Recent multi-media show activity

My website refers briefly to some of this but I can expand on it here making it more tangible for readers with a couple of visuals.
In July my work appeared at the Sarah Sterkin Gallery in Gannanoque Ontario. This was a multi-media show that resulted in one major sale for me - Swept Up 31''x43''

Swept Up hand-dyed silks, quilted 43x31''
© 2006 Kit Vincent

I will miss it, but I know that it is in a good place in its new home.

In August, Wild 51''x 45'' was juried in to the Best of TIA and won the FABR award.

Wild hand-dyed cotton & silk, quilted 127 x 123cm
© 2007 Kit Vincent

In November, it travels to Toronto as it has been juried into Ontario Craft '07. This is an exhibition of works by members of the Ontario Crafts Council. Wild will be on display from November 15 to December 13, at the OCC Gallery, 990 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario.

In September, Paul and I mounted a two-person show at the Sandra Whitton Galley in Kingston Ontario, called - Two Studios: The work of Paul and Kit Vincent. No sales here, but it was our first experience in assembling what we had originally thought were disparate works into a cohesive whole. With Sandra's help we discovered these similarities. Below is a copy of the e-flyer that was distributed to targeted mailing lists.

Here is a picture of the front of the gallery on hanging-day; the only day I brought my camera... darn.

In October, Paul and I participated in an open studio tour Autumn Leaves which took place over two weekends. We both had a couple of modest sales and we met a lot of people, Canadians from Manitoba and Americans from NY and New Hamshire!

Currently, we are both participating in a multi-media show at the Chameleon Nation Creative Emporium (I absolutely just love that name!) a brand new gallery at 112 Princess Street in Kingston Ontario. The show is on till October 31 - so try and catch it if you are in the area.

Front of rack card
back of rack card.

Time to lower the temperature in my summer studio

and get back in the swing of blogging...

This is a snap I took of Louise Bourgeois' magnificent sculpture Maman . It sits (or I should say hovers...) in front of our National Gallery on Sussex Avenue in Ottawa. I took this shot through a window so a lot of definition is lost, but Maman carries a full sac of eggs that are fun to look up at when standing directly underneath.


Ok to be frank, its more like 40 degrees in my summer studio now and somehow, my worktable has been pushed aside and a kayak and other dock debris have been moved in. The spiders and other little creepy crawlies will be sooo happy to cosy up to all this new stuff over the winter months. My summer studio is now officially closed for 2007. My dyes & paints have been moved back up to more temperate quarters for the winter months.

And, yes I have taken a little blog-break these past few weeks.
This is a behaviour pattern that has popped up on occasion ever since I began blogging. I have finally decided to stop fighting it and instead to go with it. I recognize that these temporary blips do fly in the face of blogging tenets, but I seem to need the break from time to time.
After a short spell, I always return with renewed vigour and lots to show.
This blogging activity has been a process of discovery for me. I admire fellow bloggers who can keep the monologue (and in some cases even a dialogue with readers) going without blips or gaps. What an art that is...
Anyways, for what its worth , I'm back!

www.kitvincent.com Website Update

Refuge 27.5 "x 28"


A new gallery has been added to my website to showcase some new work done this year.

Britannia Gallery, Ottawa, ON

The vernissage for our group show took place last Thursday. What a turnout - we even had two sales! After so much planning and work it was great to see our work up on the wall and under lights. Oh yeah, and it gets to stay there longer than a week...what a treat!
The owner of the gallery, David Meuser was a gracious host and very patient with the six of us and our many last minute requirements.
I have included a couple of snaps of the show and two of my ten works.

This is our e-mail invite that features our collective piece.
This piece entitled Beginnings consists of six panels, each 18"x 48". They hang together one inch apart. The panels represent a diversity of chosen media but are united thematically and therefore come together as a whole.

Starting from left to right is a panel by Jennifer Hodge, pieced and quilted, P. Susan Clow, appliquéed and quilted, Wendo Van Essen, needle felted, Pat Lemaire, commercial fabrics free motion quilted, Kit Vincent (me), raw edged appliqué and hand quilted, and lastly, Catharina Breedyk Law, appliqué and free motion quilted.

Here we are, waiting for the show to start, standing "in front" of our work, Jennifer, Susan, Wendolina, Pat, me, and Cathy.



This piece is hot off my wall. Wild measures 48.5"x 48". This snap is a bit dark and doesn't show the colours or the stitching all that well - I will go back, get another shot of it and re-post.


This small piece Rasberry Green is 13"x 15", raw edged appliqué, machine and hand quilted.
I have eight other pieces in the show - photos to come.

You can find a more detailed record of the entire show here.

more new work

48"x 48" Ready for thread work.
This one is the reverse of the first one - oddly enough I like it better. I'm off to make more.

New work, ready for threadwork

I am getting ready for a show at the Britannia Gallery in Ottawa ON. This piece is one of seven. It is 48" x 53". The image on the right shows a paper sketch with batting pinned over it. A the first couple of shapes fused to it.

Work Underway

A sample of stitched resist done in San Antonio.

Here is what's on my front burner these days

1) Group show: Seven Threads Studios at the Britannia Gallery in Ottawa, ON - 1 -31 May, 2007
2) Open House Studio Tour as part of the Thousand Islands Arts (TIA) group, also in May

3) Fibre Art Retreat organized by the Seven Threads Studios at the Glen House Resort in the Thousand Islands, 20-22 April, 2007

Yikes!




Back in my dye lab, here is a shot of my new work surface.
A 4'x 6'piece of plywood, covered on both sides with polyester felt, stapled and duck taped around all four sides. This allows both sides to be used, and the top slides easily across its two supports - the sink counter edge and an old microwave cabinet on the other side that just happens to be the right height.
Even though this is a small space, I still have access to both sinks when needed.

N.B. I Still haven't painted the room yellow yet. black stain on door still there from my dye spill a while back.

I covered the felt with with poly cotton sheeting as it doesn'tbond well with dye but absorbs wet under the art work (plastic would cause puddling). The sheeting gets tossed into the wash regularly. This large surface allows me to work with larger pieces of wet cloth when stamping, silk screening, stencilling, or foiling, etc. - is much more efficient than what I had previously.
It can also be removed and stored vertically when I want it out of the way.



Small sample showing two dye baths, wrapped, scrunched, stamped, and thermofaxed.

Below is a larger piece 60"x 72" just out of its first bath. This is a 2 yard piece from a bolt of Hathaway shirting. The Hathaway Factory in Prescott ON was closed Christmas week three years ago putting 140 people out of work. I was lucky enough to come across a 100 metre bolt of 60" light blue shirting. I would have preferred white, but the light blue is almost as good. It has a satiny shine to one side and loves all kinds of MX dyes. More of this panel to come.

The last of the scarves...for a while

At last, the last of the fringed scarves for the Tay Gallery in Perth, Ontario.
Each one required hours and hours of fringe detangling. I used EVERYTHING in the book. Swishing the fringe in softened water, hair conditioner, shampoo, milsoft, ironing, combing with wide toothed, mid and fine-toothed combs, and finally cutting the tangles off - reducing the fringe to half its original length.
Next time, the fringes will need to be sewn (basted) ahead of any surface design treatment. We live and learn.

Off to the Tay River Gallery in Perth ON

I just love velvet!
As velvet loves dye. It soaks up every molecule of colour - rich deep shades result. Recently I pole wrapped 20 of these scarves, each 15 x 72 inches. Some of are examples of bomaki shibori (bark-like marks), others are arashi shibori (rain-like marks) wrapped with twine at an angle on the pole.



This lot will be making its way to the Tay River Gallery in Perth Ontario