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Fabric art kicks off 25th year

Participants have been putting needle to thread for a quarter of a century

Art is everywhere and while most of us have a favorite painting on canvas hanging on a wall there is another style of art that can warm up a room in more ways than one.

There is an entire facet of art revolving around fabric and the possibilities for three-dimensional manipulation of fabric are endless. Fabric art is a style of art using fabric, yarn, and other fibers and embellishments to create a piece of art and the Old School House Arts Centre (TOSH) is kicking off its 25th anniversary year with an exhibition of West Coast fabric arts.

There are some amazing fabric art pieces currently on display right now, featuring artists using a wide array of techniques and creations.

The art of manipulating fabric goes far beyond quilting. Fabric art has had a long history in decorative as well as functional applications.

TOSH’s exhibition highlights tapestries, quilting and appliqué by wonderfully creative fabric artists who take the simplest of materials and create magic.

Several of the artists featured in the show work in groups, such as the Mid Island Surface Design group, whose members encourage each other as they develop their technique in the colouring, patterning, and structuring of fibre and fabric.

This technique involves the creative exploration of processes such as dyeing, painting, printing, stitching, embellishing, quilting, weaving, knitting, felting, and paper making.

Another participating group is the local tapestry making group, Tapis, that was formed in 1993 to bring Vancouver Island tapestry weavers together to share their enthusiasm for hand-woven tapestry, partake in group projects and exhibit their work.

Many of the Tapis members are internationally known artists.

TOSH is also featuring Vancouver Island fabric artists who exhibit individually.  Among them are Laine Canivet, Paulette Cornish, Donna-Fay Digance, Susan Duffield, Cecile Jacobs, Alison Kobylnyk, Susan Purney Mark, Ionne McCauley, Christine Rivers, Marianne Sadik, Kathy and Selby Saluke, Gillian Smith, Elserine Sprenger,  Jens Von Draby and Coreen Zerr.

The exhibition runs until February 18.

An opening reception is being held on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.

The reception is open to everyone and is an excellent opportunity to meet many of the artists.

 

The Old School House arts centre is located at 122 Fern Road West, in Qualicum Beach.  For more information phone 250-752-6133 or visit www.theoldschoolhouse.org.