Saori Sunday- Part One

Saori Residency- Day #2- Part One

"It was the conventional way of teaching that discouraged any expression of individuality and prevented people from discovering their abilities hidden inside." Misao Jo

Each workshop session that Terri leads begins with a reading by Saori founder, Misao Jo. The quote above came from this morning's reading. The passage was about teaching the Saori way to others and how our students can excel. Misao was to teaching five people and says, "because they were a group of five, it required each of them only one fifth of the effort to master weaving." Today in the studio, it was another day of learning from one another.

Lynn was working on weaving together her leftover treasures. Most pieces that remained in her accumulating bags held memories of the fabrics she once made. As these pieces passed through her fingers and became new fabric, she remembered the stories.

It is interesting how we influence one another while working alongside each other in the studio. 

Marilee was inspired by things she saw posted on the blog yesterday. She has a wonderful energy and had plenty to share. During the workshop, she made a powerful red piece of fabric with swirling fibers. At the Saori Kai (a time to gather and share with one another), she shared her sparkly woven jacket, and her hanging piece which used an interesting technique that I would like to learn.

Sandy is a friend of Lynn’s. She was a traditional weaver many years ago and came today to try Saori weaving. I asked each person what part of their fabric was their favorite. This was Sandy’s favorite part. I am planning to create a series of small paintings from these photos of favorite parts. One for each of the people I meet here.

Marie began this rainy day in the studio at Brentwood Bay by setting up a clasped warp. Another technique I hope to learn while I am here. She shared some fantastic pieces at the Saori Kai in the afternoon that combined different pieces of woven fabric into one. She also made the top that I am wearing in the photo below.

One of Marie's favorite pieces

Magee arrived at the studio carrying her own small loom. She has been weaving for about a year and a half and also enjoys felting. She loves the free form nature of Saori weaving. At the Saori Kai she shared some of her felted pieces as well as some of her woven scarves. I wonder if she will combine her weaving and felting the way Marie combines her pieces together?

To be continued, Please look for the Part Two post tomorrow...

Weaving, Water and Butterflies

Saori Residency Day #1

After a good nights sleep at the Benvenuto Bed and Breakfast, I woke up refreshed and ready.

This place is comfy and adorable! 

The trees are already in bloom.

What a perfect studio location at Pacifica Paddle.  It was a beautiful sunny morning to view the harbor.

And the studio has quite a view. A great place to be weaving as the tide goes in and out.

I met a handful of lovely people today who came to weave and explore the possibilities of weaving. I realize that I have missed working within a studio atmosphere such as this one. I learn so much by being around other people...

Julie explored making tassels, using puffs of wool roving, incorporating a handmade sweater, and making "dingle dangles". She was inspired by some of the images that she had found on Pinterest.

A great use for that sweater! 

Laura and her daughter Kamille were focused and very productive. Laura is a writer and enjoys the improvisational nature of Saori weaving.

Lynn was working on a clasped warp. I had learned this technique when weaving the weft, but not for the warp. It is certainly something that I want to experiment with myself while I am here.

I prepared a warp today with blues, tan, brown, and white. Colors that felt right for today being right by the water. I also wove a piece of fabric using yarn that was made out of fabric scraps from saris. It is a playful and colorful piece.

After a lovely day working in the studio, Terri and I went to the Victoria Butterfly Garden. It is a magical place full of butterflies and one very friendly parrot. What a great first day!

16 Years Ago...

Spring of 2000 in the Sherman Gallery at BU

Winter of 2016 in the Sherman Gallery at BU

16 years ago on the same walls of the same gallery, I completed my MFA in Studio Teaching at Boston University. The final exhibition was a display of our own artwork next to our students' work. The children came to the show and proudly smiled in front of their artwork. I feel the need to share with you that the little boy in the photo above would now be about 24 years old (older than I was in that photo).

Following this show, I began working as an art educator. 

Last night on the same walls of the same gallery, I had a solo exhibition titled It's not you, it's me. I took photos with family and friends in front of the works in the show. The picture above shows a handful of supportive art colleagues from the AIB/LUCAD low residency MFA family. A degree I completed two years ago as I began working on the piece titled Two Years pictured behind us. 

Things do feel very different than 16 years ago when I showed work in that gallery. I have so many more life experiences now, I felt compelled to dye the gray our of my hair before the opening reception,  I am married and no longer breaking up with boys like I was back then (some evidence of this can be seen in the piece titled 381 Minutes of Letters from Past Relationships),  I am still teaching and I am still working as a practicing artist (which is no small feat while you are teaching so often). 

As an artist, I have grown so much since then. As a teacher, 16 years later and I am still doing that same crayon engraving project pictured above. It is a good project, but still it makes me question whether things have changed enough. You don't realize these things when you start out, but you do hit a point when there is not much growth left in teaching elementary art in a public school system. I am not good a being complacent. There is endless room for growth and expansion when you are an artist. Ideally, there would be a delicate balance between the two, but what happens when the balance goes out of whack? 

I am hopeful that this exhibition may be a pivotal point just as the last show in this gallery was. Sometimes we change and something was once a good fit is no longer… that's when we need to have the courage to say, " It's not you, it's me". Nobody likes having to be the one to say this, but that hasn't stopped me yet…

393 minutes of my graduate thesis (on left)
381 minutes of letters from past relationships (on right) 

It's not you, It's me at Boston University's Sherman Gallery

Sherman Gallery

Stacey Piwinski: It’s not you, it’s me

January 22 – March 4, 2016

Dates and Events: Friday, January 22 – March 4, 2016

Opening Reception: Friday, January 22, 6–7:30pm

Location: Boston University Art Galleries at the Sherman Gallery (775 Commonwealth Ave, 2^nd Floor)

Although her work speaks to painterly concerns, Stacey Piwinski (CFA’99,’00) uses textiles and found materials to create intricate weavings that consider the passage of time, the tactility of material, and interpersonal relationships. In her fabric scrolls and mixed media works, Piwinski carefully re-contextualizes objects that have personal significance or simply have been left behind. In these material and personal explorations of memory, Piwinski allows the objects to weave together new meanings and to tell new stories.

About Stacey Piwinski 

Stacey Piwinski was born in Lawrence, MA, in 1976. She received her BFA in painting in 1999, her MFA in studio teaching in 2000 from Boston University, and most recently her MFA in visual arts from Lesley University in January 2014. Stacey participated in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Teaching Program in 2005 and was inspired by Japanese textiles, specifically Saori Weaving. As an arts educator in the Wellesley Public Schools, she has facilitated community-weaving projects as a way of connecting individuals. Weaving as a metaphor for bringing people together is a thread that runs through all of her work.

About Boston University Art Galleries

Dedicated to serving the Boston University community, as well as the greater Boston and New England public, the Boston University Art Galleries are committed to a culturally inclusive and interdisciplinary interpretation of art and culture. Located within walking distance on the Boston University campus, the Stone, 808, Annex, and Sherman Galleries maintain an ongoing schedule of temporary exhibitions that focus on contemporary international, national, and regional art development. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Friday from 11am–5pm, Thursday to 8pm (Stone and 808 Galleries only) and Saturday and Sunday from 1pm–5pm. (Closed Mondays and Holidays). For more information, visit bu.edu/art/.