FRCQ Virtual Group Exhibit PODS!=Possibilities!

By Bolder Textile Artists

Exhibit Description

Many flowering plants possess unique, fascinating,and often beautiful seed pods. These pods hold the possibility of new life and so embody the concepts of hope, rebirth, and the future. They also contain and represent the entire history of their plant ancestors and with it, the evolution of our planet’s vegetation from simple algae to today’s magnificent vegetal varieties. What’s more, they’re ubiquitous – they can be found in meadows, on mountains, and in our own backyards.

As artists, we appreciate the structures and textures of seed pods, as well as the inner workings of the plants that create them. After forming, protecting and supporting their delicate seeds,plants somehow know when to release those seeds into the air or soil to, hopefully, flourish and grow. No wonder they intrigue us and propel us to celebrate them.

Our group presents 3-D and 2-D fabric-based artwork based on our own interpretations of a wide variety of seeds, pods, and vessels. Our work includes abstract and sometimes whimsical pieces that will appeal to gallery viewers for their beauty, imagination and sense of fun.

Who We Are

We are members of FRCQ and a group of Colorado textile-based artists, Bolder Textile Artists (BTA) who have been meeting for four years to share ideas, information and support. Some of us have formal training, but most have learned through informal courses and by putting thousands of hours into our studio work. We are:

Christi Beckmann, Wellington

Judy Duffield, Boulder

Carol Eaton, Westminster

Jeanne Gray, Boulder

Sue Lewis, Boulder

Barb Olson, Boulder

Maria Lorenzo Sachs, Superior

Andra Stanton, Boulder

Artist’s Statements

Sue Lewis

Website: sustudioblog.wordpress.com and sustudiotextiles.weebly.com

Artist’s Statement

My textile work is largely inspired by words that resonate with me, surface designed fabric and the beauty of nature. I incorporate hand-stitching and use a wide variety of textiles, including vintage kimono silk, upholstery, hand-dyed or painted fabric, wool, Tyvek, dryer sheets, and organza. I incorporate found objects, such as wire, feathers, paper, mica, twigs, and clay. My intention is to connect with the viewer and draw them in for a closer look by presenting unusual imagery or materials. Repurposing is a strong pathway enabling me to connect the past with the present.

My current work includes 3-dimensional vessels as well as wall hangings. The artwork represents not only the structure, but the symbolic meaning. For instance, a pod, bowl or vase can be seen as a simple container or a protector holding something to be treasured. I value the unnoticed or unobserved and seek to celebrate the beauty that surrounds us.

Barbara Olson

Website: www.barbaraolson.net

Artist’s Statement 

My creative process is an exploration of the junction between personal experiences and inner reflections. I use fabric and stitch, color and texture, to communicate these musings visually.

Each piece I create is expressing a personal narrative that I hope becomes a dialogue with the viewer.  I want to know, “Where does my life touch yours?”

Christi Beckmann

Website: www.Christibeckmann.com

Artist’s Statement

My artwork spans many different mediums. I am motivated to create by the unknown “surprise” results I achieve by pushing the boundaries of the materials I have available. This process connects to deeper feelings I have about the beauty found in the aging process. My small sculptures with multilayered complex surfaces reflect depth and knowledge of the soul. Another theme I am pursuing is the resilience, diversity and acceptance found in nature. My new seed pod sculptures are following my own personal recovery from a near death experience. Nature heals and teaches strength and endurance.

Judy Duffield

Artist’s Statement

After years of work in careers reliant on words and numbers, I’ve leapt into a world of emotion and nuance through the nonverbal communication of fiber art. It’s been a challenging, frustrating, exhilarating, and liberating journey for me as I have learned new vocabularies of expression. It has also been incredibly satisfying to renew a connection with my late mom, who was a master of the craft of stitch.

Now living at the seam where the Great Plains end and the Rocky Mountain Foothills begin, I am continually inspired and delighted by and concerned about the landscape that surrounds me. To help express these emotions, I create fabric, and I’m entranced by the transformative processes of dyeing, painting, printing, burning, shredding, fusing, stitching, and otherwise manipulating materials to form my compositions. My work has been exhibited in group and solo shows throughout the US.

Maria Lorenzo Sachs

Website: www.textileheart.com

Artist’s Statement

My art is a process of manipulation and distortion. I am a perpetual learner and am curious about all forms of creative expression, which I draw on for inspiration. I believe in learning enough about a technique to be free to break the rules, which feeds my need for spontaneity and surprise.

I am currently working on textile-based projects that incorporate elements and techniques such as encaustic painting, photography, printing, dyeing, and machine stitching in both 2 and 3D formats.

My work is a true reflection of a creative life that has been a collage of many experiences (designer by trade, ceramic artist, and weaver). It continually fuels me and feeds my curiosity.

Carol Eaton

Artist’s Statement

At heart I am a surface design artist and have been creating original, one-of-a-kind fabrics for over a decade. I’m inspired by the natural world and gravitate toward warm colors, balance and an unexpected variety of textures. Often the fabric plays more of a key role in the overall design versus creating a design and then choosing the fabric and technique to begin a project.

Jeanne Gray

Artist’s Statement

My style of working is to gather materials and begin playing with them to see what they want to be. Eventually, an idea will begin and, if I can trust my inner voice and get out of the way, the design evolves.

My goal is to get what is inside of me out.

I am so fortunate to live in Colorado. Nature is such an inspiration for my work. I watch the wind blow the leaves and the sunlight move throughout the day. I hear birds sing. As the seasons change, my art flows with them.

Andra Stanton

Website: www.andrastanton.com

Artist’s Statement

I make two- and three-dimensional sculptures incorporating surface design techniques that represent themes of emotional and physical healing. I stitch the surfaces of my pieces with patterns that suggest my history of disability. Each object represents moments of meditation on both the safety of solitude and the joy of connection to friends and nature.

I make sculptures by experimenting with materials that are both familiar and unfamiliar. To create free-standing objects, this means trying different interfacings, soluble fabrics, and metal armatures. By doing so, each work is a learning experience, and another tool in my bag.

I’ve come to believe pivotal experiences permanently alter a person’s path. Art is my attempt to show the balance between comfort and pain, beauty and distortion, and the endurance of the human spirit.

Enjoy viewing “PODS!=Possibilities!”

(Click on any image to scroll through and see the overall images)

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