Artists' Opening Reception at Plumas Arts Gallery |
The Plumas Arts Gallery, located at 525 Main Street in Quincy, will host a reception Friday, August 7, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm to mark the opening of the August show. The exhibition will feature 3 long-time residents of Plumas County: Julie Lewis, Virginia Jaquez, and Shelley Morrison. Lewis will show framed collages and assemblages, and Jaquez and Morrison plan to show their hand-dyed wearable and decorative textile pieces. |
Julie Lewis has an extensive theater arts background in design and costume. She is also a dancer/instructor and massage therapist. Julie has been making her popular "Sisu" brand of hats for many years, a favorite of Plumas County folks. These recent creations are recycled and embellished with foliage designs.
Lewis says, "My current work is a combination of older and newer. I enjoy recycling my projects. Watercolor and prints are often my initial inspiration, eventually morphing into collage, assemblage, and costumes. My fiber arts experience finds its way into the work with weaving, stitching, design, and texture." |
Collaged and printed piece created by Julie Lewis |
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Artist Shelley Morrison shows off her hand-dyed
garments for sale at the Plumas Arts Gallery
during August 2015 |
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Detail of garment dyed by Shelley Morrison.
The embroidery resists the dye and remains white |
| Shelley Morrison and Virginia Jaquez share a passion for "nature printing," also called "eco dyeing." Virginia first learned about the process a few years ago by coming across photos submitted on Facebook. She researched the process and found a workshop to attend. Since then, she has shared the process with Shelley and they became fast friends while learning more about it. |
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| The process begins by gathering plant material they know or think will print on fabric/paper and by also gathering clothing items… this takes a lot of time and effort. Once the materials have been gathered, they can use them for printing (thrift store clothes made of natural fibers; silk, wool, linen, cotton, and printing paper). The clothing/fabric/paper has to be mordanted (pre-treating the material with a compound which helps the dye "stick"), plant materials placed, rolled or folded into bundles, and then put into metal pots for cooking. After hours of simmering, the bundles are opened. |
Paper dyed with pine needles by Virginia Jaquez |
Wool fabric dyed with firebush branches by Virginia Jaquez |
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Says Morrison, "Each one is always a creative and unique surprise. One never knows what will come out of the process put forth." Adds Jaquez, " There some disappointments but for the most part, the prints are very pleasing and rewarding. We hope you'll come see what we've created with our "nature printed materials."
Also on display at the gallery is artwork by Plumas Arts' remarkable group of artist members. The gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11am to 5pm. The show will run through the month of August 2015. Please visit Plumas Arts on the web to see the gallery exhibition schedule for 2015.
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