The Texas Federation of Fiber Artists is sponsoring an exhibit, Fiberwerkes, to hang at the Hill Country Arts Foundation from February 4-25, 2012. Internationally known artist, Kathyanne White, – http://www.kathyannewhite.com/about.html – is serving as the juror for the event. The Call for Entries resulted in digital photos of 173 works from 70 artists. In White’s words:
“The entries to this show brought a great mix of art from the fiber artists of the area and it was a joy to see each individual’s artistic expression.”
Congratulations to the following artists who will participate in the Fiberwerkes exhibit:
- Lynne Allen, Austin Challenge Group, Austin
- Andrea Brokenshire, Austin
- Lynne Brotman, Austin
- Cat Brysch, San Antonio
- Dorothy Clarke, Dallas
- Jean Dahlgren, Austin
- Cheryl Elms, Austin
- Cindy Hickok, Houston
- Iva Jensen, Houston
- B. Kile, S. Doty, E. Finger, Houston
- Michelle Knoerzer, Dallas
- Yvette Little, San Antonio
- Lynn Luukinen, San Antonio
- Mary Macaulay, Austin
- Susie Monday, San Antonio
- Suzanne Morgan, Dallas
- Liz Napier, San Antonio
- Gay Ousley, Dallas
- Rachel Edwards Ridder, San Antonio
- Diane Sandlin, Austin
- Brenda Schloesser, Houston
- Carolyn Skei, Dallas
- Mary Ruth Smith, Dallas
- Sandra Elbel Taylor, San Antonio
- Linda Thiemann, Dallas
- Linda Thompson, Houston
- Doerte Weber, San Antonio
- Hope Wilmarth, Houston
- Georgia Zwartjes, San Antonio
- Kathyanne White, Juror
PLACE: Hill Country Arts Foundation
120 Point Theatre Road South Ingram, Texas 78025 830-367-5120DATES: February 4-25, 2012
Mary Ruth Smith offers attendees the opportunity to take a single stitch along with its extensions and variations to bring new depth to their art in the workshop – Stitching: Explore how simple stitches can be used to make powerfully rich personal and expressive imagery.
Mary Ruth is a professor of textiles at Baylor University. She is well known in the Fiber Arts field and has won numerous awards for her master of stitch, line and detail.
The conference offers a unique opportunity to learn from her mastery away from her usual teaching environment of Baylor University.
Currently there are 3 workshops full: (1) Kathyann White, (2) Lisa Kerpoe and (3) Mary Ruth Smith. All three classes currently have a wait list.
Other interesting workshops still are available for registration. Be sure and register for Allison Brown-Cestero class on social media if you want to learn how Facebook and Twitter can be a benefit to your Art business.
The Sunday morning guest speaker at the 2012 Texas Federation of Fiber Artists – Fiberwerkes is San Antonio-based, Diana Kersey. The title of her presentation is Creativity: Finding Fulfillment.
Read more about Diana at her website: Kersey Ceramics.com. You can also email her at: diana @ kersey cermanics.com
Diana will share a presentation that explores the topic of creativity. Specifically, she believes and will present information that reveals that everyone has the capacity to be creative and that specific skills can be developed to increase creativity in one’s art practice and daily life.
Diana Kersey is a visual artist who works in clay, creating both studio pottery and architectural ceramics. She earned a MFA in ceramics from Washington State University in 1997, and a BFA in drawing from Texas Tech University in 1994. She has served as an instructor at the Southwest School of Art, San Antonio College, and Palo Alto College and has lived and maintained a studio in San Antonio, TX since 1998.
Included with this article are images of Diana’s work demonstrating a raw, textural quality, with the clay encompassed in a translucent, earthy glaze. Birds, insects, fish, and flowers present in her work suggest a primordial narrative, while the underlying decorative grids and motifs capture the relentless energy, complexity, and contradictions that pulse through our contemporary society.
Her Process? Before Diana begins to create a vessel she first visualizes the form and surface design. “During this process I am paying careful attention to the diameter of the rim versus the height and shape of the form, balancing the proportions until they become harmonious.” Part of her process includes the application of sprigs to the pot by loading small plaster molds with soft clay and firmly pressing the molds against the side of the pot. I make my sprig molds in advance and currently have over 75 different designs in use.
Her Inspiration? “Ideas for sprigs come from hikes in nature, books, historical design references, birds that frequent my yard, and sometimes suggestions from friends and collectors. Design work continues on the vessel until the design becomes unified. This is my favorite and intellectually most challenging part of the process because it involves constantly making decisions and reevaluating the decisions after each element of design is added. It is through this process that creativity and inventiveness are rewarded. “