A New Season for Articulation
A NEW SEASON FOR ARTICULATION
2019 is flying by and already a new season is upon us. Spring brings with it: renewal, new beginnings and hopefully some nice weather. Our Island friends have been basking in mild temperatures and surrounded by greening and blossoming vegetation for some time while those of us with zone 3 microclimates are finally seeing the first of the perennial bloomers breaking through.
Easter is already here and in our family it inspires a road trip to visit family in Western Manitoba. Here we always find the comfort of gathering, sharing delicious meals and the beautiful Ukrainian Easter eggs made annually by my very talented sister in law, Lynn Tataryn.
Easter also signals the end of Articulation's show, "Forest and Sea and the Place Between", which closed on April 18th at the Portals Gallery, Cowichan Valley Performing Arts Centre in Duncan, BC.
Our gratitude extends to our curator, Morgan Saddington, and all the volunteers who assisted with the installation of our work as well as the monitoring of the space during the show's run. Lesley Turner, our colleague, friend, and Island connection was the driving force behind this show for Articulation and we are exceedingly grateful for her hard work and commitment.
We would also like to thank guests who attended the artist reception as well as attendees who came from near and far to see our work and left comments in our guest book. In creating art, making marks, manipulating tools and techniques and translating our inspiration into a physical piece, we often work in isolation. Your feedback is appreciated as much as your attendance. Thank you all.
Works have now been packed up and will soon be returned to their owners. Meanwhile, every member of our group is guaranteed to be working through their personal processes in the creation of work for our next group gathering. I know I am not alone in packing, "just a few things" to take along on a road trip at this time of year. The dashboard of our car on these occasions always harbours at least a few spools of thread and scissors as I work on pieces with hand stitching along the way.
Our next Articulation exhibition will be held this summer in Gimli, Manitoba, at the Icelandic Heritage Museum. We hope if you are in the neighbourhood you will join us. Planning is well underway and our pieces are growing into a significant body of work. I find the development process fascinating and often see themes resurface. (pardon the pun).
The Salish Sea and west coast beaches, for me, inspired inquiry focused on our civic responsibilities and the need for responsible stewardship of our precious natural resources. The concept of sustainability has definitely resonated for me and I can see and feel the water theme developing along other tangents for my work based on Manitoba's Interlake, where water also plays a very distinct role.
Lesley Turner has been combing her local coastlines and gathering kelp washed ashore for part of her next project and I am as fascinated as you are to see where this new tangent takes her. The environment plays a significant role in Lesley's creative process as we have seen in her Forest work where the subject also became a collaborator. I wonder what role this kelp will play in coming pieces?
Similarly, Wendy Klotz, is never one to leave home without some tools of the trade stashed neatly into a bag or box. Her journeys take her far and wide to local and international destinations but she always travels with the constant comfort of the handmade, and works in progress, as her travel companions.
My studio is currently looking a bit dishevelled as fabric has taken over from painting now that my personal exhibition is over. I try generally to compartmentalize the two arms of my practice. It keeps things fresh and balances out the exhaustion of one process after the meeting of a major deadline. I know the above image of my cutting table looks bad to the untrained eye but I have to tell you there is a particular joy that comes from a day spent knee deep (literally) in fabric. The ability to close the door and not share my creative messes with family and friends until it is all cleaned up and looking a little more civilized is an added bonus of having a studio to work from.
Returning home to Winnipeg yesterday from our Easter journey, we made an annual stop just outside Neepawa, Manitoba, to pay our respects to a departed friend. We were lucky to see some Icelandic girls enjoying the spring weather on our way. Our Articulation group was able to meet some of this unique to Manitoba, Icelandic herd during our research visit to the Interlake in 2017. I look forward to seeing if any of these girls have inspired work that will appear in the show?
This Easter weekend, I know I speak for all of our group in wishing you and your family time together celebrating your faith, your community, and your families. This little Ukrainian Orthodox icon on the prairies in Lennard, Manitoba is an example of a community, like many across the west, who lovingly tend the grounds and spaces that were founded by clusters of families in their backgrounds. They hint to a simpler time without the internet or blog posts, a time when being together and creating things by hand were not only favoured past times but necessary skills of survival in often harsh political and environmental climates.
We wish everyone a very happy Easter weekend. May the new season help you to step forward along your personal journey in inspired and creative ways.
Until next time...
Amanda Onchulenko, on behalf of Articulation Textile Group, Canada.
Amanda's Instagram
Lesley's Facebook
Wendy's Facebook
Donna's Facebook
Comments
Post a Comment