An Art Crawl

Friday evening I enticed my partner to come along to Victoria’s Bridge Studio Crawl. There were five art studios on the map, and we managed to get to three before the time ran out. Side note: It was very lovely! People offered us wine and snacks! I wasn’t thinking about possible connections to my inquiry into felting, but lo and behold, there was felt amidst the art.

Connectivity Cloak, by Kim Leslie

This first piece really caught my attention.

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The artist, Kim Leslie, talked to me about the wet felting technique she used to make each small piece (I haven’t tried wet felting yet). They looked like little octopus arms to me. “Dendritic,” we agreed. Kim talked about the vulnerability when it came time to follow through on her vision of wearing the sculpture without anything else.

The artist statement does a good job of speaking to the meaning of the piece.

My reflection was that felting could definitely be used in an art classroom as part of a sculpture course. Students could make their own pieces or contribute to a collaborative one.

Kim Leslie’s website, for more on her.

Multiple works, by Connie Michele Morey

     

I only took photos of a couple of Connie’s felt sculptures. After exploring her website, I can see that felt has been a significant medium. She mentioned at the studio that she is now working primarily with reclaimed materials, such as reclaimed wood and wool blankets from thrift stores.

I took a photo of this artist statement about her piece Cushion, because I was startled to see the language of the art section of BC Curriculum. At first I wondered if this was a piece created by a class. But no, it’s her own piece, to which she’s brought a “Curriculum Big Idea”. Connie mentioned that she also teaches, at UVic and elsewhere. I have always imagined that teachers’ art practices influence their teaching, but I hadn’t thought about teaching influencing one’s art practice.

Again, my reflection is that felting (and other soft, fabric-related materials) can be used in a secondary art classroom.

In terms of reflecting on this inquiry project, it’s neat to see how even without going out to look for answers, I can find them, because I am attending to something.