On a rainy morning in April 2015, after breakfast overlooking the harbour with my cousin and her husband, I searched out the studio of Jill Sullivan. Jill lives on the wonderful Sunshine coast of British Columbia. Jill started quilting before she knew the rules, then when she learned the rules she didn’t want to follow them! Today her work is abstract is style and has layers of colour and luscious texture painted on fabric. Although her...

When I arrived at Anni Hunt’s house I almost didn’t want to go inside. The view was so stunning. But when I did, I met a hospitable artist whose work amazed me! The artwork of Anni Hunt is varied. She is a fibre artist who uses many different surface design techniques in her work. The first images to catch my attention were her images of Haida totems based on photos she took a number of years ago. I noticed on her blog that many of...

Cherry Blossoms: A Textile Translation I know this is a bit behind the times but as part of my British Columbia travels last spring I visited a number of art galleries and wanted to share some of them with you. One of the first shows I attended was discovered thanks to an alert friend who was keeping tabs on my travels. She knew I was located close to the Silk Purse Gallery near the West Vancouver Seawall. After checking into the RV park we...

Jennifer Cooper has a heritage that inspires her artwork, her west coast and fishery series in particular. She feels strongly that the Canadian fisheries, whether east or west coast, was a dominant factor in the settlement of this country and needs to be highlighted. The off-shore fisheries were popular for centuries before official discovery and settlement of this country and has been a critical factor in the development of Canadian culture....

Donna Polos works with colour not only in her fabulous painted landscapes but also in her wonderful, whimsical gardens. I recently had the pleasure of spending time with her and learning more about her work. Outside her home her spring gardens are flourishing and attest to her loving care.  The children’s tree-house is now a favorite place for summer afternoon painting and a small greenhouse is a mix of art and plant seedlings. Look...

Marianne Parsons was one of the people to whom we owe gratitude for the formation of the Fibre Art Network (FAN). She is one of the charter members of the group. Coming from a farm background in Saskatchewan, this woman has taken her early training in clothing construction and her training as a teacher to influence the lives of many. After teaching quilting for a number of years she decided she didn’t want to sew any more straight lines...

Janet Bednarczyk recently moved from North Vancouver to Oliver BC and can’t believe her luck in finding a home with space for a studio with a wall of windows overlooking vineyards and orchards. Janet and her husband Don are busy personalizing the gardens surrounding their new home and building a controlled environment greenhouse for Don’s prize orchids. They are busy settling into their new community but Janet, now working only part...

Diana Bartelings, lives and works near Midway BC, a small town along Highway 3 in southern British Columbia. She joined FAN about the same time I did and has been an co-exhibitor in most of the group shows since 2010. Diana’s story is similar to that of many fibre artists in that she entered the fibre art world via traditional quilting. As she learned the basics she discovered that she really liked ‘doing her own thing’, designing rather...