Fiber Art Celebration
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
It feels as if there is a renaissance in fiber art happening right now at Artful Home. Many of our extremely talented artists have created new work which we are thrilled to be presenting. As a textile aficionado (and, full disclosure, a former fiber artist myself), I am always thrilled to see work which takes me to new places. With all this new work I plan to focus several posts on new textile pieces we are seeing — fiber art for the wall, functional art, and wearable art.
Michele Hardy’s “Geoforms: Porosity #7” exemplifies the intersection of painting and fiber. The techniques employed involve quilting, stitching, and painting, but it is the exploration of form that I find fascinating. There is a vibrating pulsating sense of emerging life conveyed in this piece. Hardy marries the physical act of quilting with images of the physical act of living. Brilliant!
“Portals #5” employs the depth of surface made possible through quilting to support the symbolism of a doorway. One of the beauties of quilting is the ability to create a second layer of imagery imposed on the original piecing, allowing for forms and images to interact with one another. Hardy’s imaginative use of the medium gives one the sense of what is outside this portal, and the mystery of what is to be found once one passes through it.
