Dorothy Caldwell Silent Ice Deep Patience @ AGP 2

Lake by Dorothy Caldwell, 2013; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Several months have passed since I saw the Dorothy Caldwell exhibition at The Art Gallery of Peterborough. I think about the textiles often and only now are the words beginning to come to me to share my deep experience of them. Caldwell's work demands time to consider and reflect. To paraphrase India Flint, Dorothy's textiles in the Silent Ice Deep Patience exhibition have permeated my soul. Whenever my soul is engaged, the words take a hike.

Lake detail by Dorothy Caldwell, 2013; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Although the large-scale work was impressive, the smaller-scale textiles drew me in the most. Lake, about 18" X 24" and coated with earth ochre from a sacred ochre pit in Australia, is one of those intimate pieces that claimed my attention. The smaller works were like a universe that I could fully enter and absorb one layer of detail after another. The large works made me wish that I had a pair of binoculars and a Skyjack lift so that I could better see the upper details of the textiles. I was frustrated in a good way. 

Lake detail by Dorothy Caldwell, 2013; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Spend some time with Lake. Go away, preferably for a walk, then come back to it. Do you see more than you did the first time? I guarantee that that more you look, the more you will see. It's astonishing in its subtle detail.

Lake detail by Dorothy Caldwell, 2013; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Lake, 2013 Stitching on cotton with earth ochre

All photos were taken with permission from Dorothy Caldwell and the fine staff of the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

Quotes: Jane Kenyon

"Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular hours." –– Jane Kenyon (1947-1995, American poet and translator

* I found this in Dani Shapiro's Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life, 2013. One day I'll track down this poem and read it directly. Dani Shapiro quotes Kenyon's opening line "Be a good steward to your gifts." Several online sources quote "Be a good steward of your gifts."

After a very busy summer, I am following Kenyon's advice by working in silence and limiting my internet usage and movie watching (despite the fact that I do most of my stitching while watching movies on the computer). Silence and solitude are drawing me back into the much-missed rhythm of my work.

Toronto West Queen West street art

Toronto Graffiti; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Vogue magazine recently listed Toronto's West Queen West as the second hippest neighbourhood in the world. Yes, it's hip and it has great street art.

Sanko Trading Mural; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

I'm particularly smitten with Sanko's new mural. If you are looking for a wide selection of Japanese pottery and foodstuffs, this is the place to go. 

Sanko Trading Mural detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Toronto shop sign; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

I have no idea what this sign says, but I like it a lot.

Pattern

I spotted this shirt and it gave me an idea of how to use some of my subtler intuitive mark-making drawings as backgrounds for bold repeat patterns. Pardon the blur, the woman was walking as I photographed the shirt.

Not only do I love the shirt's half-drop repeat pattern, I also admire the woman's look.

Quotes: Claude Bernard

"The true worth of an experimenter consists in his pursuing not only what he seeks, but also what he did not seek." – Claude Bernard (1813-1878), French physiologist 

Studio Series: Lent drawings & more

An accumulation of Lent drawings © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Today marks 200 days since the beginning of Lent and this intuitive mark-making practice. Lately I've gone through a lot of acrylic ink as you can see from this pile of drawings. FW acrylic artists' inks offer a consistent quality. They cost more than other acrylic inks, but are worth it. 

Lent drawing & triangles quilt square © Karen Thiessen, 2014

The circles drawing in the above image is on an envelope with a subtle security pattern. I have a large collection of security patterns and not all of them are that interesting on their own, but they provide a nice background for my Lent drawings. To the right is my first attempt at piecing with triangles. I have more waiting to be sewn. I'm curious to see how I can push the triangle and how I will integrate it with other techniques.

Grave Ampersand

Brother's Grave Ampersand; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

On a recent visit to my late brother's grave I noticed the ampersand for the first time. Since then, I've been drawing multiple versions in my sketchbooks. At first I tried to draw the fancy version of the ampersand from memory and discovered that I couldn't remember how it looked. Now I've got it down pat.