Fibre Artist Feature - Val Wilson

This month has been such a fabulous whirlwind of activity teaching in Manitoba and then having visitors for a week. All this culminating in a lull of blog postings - SORRY!

But judging from the quilter and artist I am about to feature, I promise it was a wait worth enduring.

Val Wilson - Fibre Artist, Manitoba, Canada

Val has a refreshing sense of fibre artistry that captures the viewer and makes them linger on every intricate detail. She has a clear love of the outdoors and the natural colour schemes of flowers, trees and landscape. She is also drawn to those brilliant old photos depicting the way we once were. You are drawn in by the whimsical titles and led to wonder - "What were they thinking and doing in that time and place?"

With her busy schedule, I thought I might get a quick midday peruse of this lovely fibre art show in Selkirk, Manitoba, but since she is a dear friend I hadn't seen in over a year, it turned into a prolonged meandering and then a lovely lunch out at the world famous Barney Gargles!

Here is just a sample of some of the brilliant art pieces that were on display during her recent show:

With fabric and thread as her art medium of choice, Val loves the tactile nature of the textiles and the abundant colour palette. Just viewing the skin tones of her characters, it is clear that she is also a brilliant fabric dyer and strives to create every shaded nuance.

Over the years I have become wonderful friends with Val. She has gotten me absolutely hooked on fabric dyeing and we've shared some wonderful mishaps and adventures in colour. Although she'd never admit it, she has had a huge impact on me as a mentor and a friend. I was thrilled to just happen to be in Winnipeg teaching and visiting at the same time as her first solo show.