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5 Reasons to Join SAQA

It can be a bit of a struggle being a textile artist at times, so I researched associations that can help, either with guidance, support or just inspiration. SAQA – Studio Art Quilt Associates is based in USA but is open to all quilters and enthusiasts worldwide. I’m in no way affiliated with SAQA but thought their 5 reasons to join may be of interest. I hope you find them helpful!

  1. SAQA connects you with thousands of art quilters and enthusiasts around the world. Join a dynamic community of artists and art-lovers who are changing the face of the fine art.
  2. Your art can travel the world! SAQA members are eligible to enter museum-quality exhibitions that travel all over the world and are viewed by over 250,000 people each year!
  3. Need guidance in navigating the next steps for your artwork or career? We’ve built a knowledge network for artists at all levels to help get you the information you need. 
  4. SAQA members receive a quarterly full-color SAQA Journal as well as weekly email newsletters filled with opportunities, community connections, and tons of great art.
  5. Just love art quilts and want to see and hear more about them? We are your source for tons of beautiful artwork that will delight and inspire you!

Tips for photographing textile art by Becca Barolli

     

 

One of the easiest way to get your art work ‘out there,’ is through social media, but making your work look as good on a screen as it does in reality can be tricky. American artist Becca Barolli has such a beautiful way of presenting her work I asked her to give some tips. 

 

About Becca Barolli 

I was born and raised in Connecticut and am currently based in the Bay Area. I moved out here to attend graduate school at the San Francisco Art Institute working primarily in sculpture. Before that I completed a BFA in Photography from the University of Connecticut. 

My sculptural work has always been heavily rooted in textiles. The techniques I use most frequently are knotless netting, braiding and hand tied latch hook knots except I use steel wire instead of traditional fibers. For the past few years I’ve also been doing antique rug restoration, so I’ve been able to take what I’ve learned from that into my art practice by incorporating techniques like twining and setting up foundation structures. 

Recently I’ve been learning how to anodize aluminum wire, which is a process that uses electricity to prepare the wire to then be dyed. I’m really excited about this process because it not only provides a way for me to introduce color to my work, but it feels very similar to the process of dyeing fibers. 

I use these techniques to make abstract sculptures that focus mainly on obsession while embracing both a desire for control and an acceptance of chaos. For the piece First Born Son, I was thinking about the expectations people sometimes have for this prized position. The term “golden child” kept coming to mind, which is a role associated with the narcissist family system that refers to a child that is essentially favored and attributed to success. The foundation of braids in this piece start breaking off as the twining continues across. To me this signifies the burden of impossible expectations as well as a need to hold things together and press on despite perceived failures, but the beauty of abstract art is that the viewer will always add their own interpretations and meaning to the work. 

 

5 tips for photographing artwork:

  1. Lighting and focus are your main priorities. 

You want to try to get even lighting and a good exposure with everything in focus so you have great portfolio images. I use AlienBees strobe lights with soft boxes to light my work. Having a lot of available light makes it possible to shoot at a higher f/stop so you can get as much in focus as possible. 

  1. Colour correct your images. 

You always want to set your white balance for every different lighting situation you are in. I shoot in RAW and take a photo of a WhiBal reference card for each lighting scenario so I can easily adjust the color accurately. 

  1. Take more photos than necessary. 

When you’re documenting artwork for a portfolio or exhibition application, typically you will want one image that shows the piece clearly in its entirety. I suggest taking this photo at least a few times so you can sort through them afterward and select the one that turned out the best. I also highly recommend taking detail photographs even though you may not always get to use them for applications. Gorgeous detail shots can be used for social media, business cards, show fliers, art books, the list goes on. Especially if your work is 3D, tactile or very intricate, these images provide a lot of information for someone who is unable to see it in person. 

  1. Clean up your images. 

Once you’ve selected your strongest images, clean up any distractions they might have like marks on the wall or scuffs on the floor. I use a combination of the spot healing brush, patch tool and clone stamp in Photoshop to remove anything that might detract focus from the work.

  1. Bad photos are better than no photos. 

Documenting artwork is hard, especially if you’re new to this process. I’ve been photographing my work for over a decade and still think there are so many areas where I could improve. I understand not being able to afford hiring a professional photographer and truly believe that you’ll see and learn more about your work by photographing it yourself. Sometimes you may need to reshoot a piece completely because you just didn’t get a good image and that’s better in the long run because you will learn something new from the process every time you try. 

 

You can see more of Becca’s work at https://www.instagram.com/beccabarolli/

You can also read more photography tips from photographer Katie Vandyck here https://www.textilecurator.com/tips-to-photograph-textile-art/

Ailish Henderson

 

British Textile Artist Ailish Henderson had her hand stitched collage ‘Pistachio Smiles’ translated into a silk scarf. Here is her interesting story behind her work.

“This piece of the artist’s work, quietly questions the impact events experienced have on our ongoing narrative line. Strong memories built in childhood may only come to light decades later, where they can take on new meaning and finally be understood. Due to the artists localised interest in the portrayal of mending, in this portrait there is an underlying vie for, specifically repair within the humanistic emotional context. When married together, this is transposed via the techniques and materials employed. Irish linen as a ‘canvas’ and foundation to work upon, has been sourced and used to give a nod to her heritage, whilst etching techniques and watercolours mixed with the tactile are reminiscent of her lost grandmothers links with the Fine Arts. Using familial ideography juxtaposed with these and other treasured materials; a cross-discipline approach is employed. The artist here vocalises her most personal question to date, how to ‘mend the maker’. It is her belief that across creative disciplines, there can be a form of restoration for the author of works, brought about via the act of making, not the outcome itself.”

 

Photography by Sean Elliot http://seanelliottphotography.co.uk

See more of Ailish’s work at http://www.ailishhenderson.com

 

Student Showcase – MFA Textiles Program at Parsons

 

I talk a lot about the diversity of textiles as a genre and it’s no where more apparent than students work at university. The creativity that comes out of courses is brilliant so I thought it was time to showcase some students work. These students are studying the two year MFA Textiles program at The New School Parsons in NYC.

All of these students are graduating this week apart from Jongbum Kim who is in his first year. They all have lots of information about their work but instead of me explaining it contact them directly if you want to find out more. I’m sure they would love to hear from you.

 

Artists from top:

Jongbum Kim https://www.instagram.com/jongbum.bongba.kim/

Chuyi Sun https://www.instagram.com/chuyisun24/

Hongci Hu https://www.instagram.com/hongcihu/

Jing Li Bista https://www.instagram.com/jinglibista/

Licca Hsiao https://www.instagram.com/liccatextile/

Liz Sandler https://www.instagram.com/liz.sandler/