Tracey Cameron Creative

Category: Art

Covid Art Residency
While the world has been locked away in our homes, physically distancing and wondering how everything could change in a few months’ time, I have been in my studio. I’m calling the last three months my Covid Art Residency and it’s actually been a joy for me. I realize I shouldn’t take pleasure in the midst of so much sickness and global unrest, but you have to appreciate the beauty of the sunset even when the world is burning right. Ever since I finished my house reno, and dedicated myself back to art, I have been waiting to try something new. I started out as a watercolour painter and I still love the liquid, unpredictable, fluidity of a good watercolour bleed; and wanted to incorporate that into my textile work. I started off March by buying a bunch of paints, dye and fabric with the intention to just experiment. Sometimes experimenting in the studio is like playing and other times it’s like banging your head against the wall trying to create the “vision” in your head. Maybe it was because of the addition of the stressful times but this experimentation was more painful than anticipated. In the end though I discovered organza and how it takes dye really well but doesn’t bleed too much. I worked with a few pieces incorporating watercolour painting on organza and like how things are turning out but there is still more experimenting to be done!
June 18, 2020
How to Hang Textile Art

Now that we’ve gone over the basics of how to care for textile art, let’s talk about how to hang textile art. We all had that friend in college who hung up a piece of fabric on the wall with push pins, we are going to be a little more polished than that.

There are two methods I choose to use when hanging textile art. For large scale pieces (ie greater than wide 20”) I used a hanging rod that is inserted into a hanging sleeve that I have sewn near the top edge of all my pieces. The rod consists of a piece of painted MDF baseboard with two to three small holes drilled through that can be then hung on the wall. I choose to use painted MDF instead of bare wood as the wood will leach acids into the fabric, that over time will either discolour or harm the structure of the fibres. Whereas the painted MDF will not.

For small and medium scale pieces (ie smaller than 20” wide) I prefer to hang them framed, as it gives them a bit more visual presence and weight in a room. To hang I have sewn 2-3 velcro tabs near the top edge of the textile art which can be paired with adhesive backed velcro pieces mounted on matt board which is then inserted into a frame. I choose to leave the glass off the frame as I mentioned in the How to Care for Textile Art post, fibres need to breath and enclosing them in glass can cause premature aging.

Because of it’s world wide accessibility, I choose to size my pieces to fit within RIBBA frames from Ikea. If you are having your piece custom framed you can choose to include glass but have your framer insert some small vent holes in the side so your textile art can breath.

If you like the look of textile art hanging “naked” on the wall regardless of size, the velcro tabs also double as a hanging sleeve and can be hung in the same manner as the large scale pieces.

October 18, 2016
Making of Seagull

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”true” class=”cs-hide-lg” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]I decided to do a little time-lapse video of what goes into the making of one of my pieces of textile art. This piece is called Seagull (very insightful I know) and was inspired by a night a few weeks ago on my back deck. I was lounging enjoying the lingering evening heat and this flock of seagulls spent an hour or more circling, flying and playing overhead. It was beautiful to watch them catch the evening sun on their wings and bodies drifting in and out of sun & shadow.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

August 30, 2016
4 Benefits of Wall Hangings

People don’t always think of fibre wall hangings when deciding on art work. Not only can they be visually stunning works of fine art they also have some practical benefits over a standard canvas painting or print.

1. Acoustic – Fabric wall hangings and tapestries provide a soft surface to absorb extra noise rather than a hard surface for sound waves to bounce off of.

2. Insulation – Have a cool exterior wall? Hang a wall tapestry to provide a little extra warmth and insulation. Just like a sweater helps keep you warm, a wall hanging will keep your home that much cozier.

3. Variety – The key to a strong room design is variety. Not only should you have a variety of complementary colours, textures, and shapes but also a variety of artworks. Paintings and prints are a great start, but layering in a wall hanging or two will add the 3 dimensional texture your eye loves.

4. Sense of History – Historically many different cultures have displayed fibre art to beautify and warm buildings. In Medieval Europe tapestries were hung on a castle walls and to cover door openings. The Greeks and Romans used fibre art as wall coverings for civic buildings and temples like the Parthenon.

August 19, 2016
Ostrich Flock Wall Hanging

I’m starting to run out of space in my studio to create new sculptures, so I decided it was time to work flat! Although I went flat, I didn’t go small. This mammoth 60″ x 30″ wall hanging put my sewing machine and my patience through it’s paces. But I’m very pleased with the results. I had a lot of fun working flat. Got to be a little more graphic and abstract with the shapes. Next piece I will try to mix in a little paint with the fabric and have the shapes dissolve and become a little more raw.

Ostriches have such personality and individuality I wanted to create an ostriches flock but allow each bird to stand on it’s own as well. I layered cream, white and yellow laces and sheer fabrics over black shapes to create their form. And kept adding layers towards the head to create dimension and texture. Their eyes and long lashes are such a dominate feature I wanted to put the focal point there. If you look closely you can see I also added some lines of stitching in yellow, grey and white to give more depth and interest and line quality.

July 29, 2016
Society 6 Holidaze – Day 2

Follow this link and receive $10 off framed prints and canvas prints.

December 9, 2014
I Want to be an Open-Face Sandwich!

December 8, 2014
Peacock Prints Give Away

Brittnay Douglas over at Gallery No. 8 has done an artist feature on myself and to celebrate that and the season I am giving away a peacock print to two lucky people. Read the feature and sign up by following this link, or comment below and join my mailing list to be entered!

December 6, 2014
Cyber Monday!

December 1, 2014
When is a Pillow Not a Pillow? When it’s a Wall Hanging

Each of my Decorative Artist Pillows has a hidden talent, the ability to be used as a wall hanging! Two small holes have been placed on the upper corners so a 1/2 dowel can be threaded through and hung with string. This feature offers ultimate flexibility in how you display your piece of Tracey Cameron Fabric Art.

October 23, 2014