Work In Progress: Embroidery on Paper Tests

October 3, 2016

I recently made the transition from stitching on cloth to paper, which was bound to happen sooner or later because I am a paper artist after all. I started with a small scrap piece of paper and made a circle of French knots in red thread. I added the paper cut design after the embroidery to see how those would work together.

If I combine stitching and paper cutting again I’ll have to do the cutting first because the textured knots make it so the paper can’t lie flat, and that makes things awkward. I made it work because the paper was small and it was a test.

With my second test piece I worked with heavier card stock and did a more intricate design that I made up as I went along. I drew lines and circles on the back to guide me, and punched the holes with the needle before I did the stitching.

With my third test piece I pulled out a line drawing from last year and decided to add French knots to create texture, and see how the two mediums work together. Despite the busy nature of the drawing the French knots look terrific on the piece (more so than what comes across in this photo).

The three pieces have been great practice in getting a feel for handling paper carefully while trying to stitch, and I’ve gotten so much better at creating nice even French knots. I could make them all day. It the same way I feel about the other mediums and techniques I love.

Behind the Scenes While I Work

September 29, 2016

Last week I did a quick paper cut piece as both a warm up and a painting experiment using acrylic ink. I shot two time lapse videos with my iPhone during the cutting process, and then during the painting process and shared these on Instagram. It’s a great way to step back from my own process and see it from an outside perspective.

A video posted by Paper artist (@rachael_ashe) on Sep 16, 2016 at 3:27pm PDT

I especially love the painting video because it makes me seem better at applying paint than I actually am. I paint very little so I was nervous about sharing this part of the process.

A video posted by Paper artist (@rachael_ashe) on Sep 19, 2016 at 11:05am PDT

The finished piece is 9″ x 9″, hand cut from white paper painted with red acrylic ink.

Exhibition Photos of Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat

September 26, 2016

I dropped in on Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat last weekend to take photos and document the exhibition at Circle Craft gallery in the Net Loft on Granville Island. It was great to hear from the shop staff how well received the work has been. People are intrigued by the scroll installation, and can’t believe it was hand cut.

We had a terrific opening night at the beginning of September, and the tiny gallery space was packed all evening. We could not have asked for a better turn out.

Work by Simone Richmond

Work by Patsy Kay Kolesar

Work by Su Foster

Work by Nell Burns

7 foot long tyvek scroll

Flowerburst installation

The show continues until October 11th, 2016, so you have a couple more weeks to see it in person.

In Situ with the Work of Bharti Kher

September 23, 2016

I went to see the lovely exhibition of work by artist Bharti Kher at the Vancouver Art Gallery last week. I love the show. Her work has a strong focus on materials and labour intensive process, both things I explore in my own work. The artwork is contemplative, emotional and feminine, and the whole exhibition feels like an out of the ordinary choice for what is typically shown at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The figurative sculptures are striking but I was really drawn to the elaborate pieces Kher creates using the repetition of hundreds of thousands of bindis. I’ve included a few detail photos of some of these. They’re a beautiful exploration of mark-making.

The detail of this last piece was one of my favourites, mostly because my friend and I almost passed them by completely. At first glance from far away all the details are lost, but going closer we could see all this lovely shape and texture. The pieces are also made from bindis but on a large scale, with layers and layers of them all in black.

Bharti Kher Matter continues until October 10th at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I highly recommend it over the Picasso show.

Paper Cutting Workshop at Opus Downtown

September 14, 2016

I am teaching a short paper cutting workshop at Opus Art Supplies Hastings Street location on Sunday September 25th, 11am to 1pm. The class is a $10 bargain to participate and you must register by phone or in person (604‑678‑5889) to reserve a spot as space is limited.

I’ll be doing thorough run down on knives, paper, techniques, and different ways to use paper cut elements in artwork. Participants will also get the chance to work on their own paper cut pattern to take home, like the ones pictured above. Visit the event page for more details »

Paper Cutting: Getting Started with Rachael Ashe
Date: Sunday September 25th, 2016
Time: 11pm & 1pm
Cost: $10
Location: Opus Art Supplies, 100-207 West Hastings Street

Expanding the Stitching Repertoire

September 12, 2016

Sashiko stitching has been a gateway technique fuelling my long-held desire to learn how to embroider. I decided I wanted to expand from the straight stitch used in sashiko, and learn how to add texture with thread. I borrowed a book from the library just before the Labour Day weekend, and started working on a sampler of stitches.

I really love the cable chain, and the bullion knot the best out of the ones I’ve used in the sampler. I’m dying to start embroidering on a favourite worn red coat to give it new life, but I’m making myself practice further on the sampler to get more consistent with the stitches.

The book I’m using is called, Embroidery by Lucinda Ganderton, which has a step by step breakdown of over two hundred stitches. I like this book because it focuses on basic techniques rather than cutesy projects, like so many of the other books seemed to.

New Iteration of the Flowerburst Installation

September 9, 20162 Comments

Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat opened yesterday evening at Circle Craft gallery, and one of the pieces included in the show is my Flowerburst installation. This is the third time I’ve shown the piece, and every time I present a new iteration. You can see previous versions at Mary E. Black gallery in Halifax, and at Hot Art Wet City.

The original work was blue and last year I started making yellow and red ones to expand the work further. When I started putting things together for this installation I decided to incorporate some of the red pieces, and chose white foam core as the base instead of black. The photo below is a small part of the installation at Circle Craft gallery with one of the paper wearables positioned beside it. I love how these two works tie into one another in terms of colour and technique.

It was a really terrific opening night for the show with many friendly faces in attendance, and plenty of enthusiasm for the work. The show continues until October 11th, so there is plenty of time still to see.

Work In Progress: Sonobe Office Art

September 6, 2016

I’ve been working on a massive paper project off and on since July to create new artwork for the Steamclock Software office in Gastown, where I work part-time as the office manager. When I started I completely underestimated how long it would take me to make it, even knowing I needed to fold around four hundred and fifty-ish pieces of origami paper. Folding was only the first part, piecing together and coming up with a colour composition was the second part, and gluing everything together was part three.

I’m waiting for an opportunity to do part four, which is spraying it with a protective coating, before I can move on to the final stages of mounting, framing, and hanging it on the office wall. I started out working on this project at home, and quickly moved it to the office where there is way more table space to accommodate something of this size (about 40 inches square).

The type of origami is called sonobe, and it’s a modular origami I briefly played around with at The Leeway studio last year. I never thought I’d eventually end up making something of this size as a commission. I much prefer creating my original work to making origami paper art, and I don’t want anyone getting ideas from this to ask me to do more origami-related work. I’ll leave it to the experts, such as Joseph Wu.

Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat at Circle Craft gallery

September 2, 2016

Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat is an exploration of repetition to achieve pattern and form in fine craft. With an emphasis on wearable art, Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat will bring together artists working in metal, paper, and textile. Individually, each artist’s practice has a focus on repeating one action over and over; something that would drive most people mad. For this group of artists, repetition becomes a vessel for creativity and it is within that place that they push themselves further to explore their craft.

Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat brings together the work of Rachael Ashe, Nell Burns, Su Foster, Patsy Kolesar, and Simone Richmond.

The show opens Thursday September 8th, 6pm to 8pm, and continues until October 11th, 2016. All of the artists will be in attendance and we would love to see you there!

Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat
Circle Craft gallery
Opening reception: September 8, 2016, 6pm to 8pm
Dates: September 8th to October 11th, 2016
Location: 1 – 1666 Johnson Street, The Net Loft, Granville Island

Experiments with Textile Dyeing

September 1, 2016

I am moving more towards upcycing, repairing, and redoing my clothing, and the latest tool I can use to do this is dyeing. I recently purchased the sleeveless top pictured here from Value Village but felt the original pink colour didn’t suit me. I decided to try dyeing it red to make it more suitable, and also to see what could happen. The results are good, and I love this new shirt. The embroidered pattern details didn’t take the dye, but they look terrific against the red.

On the same evening I put a faded pair of capri jeans through a blue dye bath. I recently did a sashiko stitch repair to one of the legs, which is what led to wanting to improve the colour as well. I’ve had these pants for years, and held onto them hoping I could wear them again because they were once a favourite pair. They are back in rotation in my wardrobe after years of neglect.

A video posted by Paper artist (@rachael_ashe) on Aug 22, 2016 at 7:41pm PDT

I shot the video as I was working on the red dye bath. It needs constant agitation to make sure the entire piece of clothing dyes evenly. I found it mesmerizing to watch the garments swirl around the red water, and decided to share it.

Canvas to the Imagination

Rachael Ashe – Art | Craft | Life