BREAKING THE SURFACE: CREATING DIGITAL FIBER ART IN MINNEAPOLIS!

The Textile Center will host a large collection of my works from March 10 – April 30, 2016, in the Library & Community Galleries.

First Light

I hope you get a chance to visit and if you do -please send me some pictures! I won't be in attendance but I'm there in spirit! 
more information here

Great Uses for Old Irons

I often use old irons to help me hold things on my work table. They are like a third hand! 
When I make a long cuts, I'll place an old iron at one end to hold the ruler firmly while I cut. 

They're great to cut slippery fabrics too. I'll use one to hold the fabric in alignment with my rulers markings while I position my ruler, then move it onto the ruler to hold it firm and make the cut. 

I have a collection of large beach stones that I can use if I don't have enough irons.

Serendipity Collage or Postcards

mounted section of larger substrate

Serendipitous Collage embraces the unknown and unexpected- magical!

Techniques will include Serendipity Collage Technique & painting techniques and an introduction to some medium enhancements. This workshop encourages the use of recycled materials and supplies you already have to compose a series of fabric collage postcards. Focus will be on spontaneous creativity & freedom of expression. 

Partially based on Wen’s article in Cloth, Paper, Scissors Jan/Feb 2011

2-4 days

mounted section sewn on painted cotton duck and stretched on artist bars

larger collage being cut into smaller sizes creates instant serendipitous compositions 

painting the edge for sealing and accent

postcards can also be matted

I loved teaching this workshop and would consider doing it on occasion. contact me if you'd like this fun workshop for your group or guild.

2015 Wrap UP

SELECTED AWARDS

Artist of the Month at Exeter Fine Crafts, Exeter NH
Panelist on the SAQA MA/RI regional meeting Natick MA
Beyond the Edge Solo at the Emporium Galley, S Berwick ME
Featured Speaker at the Sharon Art Center, NH

PUBLICATIONS

Quilting Arts Magazine

Quirky Quilts to Modren Art Quilts Book

Inspirations-Art Quilts Sandra Sider

EXHIBITS

Quilt National Athens, Ohio

Art as Quilt Transitions Fuller Craft Museum, MA

Visions Art Museum, CA

Invited exhibitor Emergence: Craft & Technology, Wayne PA

Quilts=Art=Quilts at Schweinfurth Art Center, NY

Invited exhibit- Digital Alchemy IQF Jane Dunnewold

Fiber Currents/Current Fiber Perrella Gallery, Johnstown, NY

WCA/NH, Force of Nature

Karl Drerup Art Gallery,150 Main St, Plymouth, New Hampshire

Synthesis at the DVAA in Narrowsburg, NY;

Whistler House Museum of Art, MA

Westbeth Center for the Art, NYC, Women’s’ Caucus for the Art Exhibit

Textile Center Member Exhibit, MN 1/8-2/28

Grand Marais Art Colony MN

SAQA Celebrating Silver exhibit travels various venues

Invited artist for "THE 100," Fiberart For A Cause's 2015 fundraiser for the American Cancer Society sponsored by Virginia Spiegel 

Gallery Seven, Maynard MA 2/24-4/4

Branching Out: Trees Interpreted, Emporium Gallery, South Berwick ME

League of New Hampshire Craftsmen- Headquarters Exhibit, Concord- Blue

Sharon Arts Center Exhibit, Peterborough, NH 

Thank you all for your support and encouragement!

Happy Holidaze!! Studio SALE

I'm working to get my Studio Sales Blog up to date. Some of these works are older but still in terrific shape. 
Some are new but in-between galleries. Some are experiments. Most have their PalPay buttons but some you need to email me to purchase. adding those buttons soon! 

In Boats Thy Fled

 I hope you'll visit!
Here!

Caged Again

Beyond the Edge Solo Exhibit

Opened September 18 and runs through November 15, 2015. 

 "In this exhibit Redmond explores her chosen medium fabric to see what it can do and to stretch its perception as an art medium. An unusual use of fiber combines painting and digital media."

 more info- here

and a lovely write up here

FIBER FEST at the Sharon Exhibition Gallery

Please join Wen Redmond at the Fiber Fest located at 30 Grove Street, Peterborough, NH

Wen will presenting a slide show, trunk show and talk about her journey with the digital fiber processes at the Sharon Art Center on OCT 3rd 1-2pm. Q&A too!

http://www.nhia.edu/about/news-and-events/news/fiber-fest

Artist of the Month at Exeter Fine Crafts

 August 2015 was a hot day to be in a cool gallery!

 I was there Saturday afternoon. It was wonderful to be able to share my love of fiber, photography and collage with the folks who visited.

 Hope you can get to 61 Water St,  Exeter NH to see it. Lots of work and some excellent prices!

Exeter Fine Crafts Artist of the Month

I hope you’re having a most relaxing summer! Just a short post about 2 events I’m proud to share!

I’m featured at Exeter Fine Crafts, Exeter NH as Augusts’ Artist of Month. Come by to see new works and some great discounts on other work! 

Reception on August 15th with more goodies, Q&A and more. Stop by anytime 1-4!!

http://www.exeterfinecrafts.com/aotm.html

And 2 of my works are in Living with Craft at the League of NH Craftsmen’s Sunapee Fair August 1-9 in Newberry NH.
https://www.nhcrafts.org/craftsmens-fair-exhibitions.php

Morning Window Reflections

very often, on awakening I have this grateful sense of the possibilities of the brand new day.
I may have a brief meditation, write a short poem or take a picture of a spectacular sunrise.
Here's a couple snippets to cheer you on...
unfurl the new day! sing the song of unwritten melodies!

the lake twinkles outside my morning window, glinting and winking it's serene call. a new day begins laden with promises...

'Full mOOn reflections'

'Full mOOn reflections', circa 2008, is an experiment with transparent fiber. It has several layers, with a circle was cut directly in the main piece.

 I re-used the circle, the mOON, elsewhere in the piece, repeating the design motif. The collage is done with mono-printed transparent silk organza, encouraging interaction between layers.

Each layer influences the whole picture, albeit metaphysically speaking, to see deeply. To go beyond what one sees in front of our faces, to see the innocent child beneath the tired store clerk, to wave a stressed driver to pass, to give each other some slack. The full moon has been blamed for negative reactions among humanity. However, in the matriarchal times, the full moon was a time of inner reflection, to go within and encourage an interaction. A time when the veil between worlds was thin. Thin as silk organza.

from my craft booth days...

 never thought a black booth would work but it really popped the work!

always crowded my booth 

lighting is so important!

Intuitive Pieced Jackets

used to make wonderful hand-dyed wool jackets in the early 90's.

Blast Out!

working on a very special project that combines all of my techniques, in one place, to share with folks in a most wonderful way!

Announcement- Retirement from Teaching! Thanks for the Years!

at Pro Chem, MA 2011

NH Mixed Media artist, Wen Redmond has made the bittersweet decision to retire from teaching workshops- unless inspired by mad impulse! 
Many of her techniques can be found in magazines or DVD's in links on her workshop page on her blog.
http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com/p/workshops.html

at the SDA Conference 2011

So she's not dropping off the map! It's just life has offered other opportunities both in her art and in her family that requires her devotion and energy.

Peters Valley NJ 2013

Here's what happened though-

2010 Northern Lights Quilt Guild

The NE guilds, MA/RI and NH/VT/ME hosted Leni Weiner at the recent SAQA meeting held during the MQX Festival in Manchester, earlier this month. Her talk was about listening to your voice, which I thought I've been doing.
However, listening also means not doing everything like you always have, it means eliminating parts of your art that aren't working for you anymore- etc- go listen to her lecture- Fantastic!

Milford NH Souhegan Valley Quilters' Guild 2011

Anyway, I realized that I don't want or need to teach anymore. I enjoy it but I have another focus both in art and family that helped me decide I can't spend the time on garnering, publicizing, gathering supplies, review, revision, travel, dealing with cancellations and keeping ALL the supplies in my studio for the next time. I will let it go! And never say never- there may be an odd workshop here and there.
sigh, thank you Leni!!

Quilters Connections 2010 

just a few photos from over the years. Many are before the digital revolution! 
Thanks for the Years!

Machine Quilters Exposition

Just Finished teaching
a 1/2 day workshop- Thermal Facts
and
a full day workshop- Holographic Memories
Where we had a wonderful class with lots of enthusiasm!

 Busy working!
Some of the participants took both classes and had personalized fabric for their frame borders!

 Never has hammering sounds been so sweet!

Adele with her awesome finished work! A Winter Fairy Land!

 Donna created the fabric just for this photograph. Very contemplative!

Diane choose a fabric from my stash for a finished Holographic Image that repeats the lines in her photograph for a harmonized result!

Great job Everyone! It was my pleasure to be your teacher!

MQX is a Rock Star Show. I hope you get to see it!

www.mqxshow.com

The Machine- Created for SAQA Silver Anniversary

Digital Fiber

A photograph of a reflection in a store window filled with antique sewing machines of all varieties

detail

Printed on Textured Molding Paste, stitched, and cut into segments. Each segment is hand-tied together.

molding paste drying

inkAid applied

Digital Broadcloth, paint, medium, pearl cotton & thread

34.5x45 

on table with backing and getting ready to cut into segments

Created for SAQA Silver Anniversary

A photographic reflection of a storefront window filled with sewing machines. This piece is dedicated to SAQA and the Machine that made modern fiber art possible!

The Machine

While walking on a street in Boston with my son, we passed a storefront window filled with antique sewing machines of all brands. What a delight! I took several photographs because I found it so interesting. The glass of the window captured the machines and the street we were standing on in a hazy reflection.

 The combination of the old sewing machines with the urban scene strike me as juxtaposition, representing the lengths that art quilting has traveled.

I chose to present this image printed on a molding paste substrate. I prepared interfacing as the substrate, spread on the paste & coated with an ink jet preparation. The image was divided accordingly, printed and quilted.

Some of the machines in the photograph are distorted and hazy so I quilted the machines in black at first, but they needed some additional highlighting. I choose a variegated black & silver to continue the theme of SAQA’s Silver Anniversary.

Each section was then reassembled viva hand stitching and tying. This technique resembles how SAQA holds all of the great variety in the art quilt world together.

Who else would appreciate the sewing machine as much! This piece, The Machine, is dedicated to SAQA and the Machine that made modern fiber art possible!

original photograph- can you see my son & me?