VI International World Textile Art Biennial - Air - Small Format Show.

One of my works was accepted by the VI International World Textile Art Biennial - Air - Small Format Show. This event takes place this year in several venues in Mexico. The Small format Show goes from May 16th. to June the 3rd. in Xalapa, Veracruz and it shows works from very famous artists. I'm thrilled to be between them! I will add pictures of this tapestry only after the show ends.

Many thoughts

I'm getting ready to start a large piece. For the last several years I've been doing small formats only and that include the miniatures for the woven jewellery. I'm also working on new ideas for the jewellery. They'll hopefully turn out great! These small works are woven in frames of various sizes. Same kind of frames that I was using for the middle ones.
I think the time has come for a change.
For the large one I will use for the first time the old Leclerc Counterbalance Loom that I got from the Ontario Crafts Council Grants Committee a couple of years ago when I applied for the money to buy a loom and they replaced the money by several pieces of equipment. They include the Jack Loom that I've being using for the scarves being sold at the Textile Museum and this one that came disassembled and it took me to a research to find out that manuals are not being made anymore because this is an antique from the early 1900s! and I had to use similarities with the new ones to be able to assemble it properly. It also came with a Warping Mill, several books and notes and a huge bag of yarns - I'm still using them! - I hope my achievements with this equipment will honour the memory of the previous owner. That old lady I've never met. Her90something years old widower gave me all that with the OCC intervention. I think this was meant to be. I was always feeling a connection with her when I went over all her staff. Those were all things I loved to have!

Oops! I forgot to detail the last two pictures:

The red one, is called "Turning point". It's shape is irregular but geometric. The division between the two areas - the triangle an the rectangle - marks the turning point. It has Soumak inserts. Materials are wool, cotton, silk, synthetics and sisal. Warp is linen and it sits on masonite. Size: 8" x 10.
The green one is called: "Still life". It's a perfect square. Size 8"x 8". Made of wool and synthetics. Linen warp, On masonite lined with green cotton fabric. The upper part of the veggie - is a fat green pepper - is woven/built in three layers an that makes it three-dimensional. I'm adding a picture showing that.

About the last two pictures

The next two pictures show my last small format pieces. I'm looking forward to find a place to exhibit them.

new small format work

Tiny basket woven in sisal and waxed linen, the base holds a piece of a flat brasilian stone

Shadow box exhibited at Textile Museum Toronto in 2010

Oops! I realized that i forgot to put these images here last year. The box is pictured against a window to show the transparency of it's background. This is a small work, 0.20 cm. x 0.20 cm size.

Images from Maximo Laura's workshop in Montreal

The next posting is an unedited version of the second article published in the Winter CTN Newsletter

In August I visited the series of exhibitions “When thirteen moons entwine” organized by Toma Ewen of the “Moon Rain centre”. I came to Canada in November 1996 and one of my hopes then was to develop as a tapestry artist here without knowing that’s not an easy task. Only once in 2004 a saw a tapestry exhibition in Toronto - where I live - from Joanne Soroka, at the Univ. of Toronto. After that I learned that I will have to travel if I want to see more. Also, from my experiences trying to exhibit tapestry here I noticed with surprise that a big percentage of the people don’t even know what a tapestry is. So, when I learned about this event I decided to visit with my husband who took it as a summer weekend trip.

After spending the night with our daughter in Montreal we left that Friday morning for Ottawa planning to see 5 of the exhibits. The first place we visited was the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans where we saw several Toma Ewen’s tapestries. I couldn’t believe it! Finally I started to relive the vibrancy of tapestry art in my country, Argentina and wonder why this is not happening more often here. I loved her tapestries indeed. Her style is very closed to what I used to see in my previous home. Then we headed for Gatineau to Gallerie Montcalm, situated inside the Town Hall to see the European “Avec eau ou sans eau” miniatures international exhibit. They were amazing works. I confirmed that miniatures have become an important part of the tapestry world. Then we went to Espace Pierre Debain in a cute Cultural Centre. Works from many artists! I was flabbergasted and remembered the many times I’ve heard in Toronto that this is a dead art. The last to see for the day were the several tapestries in the boardroom of the municipal building of the town of Val de Monts situated in the middle of a beautiful mountainous landscape. And they opened the room especially for us! What a luxury! I believe the councilors must have been felling warmed by these colourful and textured works hanging on the walls around them.

Last but not least, on Saturday we went to the Moon Rain Centre to see the installations there. We travelled through a beautiful area, villages, houses surrounded by hills, lakes and woods. The trip wasn’t long but, suddenly, our GPS stopped working for lack of signal. Luckily I had directions I received from the artist in our previous email exchange. Without them it would have been impossible to arrive. I was greeted by her and toured the place. The studio, a cozy round cabin showed the participants artwork and in a corner the loom with what she usually works. Nearby is the place where she lives all year round. I think a person must love solitude a lot to be there, especially in winter. Weaving surrounded by that silence must be very fulfilling for her. And then we walked by the thirteen installations in the fields surrounding the buildings. The works were very interesting and very contemporary. Far from what many would consider tapestry art from the traditional point of view. In fact the essence of all that was the communion with nature and understanding of the environment. I walked the steep path asking myself: How did they do that? Weavings of different kind hanging from trees, staked to a hill or floating on a little stream. Textile constructions built on the terrain. I wonder what will be left from them after standing the harsh Quebec winter.

I returned to Toronto with my spirit full of joy and hoping these kind of events will be repeated.

Thisis the unedited version of the an article published in the Canadian Tapestry Network's Winter Newsletter:

Comments on a Maximo Laura's workshop:

I receive the Maison des Métiers D'art du Québec’s monthly newsletter (Quebec’s Centre of Artisans). In the September issue there was a notice about a free for artisans’ workshop by the Peruvian artist Maximo Laura in October and I immediately registered for it.

I knew his techniques are similar to the ones used by many Latin American tapestry artists but, as I saw his work only in the Internet I was intrigued by the way he applies them.The workshop took place in the “Gallerie Space Mexico” from the Mexican Consulate. Twenty of his works were exhibited there. Their bright colours were so attractive that many people stopped and came in to see them more closely. We were asked to bring a frame of any size and yarns that we want to work with. I was surprised to see half of the people didn’t have a clue on how to weave at all and some of them brought picture frames and heavily textured yarns. Others were experienced weavers who had never done a tapestry and brought table looms. I was the only tapestry weaver there. He accepted all that was put on the table and showed everything can eventually end being a good woven artwork.

The ‘atelier’ was mostly hands-on and everyone worked in their own level. I wouldn’t say that in my case I learned many new things but he showed me how to work differently in for ex. an unusual Soumak technique or the way of weaving a two-level circle. I’ll review some of my notes here:

He uses very fine Peruvian Alpaca # 3/32. Usually mixes his colours in butterflies of no more than six threads to attain regular textures working 45 to 55 warp threads each 10 cm. The warp thread is # 3/16. Weaving can be done with solid or blended colours. Blending gives rhythm and the chance to control any shape. Alternate blending produce contrast. Gradation produces the construction of textures. With the help of a small coloured design he organizes all the colour gradations before starting to weave. His weaving is done by going under two, over two because that gives the possibility to divide in levels and create textures. Borders have 4 threads to give them more strength. For wrappings, he uses cotton stuffing.Maximo is very gentle and smiles easily. He speaks English well and spoke Spanish to some of us who were Hispanophones. The fact that his work was exhibited in 40 countries makes him very proud. His hundreds of tapestries are part of many collections.

His table was covered by several cones of beautifully coloured yarns and many butterflies and at the end he said to us: “Take everything as I’m not taking them back to Peru!” I was shy and took only a couple of cones, the others took the rest and one of the ladies was courageous enough to take the small loom he used for demonstration and he answered with a big laugh! I’m adding some pictures I took.

The morning before the workshop’s first day I went to visit the “Centre des Textiles Contemporains de Montreal”. The centre occupies part of the 5^th. Floor of a big office building situated far of the downtown core but, arriving by subway was easy.First room is the art gallery where the work of the local artist Anna Biro was exhibited.This exhibit marked the tone of what I would see in the rest of the centre. Called “Interactive Textiles” two transparent shiny weavings hanged from the ceiling. I was invited to touch them and they emitted provocative and sensual sounds. On a platform in a corner there was a sort of textured carpet. At this point I was greeted by a nice young guy who offered me a complete tour of the centre. He then said I can take off my shoes and walk on that carpet. I smiled and decided to touch it with my hands instead and it also started to emit sounds. He explained the weavings include recording tapes and filaments with sensors that react upon being touched. Very interesting show.Behind the gallery four big rooms make the classrooms. The first one is filled with tons of floor looms all computerized. I was explained how that works and I would say it’s probably a very time saving way of working but, doesn’t it take away the fun of it? The second room contained a huge jacquard loom. Very complicated piece of machinery. A student was sitting there arranging the warp threads. They explained me how it works. I concluded that I am a very old fashioned lady because I like to have control of my work all the time. Decidedly jacquard or computerized looms are not for me. The walls were covered by “tapestries” made with it and I saw them as fabric, no texture, no bright colours, nothing I can compare with what I saw later that afternoon and what I always experience in my own work. The third room was filled with all computerized knitting machines. Same feeling. The knitted results they have on their walls were very industrial for my taste. Fourth and last room was filled with sewing machines also computerized. Interesting way of making fashion creation easier.I didn’t expect to see all that when I planned my visit and I didn’t have my camera with me so, I have to apologize for not having pictures of it.

In August I

This is the shadow box I donated for the Textile Museum Auction

This is a Januckia or Janucka menorah that has been accepted in a competition organized by the Burquest Jewish community Centre in British Columbia. It took a lot of work for almost two months because I made it by coiling lots of copper wire. The candle cups were a challenge but I finally made them with pieces of copper pipes , their base with pennies, which are also copper and applied them to the weaving with silicone. They are still gathering people's votes to give prizes. I'm crossing my fingers.

I've participated in Culture Days Toronto, this is the flyer for the event:

This activity is part of Culture Days in Ontario: (www.culturedays.ca)

tapestry for beginners workshop

Location:

toronto, Ontario

Organized by:

juana sleizer

Date(s) & Time(s):

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Description:

I will teach tapestry weaving basics in my studio at 2pm. on Saturday September 25th. Students will be able to warp a small cardboard loom and will have two to three hours to complete a small artwork to take home. I will provide the loom and yarns. Due to space constraints I'm only able to receive 5 students at a time but, also people who are interested can visit the studio that afternoon. Registration for the workshop can be completed at arrival.`

After almost three years out of the tapestry world !i'm back! with renewed energies. Trying to make new connections and reconnect with the older ones. I'm exhibiting now 8 small works at a Starbucks coffee shop close to my home, they are going to be there for a month. Hopefully they will attract some attention. I also started weaving, for now, only small things but, getting prepared for bigger ones and looking for new projects.

I was recently invited by Ixchel Suarez - a Mexican colleague who lives and works in Oakville, Ontario - to speak to the Oakville Handweavers and Spinners Guild about Argentinean Tapestry Artists. I did so on a sunny Friday afternoon at the end of May at the Oakville Art Society. I started my speech with a brief review of the last 20 years in tapestry in Argentina and the world and then I showed them pictures of these artists work. The Guild members and guests showed great interest in the subject and ask questions at the end. They were a very warm group of people and I am very thankful to Ixchel for giving me the opportunity to talk about people who even if been recognized in many parts of the world are fairly unknown here in Canada and who continuously inspire me with their sense of freedom and creativity.

Here are some pictures of my new studio. It's quite smaller than the other one and I share it with my husband - you can see shelves with his merchandise at the rear wall - what I miss here mostly are !big windows! - this is a basement .....not for me .....- Anyway, this is a temporary dwelling, hope I can move soon!

For a long time I didn't post anything. I moved to a new place and that involved packing and with it getting rid of things and then unpacking and reorganizing, almost three monts in the new house and didn't finish yet. Yesterday I was reviewing old pictures in the computer and decided to put them here. Some of the works in those pictures are still there, some others don't because, either they were just experimentation or too fragile to survive their making. They are not all tapestries in the traditional sense, but, involve textile materials and techniques and reveal my growing interest in sculpture. Hope my viewers will enjoy watching as much as I do. I also added pictures of my woven pendants. I am very happy to say that they were accepted for sale in the Textile Museum of Toronto's Shop. In the future I will add pictures of my new studio. It is quite smaller than the other one and I doesn't have big windows. I went down from the second floor in the other house to the basement in this one. I expect my inspiration will not go down too.

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My Studio

I added pictures showing my studio. For my tapestries I allways prefer to use frames in different sizes, I can also use any kind of objects as a frame; the Jack Loom is small and I use it for scarves and other small weavings. You will also see a big Leclerc Counterbalance loom. That's the last addittion and it's an antique, made in the early 1900s, it was disassembled and I had to figure out how to put it together because it came without any instructions and they doesn't exist anymore, it's of course very simple but easy to use. I plan to weave carpets on it and I started with a small one. If it works, I will make bigger ones (!!!). You will also see a miniature table loom, that's a jewel found in a garage sale for just $10! it is also I believe from the 1930's and I am not using it , it's just seating there to admire it's beauty.
I feel very lucky as I came to NAmerica in 1996 with just a bunch of frames, an easel, some tools and a box of yarns and in the last years I received amazing gifts: the two floor looms came from the Ontario Crafts Council as a response to an application for a grant to buy just one and they gave me the real thing instead and not only one but two! and the knitting machine came from my Guild and I am still learning how to use it. God gave me the chance to restart at an age when many people think in retirement.
There is also a found object, a press that seems very good to make paper. Also on top of my storage shelving I put a small sculpture I created with paper pulp.