Pocket Power in Artwear Exhibit

My fiber arts guild, the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild, had a wonderful wearable art exhibit and awards ceremony yesterday! It was an exhibit of the pieces from our first Guild Challenge, called "The Power of the Pocket." The most exciting news of all: my entry, "The Power of Panthera Leo," won the Best of Show award!

"The Power of Panthera Leo"

This piece is made from hand dyed silk dupioni using shibori stitch resist techniques. The collar is a hand dyed, single-twist handspun yarn that was free-style crocheted. The inside of the vest and the two side pockets (a pocket was a Challenge requirement) were lined with hand dyed silk dupioni.

Side pocket

Artist's Statement: The matte surface of the yarn collar contrasts the reflective properties of the silk. The collar suggests a lion’s mane—surrounding the face and neck and cascading down the garment’s front and back. The lion’s mane is his secret defense. It makes him appear larger and is used as a powerful intimidation tactic during confrontations with other animals.

The judge for the show was a Chattanooga fiber artist whose work I much admire. Her judge's comment about the visual impact was: "unbelievable—took my breath away."

So, the completion of this piece was worth the uncertainty during the design stage and all the construction struggles I encountered. We should all take to heart Anita Luvera Mayer's words, "Don't stop too soon. It is important to stick to an idea, to be willing to take risks. There really is no such thing as failure; you're only smarter than you were before."

The piece will also be in the Tennessee Presents Textiles show in November. Contemporary folk artist, Rachel Clark is the featured speaker.