Textile artists exhibit designs at Ojai Art Center
“Not Alive, Not Dead” by Andi Perejda.
Following a one-year exhibition hiatus, the artists of Fibervision, a fiber art group from the Santa Barbara area, are excited to once again display their work at the Ojai Art Center.
An exhibit of textile and fiber art from this Central California artist group will open in the main gallery at the Ojai Art Center on Dec. 4 and continue through Jan. 5.
An opening reception will be held with the Fibervision artists from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 4 at the center, 113 S. Montgomery St. in Ojai, and a holiday boutique of the artists’ works will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 4.
“Fibervision comprises 18 artists who create artworks using fabrics as canvas, and dyes, paints and stitching as mediums of expression. As an alternate form of wall art, fiber and textile artworks offer infinite combinations of color, texture and composition,” said Kristin Otte, organizer of the exhibit who will have pieces in the show.
“One of the oldest human art forms, textile art is enjoying a revival of popularity. Museums dedicated to fiber and textile arts are appearing worldwide.”
The works in this exhibit are as diverse as the artists themselves.
They use varied techniques demonstrating fabric manipulation, juxtapositions of pattern and color and intriguing forms of construction.
“The works are visual interpretations of perceptions, conceived in the imaginations of the artists and translated into tangible artforms via the medium of textiles,” said Ms. Otte. “Fabrics may be painted, dyed, screen printed, stamped, stitched or altered utilizing a nearly limitless number of methodologies.
“The results are a dazzling display of artistic vision and individuality. The collection embodies a glimpse of artistic possibilities that extend beyond the more traditional artist mediums of oils and watercolors.”
Andi Perejda’s topical work called “Not Alive, Not Dead,” is so named because, in her words, “while viruses contain RNA or DNA, they can reproduce only when they have a host organism that can be used for that purpose.
“The passage of coronavirus from host to host enables it to develop new mutations that may be more infectious, like the delta variant, or not. Vaccination of the population, which hosts it, is the only way to combat spread of the virus. Andi’s piece was constructed of hand-dyed fabric and painted pellon,” Ms. Otte said.
Ms. Perejda’s work is juxtaposed with that of Maren Johnston’s, called “Sliced Pears.”
“While the subject of pears may be more familiar to the average viewer than the biochemistry of viruses, Maren has presented a more abstract interpretation of her subject. She has utilized artistic mechanisms and re-visioned size, shape and color, creating a stylized image of a familiar object,” said Ms. Otte.
Works by Fibervision artists have been shown at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara and Faulkner Gallery in Santa Barbara, Wildling Museum of Art and Nature and Elverhøj Museum of History and Art in Solvang and the Museum of Ventura County in Ventura, among the many venues.
“Fibervision artists have also been honored to have their work juried into numerous prestigious national shows, and works by the artists are held in collections both domestically and internationally,” said Ms. Otte.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
FYI
The Fibervision exhibit will be on view from Dec. 4 through Jan. 5 in the main gallery at the Ojai Art Center, 113 S. Montgomery St. in Ojai. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. An opening reception with the artists will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 4, and a holiday boutique of their work takes place from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 4. For further information call the Ojai Art Center at 805-646-0117. For more information about Fibervision, contact Kristin Otte at 805-683-4390, okko@cox.net or www.fibervisionaries.com.
