Almonte Library/ Saturday September 27, 12-1 pm
The Corridor Gallery at the Almonte Library invites you to an artist talk, featuring local artist and arts educator Vanessa Coplan, whose work is currently on show at the gallery.
After spending many years of her art journey creating mixed media paintings and drawings, she discovered the incredible world of textiles. Having been very moved by the felt cut outs and hand sewn works of First Nations communities from Baker Lake, and drawings from Cape Dorset, Vanessa pays equal homage to Tracey Emin’s work and that of Lucy Sparrow and Judy Martin, as well as the foremothers of much contemporary textile art, Joyce Weiland and Sheila Hicks.
The textile art that resonates most strongly with her is that of patchwork, with fabric, needles, thread and embroidery floss. She is thrilled by the Sashiko and Boro stitch work of Japanese textiles and the philosophies of Wabi Sabi, Kintsugi and Tikkun olam.
These artists and ways of thinking and being have fortified her very personal approach to patchwork; mending, wandering, wading through fabric and threads to repurpose the old and worn, to give it new life and in so doing create new narratives and meanings to an otherwise lost or forgotten narrative.
The works featured in the Corridor Gallery pays tribute to some of this long and winding creative journey. Come hear her discuss her journey, inspiration, and current processes. Vanessa will talk about the specific works and their meanings and in so doing trace a path from past to present, memory to memory, story to story, stitch by stitch.
A short Q&A will follow.
