“The Canadian prairie was once the bottom of a vast prehistoric sea. Sometimes my weaving is about this place. In my weaving, plant sourced colour has an analogous connection to landscape and the natural world. I have worked with plant dyes for more than twenty years and in that time my palette has been delimited by shades of sun bleached straw in wind swept snow and faded barn reds. The presence of these specific shades in my work evokes the peculiar phenomenology of colour on the prairie that makes it possible for my father to describe his favourite colour as “sky blue-pink.”
I am pleased to share that I am participating in an exhibition at the Craft Ontario Gallery in Toronto, Canada June 8 to August 26, 2017. Chromatic Geography: Natural Dyes in the 21st Century is curated by Rachel MacHenry and Thea Haines and features the work of: BioDye, Liam Blackburn, Studio Blond & Beiber, Abigail Booth, Caroline Forde, Gitte Hansen, Hiroko Karuno, Mackenzie Kelly-Frère, Jason Logan (Toronto Ink Co), Maiwa, Matson & Palmer, Rowland Ricketts, Megan Spielman and Gabriel Zurita.
(I am especially honoured to be showing my work with one of my students (and soon to be ACAD alumnus) Caroline Forde.)
Caroline Forde Sustainable Design Series: Screen-printed pillows
If you are in the Toronto area, join me for the opening reception June 8 from 6-9 pm or the following evening for a panel discussion about natural dyes. There will be several other events surrounding the exhibition and I will share details once I have them.