details
My Starry Night
1994-2016
30×32 in: canvas,denim,thread,silver and copper brooch.
I assembled denim quilt blocks, embroidered in seed-stitch with metallic thread. The seams are aligned with falling pleats. This is my interpretation of the exuberant paintwork of the original.
DNA
2003 - 2016
30×34 in: canvas, denim, silver tape, acrylic paint.
When Simon was 4 years old he wore Oshkosh dungarees. The denim faded and the stitches and seams remained dark. I liked the effect and I kept the the material for years as I always planned to incorporate it into a piece.
Many artists lack adequate production space. My solution for this problem was to spread the canvas on the floor and work on the ironed blocks. Gumby often sat on the canvas. So, dog and boy donated DNA to this piece.
Colour Studies
2011
16×34 in: paper,stamps, pencil crayon.
When we cleared out Grace’s condo, there was a trove of stamps that offered me a variety of colour shades.
Flocks and Flocks
2012
11×14 in: paper,stamps, pencil crayon.
Flapping sounds, bird images, and Charles Darwin.
Fog on Highway 2, Port Hope
2007
18×18 in: canvas, linen, linen thread, paper, pencil drawing, threads.
A bank of fog swept across the fields and into my drawing.
Garden
2008
8×38 in: canvas, acrylic paint, embroidery, textile, envelope pieces.
Crazy Quilt
1998 - 2016
33×20 in: canvas, textiles, tape, metal screws.
I often return to quilt blocks and “paint” with textile. This homage to Jackson Pollack represents the gestural element of thrown paint.
Three Sisters
2000-2012
20×15 in: cotton sheet, linen, thread, rickrack, envelope pieces.
The three are a unit. Threads convey not only sparkle and shine, but also the darker elements of a shared history.
Specimens
2005
2 14×11 in: foamboard, knitting in alpaca wool, knitting in linen, painted twigs, earrings
This work was influenced by a radio report about a cultural practice.
Faded Dunany
2008-2009
12×9 in: board, photogram, photos, twigs
Photos from 1968 and 1998 are a homage to two families who rejuvenated a 1953 lakeside cottage and landscape.
Garden Sketch 1
2006
11×14 in: paper on board, pencil crayon
A riot of colour composed of rotated cut blocks.
Garden Sketch 2
2009
11×14 in: paper on board, pencil crayon, collage
Garden Sketch 3
2009
11×14 in: paper on board, pencil crayon
Chagall Window
2015
9×12 in: board, painted canvas, denim, thread, postage stamp
I wanted to replicate the shimmer of light on glass.
Watermarks, Lake Ontario
2009-2015
55×27 in: installation comprised of 4 pieces:
- Watermarks
- Untitled 3×11 in: Plexiglas,denim,threads
- Peaceful Uses of the Seabed
- Water’s Edge
In 2017 this work was included in the Ontario Heritage Trust cultural history project:”My Ontario”. It captures the constantly changing colours of the water of Lake Ontario as it moves from shoreline to horizon.
Watermarks
nine 6×8 in.panels: textiles, paint sample cards,envelopes
Peaceful Uses of the Seabed
30×8 in: canvas, denim, acrylic paint, envelopes, stamps, straight pins;
Water's edge
6×18 in: denim, paint sample cards, thread
Fluff
1995-2015
4×5 in: needlepoint,wool,thread,tape
Closing of the Fur Trade
2008?
9×12 in: paper, pencil crayon, newspaper clipping
When I read and heard about the collapse of the fur market, I envisioned stacks of wolf, lynx, silver fox, wolverine, opossum or raccoon hides piled or hanging in warehouses. I wanted to replicate the sheen, the silkiness of the undercoat and the coarseness of the outer hairs.
Rings and things
1996 – 2002
- Top left: brooch with mokumé hanging from silver “twigs”;
- Top right: mokumé sample;
- Lower right: brooch with oxidized silver circle holding a mokumé “skin”;
- Lower left: gold ring with 25 silver dots
Mokumé is a creation of layers of contrasting metals that give a woodgrain effect. I used silver, copper and gold. The technique is challenging – I really appreciate the silversmith instructor’s encouragement and help to produce these rings and things.
6-block bracelet
1998
7×3/4 in. silver
I wanted to use the “quilt” motif in silver. It seemed an impossible task, but the instructor understood my design idea and helped me bring the sketches to 3-D reality. Each block is curved, has a stamped pattern, and a framed edge. The blocks are hinged together.
Pin and Net
1996
11×10 in: Plexiglas, net camisole, brooch with silver tube, mokumé, threads.
These last three pieces are a tribute to my father,Ted – a brilliant cockney lad who joined the British Army at 14, was later posted to Asia and, following his discharge, remained in Burma where he trained in metallurgy in the silver mines. His manuals, filled with handwritten notations about weights of brass, copper, and bronze bars are mysterious to me!
Acknowledgements
Winston Emery – Photography of the installation, web builder
Garry Burns – Photography from Musée du Vieux Nimes
Marike and Simon Childhood drawings
Josef Albers – Interaction of Color
Whitney Chadwick – Women,Art,and Society
Johannes Itten – The Elements of Color
Malcolm Cormack – J.M.W.Turner
Tim McCreight – The Complete Metalsmith
Marc Edo Tralbaut – Vincent Van Gogh
Michele Walker – Quilting and Patchwork