Shades of Van Gogh's Irises

Monday was the Potomac Fiberarts Gallery near monthly jury day. SAll work leaves the gallery and an entirely new body of work enters. Each piece is individually juried for acceptance on the basis of artistic quality and technique. This month our theme is Van Gogh's Irises. While not all work needs to be theme related, it is encouraged. 

First,Van Gogh's iris painting:

Three works were singled out as especially outstanding.
Gretchen Klimoski"s hand stitched and beaded silk jacket "Iris in a Clifton Garden":

 Joan Hutten's "Irises", hand dyed felted scarf.

 And Roz Houseknecht's "Purple Iris", nuno felted wool and silk scarf.

Many more iris theme items include: Silk scarves by Lubna Zahid (hand painted) and Joanne Bast (stitched)

 Beaded Necklace by Zoya Gutina

Hand painted scarf by Anna Yakubovskaya

Pieced and stitched Tote bag by Beverly Baker

Nuno felted silk Bolero "Spring" by Masha Kosmos

 Wool Felted neckpiece by Masha Kosmos

Cotton Necklace by Kathleen Thompson
                                                                                                      
Iris colored Hand woven scarf by Janet Stollnitz

 Hand painted silk adhered to the back of a glass platter by Lubna Zahid

For the past 4-5 years, a spring theme has been a classic painting and it always stimulates the creativity of out members. Joanne

More Nuno felt and new Gallery Theme-Van Gogh's Irises

I have a wonderful nuno felted neckpiece by Masha Kosmos to share. She states that The basis of this Necklace is 100% natural silk hand felted with very soft merino wool and silk fibers and Decorated with tears beads.

The front of the Necklace, from the top to the bottom is 6 inches deep.

The Length of this Necklace is about 21 inches.  

It is time for the Gallery to close the previous themed show and jury in another. The theme for the April-May show which will begin on Monday is Van Gogh's Irises. For the past few years, each spring we have selected a classic painting and encouraged members to interpret it in fiberart. I have some previews of works to be submitted to the next gallery show:

First, Masha has told me that she has made a nuno felt bolero for the Van Gogh exhibition but has not as yet photographed it.

Second, Joan Hutten has created a shawl based on iris colors.  It is wet felted with hand dyed wool fleece and angelina fibers in turquoises and lavenders.

Kay Collins selection is The silk painting is of a German bearded iris growing in her yard. She used silk dyes and painted on china silk with a "dry brush" technique that she has used when painting watercolors as opposed to the traditional silk painting technique of filling a loaded brush of silk dye between lines of gutta drawn on the fabric.

Roz Houseknecht's entry will be a nuno wool on silk scarf.

I (Joanne Bast) also have been working with the iris theme. A freeform machine stitched bowl of sewing threads, a silk scarf with stitched irises, and a felted wool and silk wall hanging.

The Van Gogh Iris Exhibition show be an interesting one. Come in if you are local. Check the website is you are not. Joanne

More Nuno felt

   I thought that I would follow up my nuno felting workshop with some photos of nuno felt work done by some of out gallery members.

Paige Garber and Roz Houseknecht try on nuno felted "boas" made by felting ruffles of wool to a central strip of silk.

                                      
My wool boa (Joanne Strehle Bast) of white wool on white silk.

 Kay Collins has used china silk, silk ribbon and merino tops wool to make the peach-colored nuno-felted scarf. Nuno-felting is called laminated felting by many felt artists.  The wool and ribbon are coaxed and imbedded through the woven silk fabric causing a ruching of materials. Hot water and olive oil soap were also used. Friction causes the fibers to migrate creating the felt cloth. The shrinking of the wool causes the ruffling of silk and ribbons which do not shrink.

 She used silk chiffon and white merino tops wool to make the peach-colored nuno-felted and hand-painted shawl.
                                      
Another of Roz's scarves felting wool flowers onto hand dyed silk.

                                      
 Nuno, hybrid or laminated felt produces a lighter weight result than an all wool product, perfect for the upcoming spring weather. Joanne

Hybrid Felt

Greetings, I am Joanne Bast back as your blogger for the month of April. I just returned from a wonderful workshop on Hybrid Felting given by Anne Vickery Evans as part of the SDA (surface Design Association)/SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) conference in Philadelphia, PA. Hybrid Felt also sometimes known as Nuno Felt is the bonding together of wool fibers with other fibers and/or fabrics. This is me using a thin layer of wool roving to attach small squares of colored silk charmeuse to a background fabric of hand dyed silk gauze.
I can't wait to expand on this technique to create items for the Gallery.