by Ronda Payne
Take wool, cotton, silk, organza, and felt. Put them in the hands of Canadian fibre artists and ask them to use those materials to demonstrate what inspires them about living in Canada.
The end result is the collection called Canadiana now on display at the Langley Centennial Museum in Fort Langley until November.
The travelling exhibit has been to New Zealand and Vancouver Island according to Jasmine Moore, arts and heritage curator for the museum.
“People are really excited,” said Moore of the response to the 30 piece exhibit. “Everyone who comes into the space, their faces light up.”
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(caption: Four Seasons on the Kettle River is a piece by Diana Bartelings)
Pieces are made by manipulating fibre materials into landscapes, flora and fauna, people, and other elements that represent Canada to the artists. The eclectic mix includes natural, geographic, and cultural elements, to reflect and inspire feelings of national pride.
“Most people can’t believe it’s fibre,” Moore noted. “They [the artists] achieve an incredible amount of detail in the piece.”
The process of stamping, stitching, printing, drying, blending, and printing fabrics is a painstakingly special form of art.
The artists are part of the Fibre Art Network (FAN) and come from all over Western Canada including Langley’s own Karen Johnson. According to Moore, Johnson will be hosting a public tour and Paperpalooza, a hands on paper workshop as part of the exhibit.
FAN now produces two fibre arts shows a year with Canadiana being the 13th show since the co-operative began in 2000.
The exhibit is on now until Nov. 10 at the Langley Centennial Museum at 9135 King St.