Butler’s work is simply amazing with texture and depth and brilliant use of fabrics and stitching…
I don’t come close, I have to say.
Her pieces are large, each must take quite a bit of time to execute. I wish I had an opportunity to see them in person. Not going to happen. My travel days are pretty much over. But if you ever get a chance to see her work, jump at it!
Harnessing the power of empathy, Bisa Butler presents a tender, evocative suite of new works in her current exhibition, Hold Me Close at Jeffrey Deitch. The artist is known for her chromatic, multi-patterned quilted artworks exploring Black history, identity, and craft traditions. Her elaborate pieces combine materials like printed cotton, silk, sequins, beads, and velvet to create both large-scale tapestries and intimate vignettes.
Had a lovely day yesterday travelling to Parrsboro – my friend MaryAnn drove because she wanted to visit friends and family who live there. Our first stop was the Art Labs Studios and Gallery on Main Street to deliver and hang my four quilts and two wall pieces.
Finished Wall Hanging/Table Runner
I had finished the wall hanging “Circles #6” last week. It just fit the spot where it got hung (I’d created it for a different larger space in the gallery which was already occupied).
Here is a glimpse of the other half of the exhibit – William Forrestall’s work (egg tempera on paper).
MF relaxing for a moment
I had a chat with William Forrestall who made interesting observations about my work – he picked up on the connection to traditional quilting techniques but also noticed the focus on colour and the movement of colour – all intentional aspects of my work. He also commented on the technical aspects of the quilting.
Circles #5
The quilts are on display until August 30. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity, drop in for a browse.
Moving quickly. I have the background assembled and I can immediately see a problem I want to fix – that dark strip in the bottom left corner has to go! Needs to be lighter. I’m not sure about the second one- I think it may be OK.
The circles are pinned in place for the moment – looking at the photo I can see I want to move them about some more. I’ve also decided the whole thing will be an appliqué work – I’m not going to fight to insert the large circles into the background! So I’m moving along.
Tomorrow I’ll take all the circles off, and reposition them, overlap different ones, underlap others. But first, I need to take that dark strip out!
I also need a piece of buckram to stiffen the runner so it will hold its shape when I hang it horizontally. I’ll pick that up tomorrow, as well.
I actually started this quilt in the middle of May; I got sewing on it on June 18 (a month ago). I finished it last night (label and hand sewn hidden binding)!
Now I’m ready for the Art Labs show in Parrsboro, Aug 10-30.
I should be able to hang four throw quilts, including this one. I’m calling my contribution to this 2-person exhibit “Circles”.
Circle Quilt #5Circles On PinkDrunkard’s Path #5Planets and Moons
In reserve I have two others:
Skyline #3Study in Blue / Green
There’s also a narrow wall in the gallery where I may get to hang this small piece
Circles #4
I have time to create one more project – this one potentially will be a table runner, although if it gets hung at all it will be hung horizontally. Approximate dimensions – 45″ x 15″. An assembled background of five 9″ blocks in much lighter grey fabrics than Circles #4, each block with an embedded whole circle finished with appliqué embroidered circles, wherever.
Circles #4 is the only time I have tried embedding an entire circle in a background. I will give it another go just to get better at the technique.
I have until August 5 or so to complete the piece – that should be enough time.
I didn’t think I’d ever manage to finish this piece! It seems like I started it forever ago – I began on Jan 16 with a couple of inset circle blocks. Three days later I had the layout pretty much established and I couldn’t go any further (trump was sworn into office the day after that, and all hell broke loose…).
I picked it up two weeks ago and edge stitched the appliqué circles and then was stuck again – should I also use decorative stitching around the large inset circles or leave them unembellished?
Three days ago I decided to try some embellishment – sat at the machine and immediately broke the needle (!), then didn’t like the particular stitching I started. It took close to an hour to remove what I’d done.
The next day I tried again and managed to embroider the large, lower-left circle, both inside and outside; stuck again. Yesterday, I was determined to get the rest done! I actually did.
Today, I added the binding. I’d chosen the black fabric with the small circles to tie the whole together and hoping a dark binding would lighten the piece (not as much as I’d hoped it would).
Now I’m looking for a name for it – something that highlights the bright circular shapes. Any ideas?
This morning in my email there were links from friends, passing on items I hadn’t seen because I don’t do Facebook. Three of them are serious analyses of this past week in the US.
Bernie Sanders a speech he delivered somewhere – I tried tracking down the original but can’t find it – it may actually be a transcript of a video of a speech he gave.
It’s becoming obvious that people in the US are finally waking up to what is really going on in their country and they’re starting to push back. Too bad they weren’t paying attention before the election! The warnings were there, loud and clear. People needed to see what the real consequences of putting trump in the presidency would be. And they’re not pretty.
It was all predictable. trump wasn’t hiding his plans. Project 2025 laid them out clearly in hundreds of pages of detail! The majority of people disregarded it all. But his agenda has been clear since 2015! And now he (and his oligarchs) are executing the plan!
People are also writing about how citizens can resist – Robert Reich offers a long list of actions individuals can take to push back against the destruction: Robert Reich – What You can Do
I wish I could be sharing my fibre art but I’m not producing much these days (I’m not even getting much knitting done, either). I managed to edge stitch the appliqué circles on that piece I was working on. I began thinking I was making a quilt – this is as far as I could go with the idea. The background is too dark – a reflection of what I’m feeling these days? I need to try another using lighter fabrics. Perhaps that will brighten my outlook!
It still isn’t finished – I’m planning on a very narrow binding using a black fabric with tiny circles. I’m also going to back it with a bit of stiffening so it retains it shape when it’s hung. Another day or so of work to finish it. After that – I have no idea. Likely a couple of garments that are waiting to be made.
My creativity seems to be on hold right now when I definitely need it most!
I’ve had the fabric, and a pattern to cut out the seat, hanging around my computer room for close to two months – just couldn’t get around to actually recovering the chair.
Today.
I managed to get it done today. In the end, I used the leftover fabric I had kept in my closet from the last time I recovered it (at least 20 years ago). There was more than enough for the seat and two kneeling pads. I used leftover batting to pad the seat and pads – they’re padded enough to soften them but not so much that it’s puffy.
The whole job – unscrewing the seat and kneeling pads from the frame, removing the staples from the previous covering, serging the fabric raw edges, placing double-sided tape on the seat and kneeling boards, stapling the new cover back in place, and reattaching seat and pads back to the frame – took me about three hours (with a time out for lunch).
This job is crossed off my “to do” list; now on to the next.
I have a floral fibre piece that’s been hanging around for at least 18 months – it needs a ton of thread painting. I barely started when I began the piece up. I’d hoped to have it finished so I could show it at the Craig Gallery – I didn’t get to it. It’s now at the top of the list, along with two other fibre pieces I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years.
Green BayLighthouse Park
Both pieces are composed of a couple of photos. I’ve set up a mock up to suggest a potential layout of each piece.
In “Fall Day at Green Bay” I intend cropping the rocks on the right and expanding the water between Deb and the rocks a bit. I want the content of the piece to end up around 15″ x 12″; framing will add to the dimensions.
In “Five Islands Lighthouse Park” I want to focus on the five islands which will mean playing with the perspective somewhat. The positioning of the large red Adirondack chairs with Joy and Dave will be determined by how that whole background shapes up. Again I’m aiming for a 15″ x 12″ pieced image, framing outside of that.
I’m still in the walking around and thinking about these two pieces phase; not quite ready to begin pulling fabric from drawers and boxes. In both projects I am going to have to paint white fabric for the sky. I’ll mix acrylic paint, dilute it, and brush it on white cotton/poly (which takes paint better than 100% cotton). I don’t have any in the house – that’s something I have to pick up in the next week.
There are a couple of potential garments also hovering in the back of my mind – I’m resisting them. I feel a need to get more art on the go.
On Sunday I took down the Craig Gallery Exhibit (can’t believe the three weeks went by that fast). I was collecting the tags on each item when I discovered a red dot on one of the quilts – SOLD! That was a surprise. From the start I wasn’t sure about pricing the quilts (and other pieces). Looks like I wasn’t out of the ball park after all.
Not only did I sell a quilt, I sold one of the wall art pieces, as well as two 6×6 floral pieces (one has been sold twice – a friend of my sister Donna wanted the same piece that another person had already bought; I wasn’t able to say “No” to her so I’m creating another; that’s actually three of the 6×6 pieces sold).
All in all, a good outcome for a show of this size, in a location like this. A lot of visitors dropped in, they all spent more time looking at the quilts and other fibre art pieces than usual, and all left with smiles. When I was in the gallery visiting with friends who’d come to see the exhibit, all sorts of people either eavesdropped on what I was explaining, or came over more overtly to join the conversation. Everybody I spoke to was very engaged and interested in how my art was constructed.
I was in Parrsboro hanging the first show today. It turned out the third woman who was supposed to be in the show with Colleen and me couldn’t make it, so Colleen and I shared the space between us.
Here’s what I hung (plus one more Bargello piece):
Bargello #2Cathedral Windows On Point DiamondsMad TeslaEscherTumbling BlocksSkyline #1 Material Matters! Quilts and Fibre Art
These pieces are by Colleen Davidson – she calls them “Moving Through Water”
Colleen Davidson Moving Through Water
You couldn’t have imagined two such different kinds of fibre work! Yet they hang together very well.
I work with traditional quilting materials using traditional quilting techniques. I play with colour and pattern/texture.
Colleen’s works here are on silk organza which she paints and cuts out and appliqués and stitches. The effects are very interesting and ephemeral! Her pieces all have the translucence and movement of water as the silk ripples with the slight air currents in the room.
I’ve never thought about creating anything like that – but as I work on new things this coming year, I must think about how to move toward more abstract creations!
The show is at Art Lab Studios and Gallery – 121 Main Street, Parrsboro. The show hangs until late Friday afternoon, Nov. 22. Do drop in if you’re in the vicinity!
jmn 