Ligaments and Ligatures opens Today! at Ottawa City Hall Art Gallery. Vernissage will take place from 5:30-7:30. Exciting!
June 13, 2013
May 30, 2013
Portland and Open Engagement #OE2013
I recently attended Open Engagement 2013 at Portland State University. It was a great weekend of workshops, lectures, keynotes, all the networking that goes along with a busy conference. Open Engagement "is an annual international conference that sets out to explore various perspectives on Art and Social Practive and expand the dialogue around socially engaged art making." What I took away from the attending #OE2013 is the importance of community in our daily lives, whether you work as an artist, or have a 'regular' job, engaging with the community in which you live will enrich your life and offer a sense of place and belonging. It could be a as simple as visiting a library, attending a class at a community centre, or developping your own project that people can get involved in. It makes so much sense that this conference took place in Portland, because people in Portland are Really into their community. Whether its their beautiful gardens, bicycling, food trucks, composting etc...everything that makes a place great to live in, they are doing it.
It was valuable to hear about interesting projects and art practices, as well and enjoy the amenties of the city.
The Beautiful Portland State University Campus:
Panel Discussion: Craft and Social Practice
Craft Workshop with Carol Lung (AKA Frau Fiber)
Talk is Cheap by Silvia Juliana Mantilla Ortiz
Bicycle Love!
Portland icons:
And the ROSES!!
Beautiful rododendron trees
My lovely hosts Eric and Marci, and house guest Carole Lung (from Long Beach, CA). So nice to have met some really wonderful Portland people. Thank you so much for your generous hospitality and bicycle borrowing!
April 29, 2013
Hot off the sewing table...
Adorable and colourful items for my upcoming studio sale with Cynthia O'Brien on Sunday. I have a few more days to get ready. Can't wait to see what else will emerge. It's Spring! Time for #colour!
April 26, 2013
Clothing and Clay Studio Sale!
Dear Lover of Textiles and good things,
My friend Cynthia O’Brien and I are in cahoots to have a pre-Mother’s Day studio sale extravaganza. Please drop by and peruse our spring bounty in clay and clothing!
Sunday, May 5th
1:00pm to 6:00pm
190 James Street, Apt #1
Gallbladder: take it or leave it
I recently completed the gallbladder. It has some little yarn ball 'stones' spelling out stones. This organ stores bile (ugh, the thought of that makes me queasy) that is produced by the liver. Stones happen for various reasons, body chemistry, weight, and possibly diet. It is one on of those organs that can just be taken out, if its causing too much trouble. So its a funny little sack of an organ. Take it or leave it.
March 17, 2013
Thailand Trip pics
With the winter feeling long, I had to remind myself that we took an amazing adventure trip back in January to Thailand, Cambodia and Hong Kong. There have been many photos to sort through and figure out what to do with them all. Just looking at the pics reminds of the hot heat that happens in other parts of the world. So grab a cup of tea, settle in, and browse our holiday. I think you'll feel warmer for it.
We started in Bangkok with a week in the city, took a train to the Cambodian border and a taxi/bus to Siem Reap. A few days of exploring the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat, then back to Bangkok for a few nights. An overnight train/bus/boat journey brought us to the beautiful island of Koh Lanta for a week, where we idled away the days in hammocks with Pina Coladas. Back to Bangkok and onto Hong Kong on the journey home.
March 07, 2013
Stomach Ulcer Time Lapse
Time Lapse of sewing the Stomach Ulcer for my exhibit at Ottawa City Hall Art Gallery, June 13-July 30 2013: Ligaments and Ligatures. #LAL13
February 24, 2013
Lungs 101 for #LAL13
This is how I made Lungs that go with the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis for Ligaments and Ligatures:
Start with trolling the internet for nice lung photos
Make a sketch:
Make a wire frame and wrap it with foam and rope.
Enjoy the colour combinations of beige, burgundy and dusty rose. Wrap it up. Wrap Everything.
All wrapped up:
Still need to play around with the avioli drapping and the lobe shape,
but otherwise things are looking pretty pretty
November 22, 2012
I'll be at Idle Hands craft show this weekend!
I'll be at Idle Hands Craft Show with my KBergmans.com clothing line this Saturday! Cozy sweaters, cute shirts and skirts, shrugs and sweet bloomers! Lots of crafters, goodies and local handmade items for everyone.
Saturday, November 24th Saturday, November 24th
$3 admission
At St. Anthony's Banquet Hall - 523 St. Anthony St off of Preston at the Queensway
Doors open at 10 am
November 10, 2012
How to Make a Pancreas in 10 Easy Steps
How to Make a Pancreas in 10 Easy Steps:
1. Locate 18m of blue seafoam polyester 6 months before you know you will be making a pancreas.
2.Make a sketch that roughly resembles a human pancreas. Take great artist liscence. Ignore all aspects to scale ratio, colour, etc...
3. Select colours and fabric. Make a pattern. Make it BIG. Try out some foam.
4. Cut the fabric. Add interfacing.
5. Get more foam and give it some shape. Truss it up.
6. Make an infinite number of blue dots (and a couple of red dots) with the sewing machine. Hand sew piles of blue dots together into small panels. Sew. Hand sew panels onto pancreas form. Sew. Hire a friend to help sew *(Jenny McMaster!). Drink tea. Sew. Go for a walk. Sew. Meditate. Sew. Drink more tea. Sew. Sew. Sew. For 3 months.
7. Document Obsessively. Post pics to various places on the interweb and social media.
8. Try the pancreas out in different poses. See what it can do.
9. Add some grommets and tarp strips. Sew everything to the surface. Make it strong.
10. On the home stretch...
3 million people in Canada have diabetes. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or does not respond to the insulin it produces. Insulin regulates the body’s blood sugar levels.
