ARB Exhibiton 2016 Photos

I have lost my rhythm and routine for posting blogs. Did I ever have it?. 

There are so many distractions, and time goes by so quickly. I believe though, that it is important to keep up with it however erratic my posts might be. With a bit of discipline and determination I will get there (I will never give up trying). My exhibition was a great success. I was pleased with the overall layout of the work that I displayed. It came together and showed a strength which I had not realized was present in my work. I saw some pieces differently and they took on a whole new meaning in the venue that was the exhibition space. I have a few photos to share below.

I loved the impact that these quilts made at the entrance.

Smaller quilts on the rails.

The building has wonderful architectural qualities which complimented the work. I used the railings to hang a few quilts and the larger ones were really quite breathtaking on entering the foyer.

Ilatmal wall hanging

The floor in the photo above had a collection of  three pieces entitled I am not my hair, I explored the ideas of traditional beauty and how sometimes you are stereotyped  based purely on how you look. My inspiration was drawn from  reactions to my own hairstyle. They were behind glass so did not photograph well.They were positioned on the yellow wall.

These two pieces were placed at the end of the corridor

The small piece on left is inspired by my mother and her battle with Alzheimer's, it is a mixed media painting with images of haunting symbols which resemble African masks. Alongside this I placed "Question of a Woman" a quilt based on the Ngady masks.

The yellow wall complemented these pieces

This piece was made from handmade paper and Tyvek.

I am now looking forward to my next exhibition and hope that I am able to produce even more stimulating and thought provoking work.Finally a photo of Melissa below with a quilt I made of her using her dyed fabric, she was pleased as it made a powerful impact at the end of a dark corridor.

Melissa with a quilt made in her likeness.

A poem by my gifted daughter Krystal - If You Do Not See Me Smile

My blog seems to have become a showcase for my children but this poem was written by my eldest daughter Krystal. She has had difficult times in her short life but still she manages to shine. She is talented and beautiful, a wonderful mother and brilliant loving daughter. I had to share this with as many people as possible. It is full of emotion and demonstrates her gift of writing.

If You do not see me smile
Or it doesn't reach my eyes
It's because I am exhausted
Of pretense, and all the lies.
I'm dreading to be asked "are you ok? What do you need"
I say "I'm fine" when deep inside I'm screaming "To be freed".
I don't want sympathy or pity, I don't want to moan.
I don't want to be seen as weak or selfish, or to be told "you're not alone."
I feel guilty for feeling out of control, it hurts so bad, how can this be?
It feels I can't breathe and it hurts to do so, I'm tired and angry at me.
Yes I can count my blessings
Why else do you think I'm still here?
It is why I keep on going, despite the anxiety, pain and fear.
"There are so many people who are worse off"
"There are others struggling too"
"Stop being so stupid, and just get on, the world doesn't revolve around you."
Is that what everyone is thinking? I can't keep these thoughts at bay
People say "it could be worse", and it could be,
But it just doesn't feel that way.
I'm tired of wearing a mask, when behind it I'm falling apart.
But no one really wants to hear about my broken body, mind or heart.
So im sorry if you think me selfish,
melodramatic or rude,
I am not purposefully trying to be, I'm just trying to get through.
I miss my family, they are all far away and I miss the country I called home,
Despite being surrounded by people I often feel isolated and alone.
Most of the time I don't want to be seen, haggard by my mental health.
I don't ask for help because I don't want to be judged, I should just be able to do it myself.
Don't assume what you do not see or understand, all You see is the tip of an iceberg
The part submerged beneath the waves is not visible to the world.
My pregnancy isn't a burden, the pains aren't why I'm like this,
It offends me that anyone would assume that's my view when my last child is in the arms of Jesus.
I love my children beyond all words, it is they who keep me alive.
They are my little heartbeats and without them I would surely die.
If I knew how to get better, don't you think that I would say?
I hate the darkness and the sadness, of course I don't want to be this way.
If you think I can just snap out of it then you clearly don't understand.
My invisible illness is not something that is controllable or planned.
You don't have to say anything, I don't expect to be understood.
I know those that care about me do whatever they can or could.
To those who've not judged, assumed or scorned me, I really cant thank you enough.
Just treating me like a person and giving me comfort has helped me feel more tough.
Mums at school you have been a support, and even being at my lowest low
Have never said anything other than kind words of encouragement and have helped more than you could know.
I don't have the mental strength to talk about the depth of my feelings and why,
I just needed to get some of my feelings out there, and thought this was worth a try.
I'm not sure if anyone will read it, I don't know how they'll react if they do.
I'm not usually able to express feelings so personal through and through.
It's unlikely I will say anything more, as I feel vulnerable and exposed,
But I know that I will only get much worse if I keep completely closed 

Always About My Mother

I know that my grieving process has been helped by my ability to create art, Quilts in particular.My quilts based on my mothers Alzheimer's have helped me to deal with my feelings about it, how it affected my mother, my family and myself. I have recently finished yet another quilt from the very last photograph I took of her. Please have a look at the stages of this quilt's development below.
First, I cropped the photograph to give the effect of her peering around the door. She always did this in a playful manner when she was in prime health, it gives a glimpse of her sense of humour, she would often sneak up and stand peering from the corner of a doorway, sometimes causing a loud squeal (from me) when I realised she had been watching me for ages. I now do this to my children and sometimes get similar reactions (squeals and laughter).
Although her image is not a laughing happy one with no smile or twinkle in her eye, in essence it is still her. I am instead showing an image of someone (my mother) peering out, trapped trying to escape, a total contrast to how this scene would have played out when she was well, (before Alzheimer's took her). The forever lost expression of Alzheimer is evident in this.

To begin with I cropped the photo, enlarged it and pinned it onto the wall of my studio (Photo 1). I sometimes prefer to paint this way. I am trying to document and share my creative  process by showing the development of my work so expect to see more of this in my blogs.
 For this piece I began on printed yellow fabric instead of my own hand dyed fabric as an experiment, to see if this manufactured fabric would affect the end result.

                                                           Photo 1
                                                             

The Photograph in the middle shows the cropped photo of my mother which I used, to the left is the enlarged  drawing / outline on paper  and on the right, the initial painted areas on the yellow printed fabric.

                                                           Photo 2

In this one (Photo 2) the image is beginning to show some development with dark areas and middle tones added.

                      

 I am feeling the form of the face taking shape not totally happy with her eye.

                    It is progressing well, work is needed on the hair, that eye is still a problem for me.

                                 I think this is a good representation which will be enhanced with stitch. It is time to prepare for quilting.

The selection of brown Gutermann  and Madiera threads .

Finished quilting, and kept stitching of the area around the eye to a minimum. This emphasized it.

detail of quilting.

Young woman with the Rams Horn - Painting a portrait part 2

This is the second video in my project which demonstrates how I sometimes create a quilt from an idea in my sketch pad to fabric and finally to the machine for quilting. It shows how I used the first painting as a template to develop the design. Using tracing paper, I add details to the figure and  background. For my background I have used a commercially printed fabric instead of my own hand dyed cottons.
 I have always been inspired by the work of Gustave Klimt and in this piece I have incorporated elements inspired by the background pattern used in his works Expectations and Fulfilment. I realised that these patterns  are similar to the Rams horn symbol used in Ghana and other regions of Africa. The Rams horn is a symbol of Humility, Excellence, Wisdom and Knowledge as mentioned in The book The Royal Arts of Africa  by Suzanne Preston Blier. I combined these elements and the final result can be seen below.

The completed quilt shows a female whose  facial expression quietly displays the qualities of the Rams Horn symbol tattooed on her neck. Her hair evolves into a crown like halo which elevates her to a saintly presence.

Portrait of a young woman

This is the second video which I have posted on my blog and the process  was done in my sketch pad (A3) using water soluble colours.

 

This video shows how my idea develops from a simple outlined drawing inspired by colours I liked  from another image, This is the first stage of a process which resulted  in a small quilt. I have divided the film into two parts, the fist bit is done on paper and then the same image is transferred to fabric. The final quilt will show elements which are inspired by Klimt and Ghanaian symbols.

Look out for Part 2 when I transfer the image to fabric, develop the design and quilt it.