Grounded
Overwhelmingly, the entries to Textures of Canada demonstrated that Canadians value the unspoiled, natural spaces in which we live. The nine works in this group focus on a strong sense of place and time. While several artists identified a landmark or a place of special meaning or joy, others pointed to factors of what it feels like to exist in our space and climate. The work Skyline Treeline Fenceline Lifeline expresses the interaction and interdependence dependence we have on the landscape, while The Shape of Cold imparts the isolation and demands of our northern exposure, at the same time it portrays its stillness and untameable beauty.
Rooted
The eight pieces in this group reflect cultural identity and lived experiences of the artists. Their works express family, heritage, or immigration experiences. They include pastimes enjoyed in a particular locale, and the humble self-deprecation that is so enjoyed in Canadian humour. There is a profound awareness when viewing these artworks, that we share experiences and values as a people, even though we may be physically separated by thousands of kilometres.
Coast to Coast
Bounded on three sides by ocean, and gifted in abundance with rivers and streams,
Canada’s waterways offer much inspiration. Seven artworks were chosen for depictions of tidal or coastal life, wetland habitat, and the fish and fowl that find or sustain life in our waterways. This grouping includes unusual materials (fish skins) used as textiles, textile processes (breakdown screen printing) to portray life cycles of salmon, and combinations of art forms and materials to express abstract concepts of tidal flows (ceramics and felting). This grouping is an exciting glimpse of the diversity of textile processes within the Canadian textile community.
Naturally Connected
In this grouping, artists continue to focus on the natural world, and to illuminate the complexity and richness of our ecosystems. In Grounded the artist’s’ point of view is from a distance – on the landscape as a whole, or on a particular place. In Naturally Connected, the lens is on the details – on what is beneath our feet, or beneath the canopy of our forests, and what can be seen with discerning eyes. The artists invite you into a deep sense of awareness and protectiveness toward our environment. As with Coast to Coast, this grouping of nine images demonstrates current trends in textile artistry (eco printing, free form embroidery, natural dyeing), and crossovers between textile and other art forms (painting, art books, sculpture). It is an exciting combination of media and expression.
Inspired
This Inspired grouping highlights how seven artists have worked in series, inspired by their materials, or by a unique process, to create new work. Much like a scientist, growing artists place self-imposed constraints on their experiments, and then work in series to explore the limits of their materials or designs. Examples In this grouping, include digital manipulation of subject matter (Tin Hat Mountain Cairns), and repeating a technique (en plein air tapestry weaving, National Parks Project). My Voice documents extensive experimentation with natural dyes and mordants, while ‘The Shag’ riffs on abstraction by manipulating materials to create haptic texture. Other artists create a series, by using colour or by changing raw materials. (From My Neck of the Woods; I Am Not There .. .- -- -. --- - - .... . .-. . -; and Near and Far).
