Deb Lacativa is both a generous person and a gifted artist, in word and in physical forms. In fact, it was Deb who won the 2016 “Writer Bob” perseverance scholarship to attend that year’s UnCon, with her fluid prose and compelling story of perseverance. The idea for an auction to raise money to benefit this year’s scholarship fund? That came from Deb, as did this beautiful, handcrafted textile that Deb herself has been working on since 2012, which she wanted to offer here as a way to pay it forward. The now finished work, called “Revisions,” is 44″ x 30″. You can practically feel the storytelling magic from there, can’t you? We know that someone’s home or office will be brightened by its presence.

Read on for additional information, and for a detailed look at this singular work of textile art.

Revisions

Revisions

2012 to 2019

44″x29″

Contemporary textile constructed with vintage cottons, damasks, linens, and other natural fabrics that have been dyed and discharged.

The cloth is layered and stitched using traditional quilt-making techniques.

Some history

If you have any questions, please contact Deb at deborah@lacativa.com.

And if you’d like to learn more about textile art, please visit this link for an explainer and a review of Deb’s work.

In Deb’s own words:

My work with textiles has much in common with contemporary painting – the come and go of colors, lines, and textures – but carved into the surface of cloth by threads under tension instead of paint on canvas.

I combine my love of color and abstraction in a continuing exploration into the possibilities of fiber as art. Although the viewers are discouraged from handling the art, I want them to ache to touch it.

Everything I make is about exciting the eye and engaging the viewer with the tactile draw of cloth and the drama of colors and shapes that hint at mystery, magic, and sometimes the sly grin.

Deb Lacativa May 5, 2019

Detailed images:

[Read more…]

Artist and author, Marta Pelrine-Bacon, has been telling tales and making art since she landed here on earth (according to family lore anyway). A member of the WU community since 2011, she has attended the first two UnConferences and wishes everyone could experience the magic of writing in Salem. When not working on her art, she writes fairytales, short stories, and novels. Her first novel, The Blue Jar, was published in 2013.

In Marta’s own words:

My mom claimed I knew my color wheel before my alphabet, but my mom was also an artist, and because she was a brilliant artist, I decided not to pursue art. I didn’t wish to be compared in spite of her encouragement.

Fortunately, my other love, equal in measure, was storytelling. I wrote poems at the age of eight and short stories at ten. My father filled my head with fairytales and wild stories.

Now after years of doubt, I write and make art. The strange and unreal in books and images inspire me, and I want my work to feel not quite of this world. I am always trying to capture magic in paper. 

The Prints:

Each of these adorable prints is 8″x8″, and ready for framing.

In the Twilight (print)

Two bunnies in the twilight. One finds comfort in the arms of the tree with its bright blooms. The other looks up. “Is everything okay up there?” Asleep, the other bunny above makes no reply. “Sweet dreams,” says the bunny in the dark grass. “Sweet dreams.”

In the original artwork, the black earth was cut from black paper. The grass and the tree were hand-drawn in ink. The flowers were letters punched out of my novel. The bunnies were drawn and shaded with pencil and ink. For the print, the twilight sky was created with digital effects.

The Cat & the Moon (print)

The cat watches the full moon rise and listens to the stories in the trees. Disturbed by your footsteps, the cat turns to look. Your presence may or may not be tolerated. Time will tell.

First, I cut the tree from a page from my novel. Then I drew the leaves in ink. The earth was cut from black paper. The cat was drawn in ink. In the original, the moon was made of pencil. For the print, the black sky and pale purple starlight were digitally added.

Magic in the Moonlight (print)

She dreamed of traveling the universe and gathered up all manner of magic. They warned her she was going too far.

The original piece was much larger and in pencil and ink. Her wings and hat were cut from black paper, and she was hand-drawn on watercolor paper, cut out, and glued into place. The moon effect and the fading of her dress into starlight were digitally added. [Read more…]