Fibreworks VIII Group Exhibition

Like a jealous lover, my art has forbidden me to communicate or entertain much over the past few weeks, requiring me to be in the studio at the crack of dawn, allowing me only the shortest of breaks to eat, and then having the audacity to infiltrate my dreams throughout my sleeping hours. Because the muse had appeared so unexpectedly after a worryingly lengthy fallow period, I thought it best to obey, lest the slippery blighter disappear and leave me stranded once again. So I apologise for not turning up at the page, but hope to rectify it now by showing you the fruits of my labour.

To fill you in, I am taking part in the biennial group fibre art exhibition, Fibreworks VIII at the ArtSPACE Gallery in Durban, opening on Monday 29th September.

Fibreworks is a group of kindred spirits, who come together to motivate and support the growth of fibre art in South Africa. Formed in 1997, the group is comprised of about 50 members, most of whom are living in South Africa. Through a selection process, the group welcomes artists who are dedicated to making quality work from fibres of many kinds. As one of the founding members, I always enjoy taking part in their group exhibitions. The standards are high, which motivates me to keep working, forcing me to grow as I explore new ways to express myself.

Now I’m normally quite organised, and tend to plan way ahead of time so that I can think, play and enjoy the process of creation, but this time I found I had left things a little late. So I decided to revisit a work that I had started several years ago, which I had never finished. After sitting with it for a while, I suddenly could see the way ahead and soon found myself obsessively sewing against the time restraints. Well, the signature was embroidered half an hour before lift-off, when “Viewpoints”, photographed and packaged, was couriered to its destination. Along with it went a smaller piece of work, entitled “The Promised Land”, which will form part of a parallel exhibition within the same venue, called Major Minors.

Last minute stitching on my entry “Viewpoints”

‘Viewpoints’
Medium: Fibre
Size: Approx 1.8m x 90cm

The Promised Land
Medium: Embroidery
Size: 25cm x 25cm

So with the Fibreworks Exhibition ticked off the list, it’s now time to get back to a new commissioned landscape that is waiting patiently on the easel. I will be bringing you more on this in a future post. In the meanwhile, it’s Sunday and raining, so what better thing to do than curl up with a good book? Tomorrow starts a new week and as I set off across the garden to the studio, I know that I will be thinking how lucky I am to be earning my living doing exactly what I love.