"Contrasting Elements" - Jae Maries - 16 May 2016
Jae Maries gave an enlightening talk about her work and inspirations, highlighting some of the contrasting elements which feature in her art - light and dark, energy and tranquility, cold and warm. Unbleached calico is Jae's textile of choice, either painted with oil paints or dyed. Fabrics are often manipulated and stitched, with colour added later, perhaps with a palette knife or sponge roller. Simple hand stitches are used for accent and impact, highlighted by a limited palette. You can see on Jae's work on her website with this link - www.jaemaries.com - and to whet your appetite the following pictures are a sample:
The following day Jae gave a workshop, setting exercises in mixed media with the emphasis on exploring contrasts of colour and texture. The first warm up exercise was quite precisely defined and although each completed piece was different there was a unity when displayed together, as you can see from the image on the left
Further exercises were enlightening and liberating - playing freely with paper and stitch, textile and glue, with many embellishments from rusty nails to tiny beads and everything in between. Some colour palettes were muted and restrained, others a riot of colour, as you can see from the images below. The pieces produced at the workshop may well be the inspiration for new work - perhaps in time for the next group exhibition.
Further exercises were enlightening and liberating - playing freely with paper and stitch, textile and glue, with many embellishments from rusty nails to tiny beads and everything in between. Some colour palettes were muted and restrained, others a riot of colour, as you can see from the images below. The pieces produced at the workshop may well be the inspiration for new work - perhaps in time for the next group exhibition.
