Articulation Textile Group

Our first stop out of Winnipeg was to see Icelandic horses. About 17 years ago two Arnason brothers decided to fulfill their father's dream to bring Icelandic horses to Canada. The catch was once a horse leaves Iceland it is never allowed to return so as to maintain the pure bloodline.The brothers filled a plane with 87 horses and settled them on a specially built farm where they have flourished in the Canadian prairie climate.To read in more detail about the Arnason's Icelandic horse story  click here. The farm manager, Sharon, our guide, has just released these horses from a coral out to a clover pasture. She can't leave them out there for too long or for too often because the clover is like candy for them. Icelandic horses are known to thrive in harsh conditions, forage well for their own food, and grow a very thick coat in winter while living outside. Sharon said they puff up like teddy bears as soon as the weather turns cold. They are the horse breed w

Next stop in downtown Winnipeg was Mandy's fabulous studio. After a tour we settled down to eat lunches we had picked up at some unique eateries around the corner. Donna and Wendy walk on the rooftop to get a bird's eye view of central Winnipeg. One could do a historical study of just Winnipeg's walls. Just needs a 'bird on the wire' Wendy, Mandy, Donna descending.

Articulation's annual study session was in Manitoba this year. It began in Winnipeg where we all gathered, flying and driving in from across Western Canada. Our first stop was in downtown Winnipeg at the North Forge Fabrication Lab. Multi-media artist Erika Lincoln was our tour guide. If you go to her website  Erika Lincoln - Lincoln Lab  you will see some of the work she has produced with the type of equipment in North Forge. North forge is part of "innovation alley" a two block section of Adelaide Street in the Exchange District that was instrumental in earning a large grant from the federal government recently. Erika showing us the raw materials used for laser printing. L.- R: Erika Lincoln, Lesley turner, Ingrid Lincoln, Leann Clifford Plastics for laser printing.

Elephant Rock at Hopewell collapses  .Read the news article here. It is a bit sad the Elephant Rock has collapsed to half its previous size. This is what the Hopewell Rocks looked like when Articulation visited in 2010 during their annual study session. Luckily several Articulation members preserved in their artwork the popular rock as so many thousands of tourists remember it. Wendy Klotz, Home and Away, wool, felting, hand stitching Here is Wendy Klotz's depiction of the rock as it was. Donna Clement, Erosion at Hopewell Rocks,  dyeing, painting, machine sewing And Donna's, worked in a different textile technique. Donna Clement, Erosion at Hopewell Rocks, detail

In 1930 Weyburn Mental Hospital, Saskatchewan was the largest building in Canada. Post WWII battle disorders caused a peak of the in-patient population in the hospital. The Soo Line Historical Museum in Weyburn has a large room of artifacts from the hospital, many of which are rather horrifying. They also have a collection of art painted by patients as a result of the art therapy program. A project Articulation members are working on is a personal response to war. Some of the members are looking at how war affects the whole family not just those who go to war.  The Soo Line Museum proved to be a rich primary resource for some members. Ingrid Lincoln, Donna Clement, Mandy Onchulenko. Equipped to carry out research: sketchbook/notebook, camera, a bag to hold pens, glue stick and gathered materials, sturdy walking shoes, dressed in layers and prepared for all weathers. But we do stop for meals. Leann, our host, had scouted out a number of different places for u

One never knows when a flash of inspiration for a work will strike. Often an article stimulates a childhood memory and links to later life experiences. Are you old enough to remember when general stores wrapped their customers' purchases in brown paper torn off a large roll..... ...and tied it with string. In the home, both brown paper and string were kept, along with the purchase because both had many further uses. Recycling is not a new concept, but maybe it could be expressed as an idea in a work using brown paper to reference another time of recycling? Hand-cranked sock making machine Textile related artifacts in museums often attract the eye of a fibre artist. Textile history is as long as human history so the fibre artist has a treasure trove of knowledge and techniques to pull from. Spinning Niddy Noddy for making yarn into skeins ready to dye. Every culture fashioned tools and equipment to work with fibre and cloth. Often these tools are '

Sweater Blocker Research is a big part of Articulation members' work. Annual study sessions allow time for some intensive research of primary resources which often involves visiting museums and archives. Sock Blockers, Garment Blockers, Washboard Weyburn has a number of very interesting museums with unique collections, including the Soo Line Historical Museum click here for location and hours , housed in a large brick building that used to be a power facility.  Tie Blocker We usually start a study session with a broad theme in mind then over the week the theme evolves and develops in another direction, into many directions and has to be reigned in or becomes focused. It all depends on what we find as we explore. 'Laundry Stove. Used in Lee Sing's Laundry until his death in 1961.' Our name 'Articulation' describes the way we work very well. Together we do the initial research in a specific location, guided by a broad theme that serves