Martina Edmondson is among the B次元官网网址渘ew crop of artists that joined last yearB次元官网网址� at on Oak Bay Avenue.
Gage collective members Edmondson, Gerald Fleming and Tina Fyfe explore Re-Connecting at the gallery this month.
Edmondson uses Eco print (botanical contact print and natural dyes/rust) on paper and fabric combined with nature finds: twigs, feathers, bones etc. These are made into three dimensional books and spirit figures as well as two dimensional wall pieces.
Fleming explores the idea in paintings in oil and watercolour while FyfeB次元官网网址檚 work consists of imaginative explorations of nature in sculptural form, using a wire mesh coated in ceramic, giving these pieces an organic textured look.
Edmondson, is a Fairfield artist who moved here from Toronto two years ago
B次元官网网址淚 had to re-establish myself here and I though thereB次元官网网址檚 no better way than an arts collective,B次元官网网址� Edmondson said of joining the Gage co-operative last year. She was looking to connect with a new art network and B次元官网网址渢he Gage is the right spot to do that.B次元官网网址�
Edmondson graduated Ontario College of Art and Design 2002 as a B次元官网网址渕ature studentB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渘ever looked back,B次元官网网址� she said.
She started drawing and painting, then was introduced to material art and design with ceramics, jewelry and textile to build into what she does now.
B次元官网网址淚 have in the past done things with spirit figures and I want to go back to that a bit. That always makes me think about my ancestorsB次元官网网址� thinking about hat and reconnecting with that makes you connect with your inner self with your own person.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲hen my grandson came to my studio the other day B次元官网网址� he said B次元官网网址極ma your art doesnB次元官网网址檛 look like other peopleB次元官网网址檚 artB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 do what I do, I like the way it looks. ItB次元官网网址檚 interesting because it takes people aback a little bit.B次元官网网址�
She takes her hand-dyed materials and introduces elements from nature for a three-dimensional work.
B次元官网网址淚 take the manmade stuff and I use natureB次元官网网址檚 bounty. IB次元官网网址檒ll take windfall, thatB次元官网网址檚 leaves off the trees, and blossoms off the plant, feathers, sometimes I find a bone, acorns, any natural material B次元官网网址� and I combine that with my paper or fabric,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭his body of work evolved from looking at the textiles I had.B次元官网网址�
The show featuring Edmondson, FlemingB次元官网网址檚 paintings and the ceramics of Fyfe hangs Monday, opens Tuesday and the artists greet guests for an opening Wednesday, Aug. 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 2031 Oak Bay Ave.
B次元官网网址淚 make the art because I feel like I have something to say, or I want people to see something in it,B次元官网网址� Edmondson said. B次元官网网址淚 like it when people say B次元官网网址業 see this in itB次元官网网址� and I hadnB次元官网网址檛 seen that. ItB次元官网网址檚 not, as my grandson says, straight forward, regular art.B次元官网网址�
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com
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