Oakville Tapestry Studio

Chung Ja, new member of the oakville Tapestry Studio has now finished her first sampler, having the opportunity to experience all different kinds of textures, techniques, materials and ideas into one same piece.
Congratulations on this first sample, which only means is the first of many more to accomplish in this Studio and in her creative life. She has been member of the Burlington Guild for many years now. This time she will develope different skills to combine with her previous knowledge and level of expertise. Congratulations Chung Ja and hope to hear from your new projects!

New loom for the Studio

Well, what can I say rather than thank you Consuelo. This loom you offered to us is a beauty and I am sure we will be able to start working on it right away.
Just a note to all of you readers. Consuelo is a member of the Textile Museum of Canada. She works in the Conservation floor and she is a wonderful artist. Her house was a treat just to see all her fibre art all around her place. I was delighted to know her as a person and as an Artist. Not to mention that she is from Spain, and I have a special feeling for Madrid where we lived for a while and my heart was blown for it's beauty!
Here is a picture of Consuelo as a thank you note for her gift, and a sample of her beautiful tapestry.
Hope to see you sometime around the Tapestry Studio, my friend!

photos, forgot to upload them...

My new commission

Starting a new project it is always exciting, especially when it is a large scale one. I love the format and as many of my works I am weaving it sideways due to the technical issues.
The colours are very contrasting and once again I get to play with all the different textures the materials are offering me.

exploring volumes

Well as you see, since I am just waiting to start my new commission, which I believe will be a large scale tapestry and will demand almost all of my time and thoughts, I am exploring possibilities for adding warp into smal pieces of tapestry.

Miniature scale is always interesting because you can always come up with interesting and different ideas regarding structure, weight, texture, etc. I also enjoy the gradation of colours and textures. These particular pieces have been beautiful to work on since they are bamboo fibre, silk and wool...really nice to touch and pass throught the warp. It is almost like listening to harp and letting the music flow between the spaces.

Miniature format is also good to work because you never know when it would be just a scale proyect for a larger piece!

World of Threads

So as you all know, World of Threads is already on! andit has been an awesome experience. So much quality works, so much to see, learn and share. This piece was the winner for traditional and I must say is extraordinary the weaving and the dying of the warp and weft! The Batik shown above is from a friend from Poland who sent in her reflecting images and won a Honorable mention, and if you scroll down the images you will find Chris Palonka, owner of the b42 Gallery, who hosted one of the Common Thread international shows. He is admiring the miniature winner of the Best Contemporary. I will post the image as soon as I get the photograph, because it is such a delicate embroidery with an image of a grafitti....

I really admire the work of the judges. How did they mannage to sort out the winners? It must have been such a difficult task. More than 190 artists and all these fabulous works!..

Congratulations to all! I will continuing showing you more participants works later, but for now, keep up your fibre spirits!

Great encounter!

You can't believe how happy I am to be in contact again with a very dear friend!

You see, I can tell you a story:

"...Once upon a time, long time ago in a far far away land there was an incredible place where the people could enter and the feeling of sadness, stress or worries would immediately vanish!...a magical place where the textures and colours worked like antidotes for the everyday struggles....a place where the fibres, tapestries, batiks, dyes, good food and wine, and of course: MUSIC where entering through all your senses!......This wonderful place was called Textil Creativo, and the land existed for almost 10 years until the pressence of little fairies which started to fly around".....(I mean, my 2 little kids!...jiji)

Yes, Textil Creativo was the name of the Fibre School I opened in Mexico in 1987, and it really was our Shangri-La. I had the opportunity to meet, work, laugh and cry with wonderful friends such as this one in the photograph: My dear Georgette. She was one of my students in the University in the School of Design, and later on she continued her textile trainning in this wonderful place.

After some years she worked in this School and shared many moments.

I happened to find some of her pictures from back then, when we where celebrating the opening of our new place.

This great energy made me think about the possibility of getting together with some of my former students AND friends from back then again. Why not organize an exhibition here in Oakville,... in Toronto........

Thank you Georgette for bringing me so much good memories back to me again!