainless steel, and handmade paper she incorporated into her weaving. I was very drawn to the monofilament because I have tried experimenting with it, and I am pleased to see the possibilities of the materials via another artist.
The size of these weavings prompted me to think about small works in art. (Most of my work I consider to be small. Part of my size constraints come from not having a studio and from living in a space-challenged, Brooklyn apartment. I simple do not have the space to go any larger.) From my perspective, smallness is overlooked. We live in a very BIG art culture (i.e. big art=serious or authentic) - wall-sized paintings, site-specific installations, land art encompassing acres - and in what I would call our pop culture - big box stores, McMansions, SUV’s. Sheila Hicks work, while small in size, is large in content. It takes time to investigate the details and time to synthesize that information. Does an instant-gratification culture only want large sized art? Are we lazy art-consumers who don’t want to think past the obvious? Or will people take the time to appreciate the intimacy of the conversation between a small artwork and the viewer?
LOL - small art works prompt big art ideas.
Afterwards, inspired by the show, I took these photos.
The world is made up of warp and weft. (That’s a whole other post - duality in structure - like knit and purl.)
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10.06.06
Posted in Knitting, Socks, Spinning, Subway, Travel, Weaving at 3:57 pm by delipics
As for knitting in the world of Delica’s Yarns - not a whole heckuvalot going on. Very hectic days means very tired me. I sneak in a couple of rows on my Kauai Blue Socks on my subway commute in during the mornings; evening commutes seem to be more crowded, no elbow room for knitting. My other WIP, for the L.A. baby, has hit a snag. I realized there was going to be a huge gap in the underarm, so I consulted Alex and she said I should pick up stitches as one does for picking up stitches when knitting the gusset on a sock. Lastly, spinning has been very badly neglected. Tomorrow I’m going up North to visit a friend so I hope to get a substantial amount of knitting done on the train ride.
I have to go pack now. One thing about trains, I don’t have to worry what knitting paraphenelia will pass or not pass through the security check-in.
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04.30.06
Posted in Brooklyn, Crochet, Dying, Felt, Knitting, Photos, Weaving, Yarn at 6:51 pm by delipics
It’s been a Yarn Tree weekend! I volunteered for The Yarn Tree to help do demonstrations for Shearing Days at the Prospect Park Zoo. We lucked out and got a gorgeous day for it so we were busy all day.
Shannon, Sasha and I showed kiddies how to make felted wool balls -
There was also weaving, spinning, finger crochet and knitting and Kool-Aid dying.
And the most exciting event of the day - the shearing!
This is Wallace before -
Here is Wallace after . . . I love his little shock of hair over his forehead - sweet!
And here is Wallace’s 10 lbs. of fleece . . . . I wonder how many skeins we could get out of that?
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04.29.06
Posted in Fiber Artwork, Photos, Weaving at 5:16 pm by delipics
My Friday night started with a glass of red wine while perusing the intricacies of warp and weft. The Yarn Tree is having a show of their beginner and intermediate students at Habu Textiles.
When I look at artwork (be it fiber, paintings, drawings, etc.), I like to first take in the whole thing then look closely, in this case, at the textures and details of the yarn -
These beginner students’ weaving work selected yarns whose textures and weaving structures fascinated me -
The fiber artists from top to bottom: Valerie Knecht, Lillian Figueroa, Daniela Serowinski and Aldona Rygelis.
Congratulations weavers!
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03.19.06
Posted in Cleo, NYC, Photos, Weaving at 6:26 pm by delipics
There is a small and fascinating textile show at the Metropolitan Museum called, “The Fabric of Life: Ikat Textiles of Indonesia.” As a fiber artist I make it a priority to see what is out there in the textile world. You never know where inspiration may come from or what you may learn.
I knew that ikat was a dying process, but I had no idea of the level of complexity and intricacy involved. This show explained the process clearly — verbally and visually. I have a completely new level of appreciation for the artists of Indonesia.
This is a little loom on display in the show.
The brace on the right goes behind the weaver’s back. The other end is tied to a tree or, I imagine, some other type of stationery object. To adjust the tension in the warp threads, the weaver leans forward or back.
Here I am looking at head scarves. (Thank you Mr. Photographer for lying down on the floor to get the whole image!) You cannot tell in this photo, but the head scarves have open-work woven into the pieces.
The end of a long day walking in
Central Park and looking at art.
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03.02.06
Posted in Fiber Artwork, Photos, Weaving at 5:44 pm by delipics
In a whirl of organization, I have been downloading some older pictures of my weaving and felting work into my flickr account. Plus, I thought the blog needed a photo to liven things up.
These are pieces from a Weaving II class I took at The Yarn Tree from April 2005. The work was on display at Habu Textiles. All the classes I have taken at The Yarn Tree have been great! Past classes - Weaving I & II, Beginner Felting and a Felt Laminate workshop. The next class I want to take is spinning, hopefully in the spring or summer.
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