Potter Christy Richardson and fabric artist Marilyn Dickson will hold their final artists’ demonstration event at the Station House Gallery this Friday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 3 p.m.
The artists are featured in a unique show at the gallery this month titled “Cloth and Clay an oxidized collaboration.”
Dickson and Richardson are drawn to the power of nature and the strength of humanity. While some of the pieces in this exhibition are bold and simple, others draw the viewer in with subtle tactile detail.
Throughout the month Marilyn has left a piece in progress in the upstairs gallery and invited visitors to add a few simple stitches to the piece. She has also left a book on stitching for people to read.
Marilyn says she loves fabric and was inspired to work with simple Indian cotton and images created by rusting objects as a way to explore social justice issues such as the oppression of women, war, poverty and slavery.
In her research Marilyn says she was appalled to learn that there are 35.8 million slaves in the world today, more than now than ever in history.
Christy describes her work as eclectic and indeed her show features a mix of sculptural and functional pieces.
“Recently I have been making ichibana tiles, imparting relief designs on the surface that are allegorical,” Richardson says. “They tell stories, but I hope that each viewer will read their own story in them. The large organic sculptures are my way of representing and honouring the hope of new garden life.
The exhibition is on display until Saturday, Sept. 26.