SHIFT

exploring layers of perspective

Barbra Edwards
Fiona Duthie
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 SHIFT
exploring layers of perspective

Barbra Edwards’ recent paintings Fiona Duthie’s sculptural felt

use dialogue between form and
line to interpret her view of the
environment on a cellular level.
She explores sense of place and
how each of us sees things from
our own perspective. This series
is textured, with vibrant colours
surrounded by calm, atmospheric
space.
garments employ geological
surfaces created through fabric
manipulation, stratified textiles
and mapping imagery to explore
biography and individual
perspective. There is movement
in each piece, inferring a
geographical, emotional or
mental shift.

There is a natural flow and relationship between what both artists are
creatively saying in their respective art forms.

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nebula
mixed media and oil on canvas
60 x 43 in (152 x 109 cm)
2014

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 nocturne
mixed media and oil on canvas
60 x 43 in (152 x 109 cm)
2014

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nebula + nocturne
Most often I work on several
paintings simultaneously. These
two pieces seemed a pair from the
moment I started work on them.
With graphite or ink on a stick or
skinny brush I scratched in certain
elements, then followed their flow
with oil. I see them as metaphors
for the many positive opposites
in our world: day/night, yin/yang,
man/woman, sun/moon.
Barbra
migration
The surface design is a little wild, very sculptural. Interlaced
and overlapping, crawling, leaping, edging their way up and
around the dress. In my mind these are wishbones, and they are
also tracks. They cast shadows, changing with the angle of the
viewers perception.
This dress was dyed with iron and tansy that I collected one
morning while walking in the hills and looking out over a
gorgeous sea, with mountains beyond. Local plant pigments
connecting the place with the movement. I am happy to have
the time to work through this slow completion process.
Fiona
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 migration
felt- extra fine merino wool,
silk, natural plant dyes,
2014

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A sensual feast! K.M.

Sensitively combined-there is a fabulous flow from one to the

other. L.C.

These two artists need to tour together. I don’t believe I’ve ever
seen two artists that show so well together. M.S

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 grey rhythm
oil on canvas
48 x 72 in (122 x 183 cm)
2014

Gestural line is used in this painting to express

movement and substance and also to suggest what
might have existed before. It’s similar to when
pencil marks are left on for positioning in a
drawing.

Barbra

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creature love
oil on canvas
48 x 60 in (122 x 152 cm)
2014

My view of the world is that human, animal, vegetal, all sentient

beings…are connected as one. It’s no surprise that creatures appear
and disappear within my work. Creature Love may have human or
animal references…it’s wherever your imagination takes you.

Barbra

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 stratum
felt - extra fine merino wool,
silk, natural plant dyes,
2014

Stratum is an experience in sense of

place. Folded striations of silk ripple over
the surface, mirroring sedimentary rock
formations. The bold colour inlays are like
maps, depicting regions with
connecting pathways- travelled by
thought, on foot or by vehicle. In
between these two points lie three
dimensional rifts, covered with a myriad
of stitches. A little bit of chaos as we find
our way. These rifts are created using
many resists, a felting term perfect for
illustrating the indirect path we follow as
we find our place in the world.

Fiona
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letters from the curators

SHIFT exploring layers of perspective includes oil paintings and gouache drawings by visual artist Barbra
Edwards alongside sculptural felted garments by fibre artist Fiona Duthie. The artists both take great
inspiration from the natural environment that surrounds them, using local subject matter and natural
materials in their work. Although the artists feel a deep artistic connection, our visitors have been
surprised to learn that their works are produced autonomously in their respective studios on separate
Gulf Islands.

When Edwards and Duthie came to deliver their work to the gallery, from Pender Island and Salt Spring
Island, respectively, I had the pleasure of watching as each artist unpacked their pieces and saw the
other’s new work for the first time. The artists themselves were struck anew by the connections linking
their works. Some of the pieces, like Duthie’s ‘Propagation’ and Edwards’ ‘Blue Friday’ for example, make
natural pairs, but the solid relationships between the works – in terms of colour palette, forms, texture,
and line – make possible numerous successful and conversation-starting pairings. Edwards and Duthie
have a rich professional relationship; they speak the same artistic ‘language’ and push each other
creatively by sharing their artworks.

Seymour Art Gallery is nestled in Deep Cove, a unique village set in a picturesque coastal fjord, a short
distance across the inlet from Vancouver. Surrounded by green slopes, pebbled shoreline, and deep blue
waters, Deep Cove is a place of great natural beauty and this exhibition, rooted in nature and focused
on its many rich details, is right at home in our space. Gallery visitors and volunteers have observed the
meditative quality of the work, noting how calm they feel in the gallery space, and have commented on
the synergy at play between the artists.

Sarah Cavanaugh
Curator/Director
Seymour Art Gallery
Deep Cove, North Vancouver

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The Artcraft committee plans four artist showcases each summer at Mahon hall on Salt Spring Island. In
planning for the 2014 season we considered separate proposals by both Fiona Duthie and Barbra
Edwards along with other applicants. It quickly became apparent that a collaboration between the two
of them could create a memorable and unique show. We could see from similarities in their colour
palettes and in the way these colours created contours, and swathes of movement across their
respective mediums that there was a bond and symbiosis between them.

The resulting exhibition: SHIFT was even more successful than we had imagined. The artists worked
apart but created such a cohesive and astounding collection once their work was brought together on
stage. Duthie’s dress forms floated ethereally in juxtaposition with Edwards’ paintings, at times looking
as if they had floated out from the canvasses and materialized as their 3D reincarnations.

The look of the exhibition was kept minimal which only increased the power of the pieces on display,
and highlighted the sophistication of the exhibition.

SHIFT has been one of the most visually exciting exhibitions to ever grace Salt Spring, and is still talked
about by visitors to this year’s showcases. An unprecedented level of discussion was generated by the
show and by Duthie and Edwards’ incredible ability to work as one, whilst only directed by their own
senses.

Richard Steel
Curator/ manager
ArtCraft Gallery, Salt Spring Island Arts Council,
Salt Spring Island, BC

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 propagation
felt- extra fine merino wool,
silk gauze + organza,
2015
In this piece I build up layers of strata using
my shadow felting techniques. This layering
adds visual depth, emphasized by the dark
line crevices. Cracks in our soil that allow for
opportunity. Seed forms rise up above the
surface, each with their own colour, pattern
and potentiality. Repeating, but never the
same. There is some awkwardness in the
composition, echoing our own experience
as we stretch into personal growth.

Fiona

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 blue friday
oil on canvas
72 x 48 in (183 x 122 cm)
2015

Kenny Dorham’s jazz music was playing continuously in

the studio and this painting came together as they rarely
do, almost spontaneously. It may have been that I
‘disappeared somewhere else’ while working away.
Painting life-sized pieces like Blue Friday (72 x 48 inches)
feel like working with another being.

Barbra

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nature totem one nature totem two
oil on canvas oil on canvas
72 x 30 in (183 x 76 cm) 72 x 30 in (183 x 76 cm)
2015 2015

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 nature totem one + nature totem two
These totems appeared later in the series. They
were painted simultaneously and feel stron-
gest as a pair. Both represent that focused
close-up of individual elements in nature that
I’m trying to capture.

Barbra

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sea state
felt- extra fine merino wool,
silk gauze + organza
2015

Recently, I heard blue water

sailors discussing sea states. I was
intrigued by the term and
investigated the Beaufort scale. I
love the idea of the sea having a
recognized state of being. Water
movements, air movements and
waves in varying degrees of calm
and violence. A beautiful and
ancient metaphor for our
psychological states, based our
own continuously shifting
conditions.

Fiona

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islands and artists

I have a history of islands in my life, from the Shetland Islands in Scotland, New Zealand, Newfoundland
and now Salt Spring Island in Canada. I find the boundaries of an island to be powerful. The edges contain
and focus my creative energy, crystalizing and empowering my thinking and productivity.

I love the peacefulness of this place. Twenty minutes spent walking, sitting and observing shorelines clears
my mind and buoys my spirit. Between the skies and the seas in all their shades of blues and greys, I have
room for both reflective and expansive thinking. The island is small and removed, but being here invites
big ideas in my artwork and more opportunities to reach the world.

Fiona - Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

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This coastline inspires me. Island living is as much about attitude as it is about its famous slow pace.
Choosing to be here allows time for a deeper response to this sanctuary and also to the
personal reflections I want to explore in my creative practice.

Barbra - Pender Island, British Columbia

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coriolis
felt- extra fine merino wool,
silk, natural plant dyes,
2014

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 foraging for self
oil on canvas
30 x 60 in (76.2 x 152cm)
2014

I began with automatic drawing in this painting. No planning other than choosing a colour palette, then
began to draw with charcoal and a stiff drawing brush. These are the most immediate and intimate marks from
eye through hand to canvas. From here I step back, respond to the marks and disappear into the painting. As I
switch to paint some of the initial marks will remain as the painting progresses. This piece is about finding one’s
way in a complex world.

Barbra

Coriolis is about movement and deviations of chosen direction. The deflection of winds can build into
storms; light or violent disturbances in an otherwise pattern of calm. A course may be set, but many
circumstances can divert that intention and build into chaos or conflict. When we understand these
elements, we can work with them to direct our passage, but sometimes the altered course proves to be
the best one. The inner dress and outer dress have different lines of current. Because the two pieces are
not connected, the patterns of deflection shift with movement within the gallery or on the body. The
two pieces question which one most truly shows the best path…the public outer layer or the lightly
obscured inner one.

Fiona

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reveal We publicly expose aspects of ourselves, our dreams,
felt- extra fine merino wool, thoughts, histories, inadvertently or with intention.
silk, natural plant dyes, These windows into the self change over the course of
2013 our days and lives, and will be ‘read’ differently
depending on the perspective of the viewer. The
multiple layers, folds and openings in Reveal represent
this concept. Design elements are sometimes visible and
sometimes obscured, just as in conversation we never
can know the whole underlying story that informs the
words.

Fiona

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 Neutral colour plays an important role my work. border(line) + take the long way
There are as many new greys as there are oil on canvas
combinations of paint. Finding them expands my 24 x 24 in (61 x 61 cm)
personal colour vocabulary the same as expanding 2015
one’s signature mark-making. Greys provide both
space and a comforting cocooning effect for me in
the work. Reflecting on my muted paintings
I recognize their impact and strength. Similar to the
introverted person, you simply need to slow down
and listen to what they have to say.

Barbra

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viewer impressions

Beautiful exhibit. Love the shift in visual flow from dresses to painting to dresses, etc. My two
favourties- Creature Love- bowled over by forms and colours. And Form Speaks to Form- what
are they saying to each other- something whimsical? J.A.

Stunning combination.! One of the best exhibits here ever. W.L.

I was overwhelmed with the sophistication of relationship between felt dresses and paintings.
This is something you would see in New York. V.F.

It’s the best visual experience, with a palette of colours to stir emotion. K.H.

Love it. The contrast/affinity between the work. M.L.

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reveal take the long way + border(line)

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the air was full of sound Dripping paint as metaphor can describe so much: a
ink, oil on canvas body of water, tears of joy or sadness, nature’s sounds
54 x 48 in (137 x 122 cm) and textures in general...
2015
Barbra

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thoughts on abstraction
My work shifts not so much in subject matter,
but in how the subject is described. With this
series my approach was to observe my
surroundings in a more intimate way than
before. I filter elements of nature through my
imagination to obscure obvious landscape and
expose the story on a cellular level. It’s a way of
simplifying what I see.

Gestural line is used to express movement and

substance and also to suggest what might
have existed before. It’s similar to when you see
pencil marks left in for positioning in a drawing.
These linear elements travel around shapes and
embed themselves within the hidden stories of
these paintings.

The size of the larger, narrow panels such as

Blue Friday and the Nature Totems give them a
physicality that is human in scale. As I
painted them there was a sensation of dance
with a swing from small molecular details back
to loose figurative shapes. Their human size
produced a welcome energy in the studio. My
preferred medium is oil paint because it’s a
living substance. When I continue from where I
left off the day before, the painting has already
begun the process of settling into its own skin.
Even colour subtly shifts. How oil paint moves is
a thrilling part of the process.

When I paint I think about relationship and

entanglements with nature. Often the
meanings in my work lie just below the surface,
hopefully offering the viewer an opportunity to
take the time for sustained conversation.

Barbra

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thoughts on selection of form
The work in this exhibition is created from
the viewpoint of dresses as sculptural forms,
rather than as fashion pieces. As sculptures,
they speak to modern femininity and its many
challenges.

The Shift dress is an iconic fashion form

developed in the 1960’s, an era renowned for
the second wave in feminism and the women’s
liberation movement. The shift dress is used in
these pieces to represent the juggling act we
practice, shifting perspective regularly in an
attempt to balance caregiving, self-care and
employment.

I wanted to create a contrast between the

piece being an appealing garment and a
sculptural vessel. On exhibition, the dresses
hang on almost invisible forms as three
dimensional sculptures, imbued with story. To
emphasize the feminine and personal, I also
had them photographed on beautiful women,
in a setting befitting the stories behind the
work. These garments are entirely wearable,
but have tactile features that challenge
everyday wear.

I enjoy working on garments from this

perspective. The forms are very personal and
human. Not only do I colour the canvas, but I
also actually create it. This canvas needs to be
three dimensional and shaped for perfect fit
on a human body, who then changes the piece
from static to dynamic sculpture.
A very beautiful shift….

Fiona

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 hegira
felt- extra fine merino wool,
silk, natural plant dyes,
2014

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 Hegira is the sisterdress to
Migration.

I wanted to take the wishbone

sculptural elements and use them
in larger, more transparent forms.
An individual path compared to
that of the many in Migration.
Hegira was a watery dress from the
very beginning. The large sheer
panel in the middle of the dress,
both front and back, illustrates a
journey, broken at times, and
coming from or starting with a fork
or confluence...Rivers with
portages, canals with locks, seas
with storms…choices and
challenges…

This dress looks wonderful

exhibited as a sculpture, but it’s
story feels even more complete
when shown worn on our beautiful
island....reflecting the journey by
water we all take to get here...

Fiona
hegira
felt- extra fine merino wool,
silk, natural plant dyes,
2014

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 A joyous painting:
vibrant, with a
largeness
balancing small
details. A mirror of
this complex world
we live in.
Sometimes I need
to stretch my colour
vocabulary. Until I
introduced red to
my paintings I’d
found the colour too
aggressive for my
work. It made me
feel uncomfortable.
Since then all tones
of red have taken
me on quite a ride,
from boldly bright
orange-reds to
deeply dark and of
the earth. Angry to
lyrical and s
omewhere in
between… Finally
red and I have found
compatibility.

Barbra
beautiful world
oil on panel
54 x 48 in (137 x 122 cm)
2014

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the man who flew kites confluence
oil with wax on panel felt- extra fine merino wool,
20 x 24 in (51 x 61cm) silk, natural plant dyes,
2015 2014

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 the man who flew kites
Walking on one of those beaches that go forever in Oregon, a conversation was struck up with a man
who was almost completely blind. He spent much of the day flying large, colourful kites. He had a
routine with everything in its place so he could follow strings tied to his backpack and send the
kites into the air. It was obvious he loved flying them and we had a special afternoon watching him work
these huge ‘birds’. He couldn’t see colour, perhaps only vague forms. This painting is a memory of that
day and his inspiring attitude.

Barbra

confluence
Confluence is the act or process of merging. It exists only with two entities meeting, whether they are
bodies of water, ideas and philosophies or people. All of these are represented in Confluence. When
creating this piece, I imagined the meeting in exhibition of Barbra’s and my work, and of the waters
flowing around our islands to merge into the Pacific. This is where I left the physical and started to use
it as a metaphor only for the sharing of ideas. There are layers in black and white creating the sense of
movement and current. I used actual map pieces and colourful forms to convey thoughts and
inspirations, floating like submerged islands in the sea, not entirely apparent or clear......some may come
to light and life through their sharing, while others float on….possibly to be picked up on at
another point of confluence.

Fiona

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drift
oil on canvas
12 x 12 in (30 x 30 cm)
2014

beach
oil on panel
16 x 16 in (41 x 41 cm)
2014

These small paintings portray a day at the seaside in

British Columbia where I live. It’s a way of
documenting what we are all fortunate to have here on
the coast before the very real possibility of its
environmental loss.

Barbra

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 beachcombing
oil on panel
20 x 24 in (51 x 61 cm)
2015

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shift 3 Most cultures use writing as language
oil on canvas communication. Here I’m using line and form to
16 x 32 in (41 x 81 cm) diptych suggest another way of looking at language.
2014
Each of us sees things from our personal
perspective. We bring our experience, beliefs,
gender, and culture…to the situation. My intention
with this painting was to explore visually how that
might look. No matter how differently people might
see something, there is always some point where
they can agree. In this piece there is a connection in
colour, line or form that connects one side and the
other.

Barbra

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Fathom and Sound is another watery exploration fathom and sound
of identity and sense of place. How much we can felt- extra fine merino wool,
come to know about one another by coming into silk, natural plant dyes,
2014
relationship. These words each have two
definitions applicable to this work. Fathom is a
unit of measure of depth in water. It happens to
be six feet…human in height….It also means to
know and comprehend the nature of a problem,
object or person after much contemplation. To
sound is to measure depth at sea, to plunge
downward, and also to seek information. It
describes geographically the watery space that
divides my island from Barbra’s. A space that
allows for the passing of vessels…movement and
navigation. This work describes the depths we
plumb through relationship…

Fiona

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form speaks to form The forms in this painting took on a monumental presence in my
oil on panel studio as I worked over a period of months. They shifted from one
48 x 54 in (122 x 137cm) emotion to another as I moved them around in the painting. They
2014 had something to say about where they’d end up. This doesn’t
usually happen when I paint…they were in turn soft, loud, sad,
mellow, strong, and finally content. This painting is a pivotal piece.
It’s uncomfortable to me, an important place to be. Vulnerability
opens up further creative exploration.

Barbra
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fathom and sound

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rift
felt- extra fine merino wool,
silk, natural plant dyes,
2014

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In this diptych form and line move around within the shift 1
overall painting while the individual panels present oil on panel
varied view points about the same subject. 48 x 54 in (122 x 137 cm)
2014
Barbra

Rift is full of (beautiful) scars and intentions.

This piece is made of shadowy shards. Like flakes of obsidian, but cradled within a softer surface. Black
and white forming shades of grey over time. Biography and Geology. This piece has elements of all rock
formations, sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic; tectonic shifting, escarpments... It is hard, sharp
and cut, but softened around the edges in the overall dress form, like a tumbled stone. There are
geode-like inclusions; seams of precious earth....scars, dreams, wishes...life in general. These rifts are
pushed up and out of the base textile; carved and twisted through the felting process. Each scarred line
is like a difficult life experience… a pain remembered that forms our perfect wholeness.

Fiona

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biographies

Barbra Edward’s recent paintings lean towards the traditon

of expressionism, interpreting an honest, close-up view
of the environment. Edward’s highly refined colour sense
triggers people on an emotional level having nothing to do
with verbal language. Hers is tender yet sensuous story
telling, with brushstrokes that share with the viewer how
the painting was made.

Barbra studied Photographic Arts at Dawson College in

Montreal, and then majored in Photography and Design at
Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. She lives and works
on Pender Island, British Columbia.

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 Fiona Duthie‘s sculptural felt garments employ geological
surfaces created through fabric manipulation, stratified
textiles and mapping imagery to explore biography and
individual perspective. There is a sense of movement in
each piece, inferring a geographical, emotional or mental
shift.

Fiona Duthie is a feltmaker recognized for her dynamic

surface design. She loves storytelling, both in words and
textiles and starts a new piece, thinking first of what
story she wants to tell and then creates tactile metaphors in
form, fibre and surface additions to best communicate that
narrative.

Fiona’s work has been published in many international

textile arts publications and she has exhibited her work
in Canada, the US, New Zealand and the UK. Felting since
1996, Fiona Duthie has a full-time studio practice based on
Salt Spring Island.

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in collaboration

I enjoy the energy and life that is present in Barbra’s work.

There are worlds to explore and take time with, within her
compositions.  We do not work off each other’s pieces, but
with every new conversation and sharing of works in progress
we discover incredible connections and mutual perspectives.
These pieces have evolved within our studios, autonomously,
but already in relationship.

Fiona

Fiona’s felt sculptural pieces are mystical magic in themselves.

I never tire of looking at their intricacy with sheer wonder. As
we worked away in our individual studios on separate islands,
neither of us realized the impact that showing our work to-
gether would produce. The strength of our individual pieces
once paired in the gallery escalated into something else that
takes the breath away. That makes the difficult days of creative
process all worthwhile.

Barbra

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acknowledgements

Photographs in this publication were taken by Amy Melious,

John Cameron, Vanessa Black, Fiona Duthie and
Barbra Edwards.

Seymour Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges the financial

support of the City of North Vancouver and the District of
North Vancouver through North Vancouver Recreation and
Culture, the Province of British Columbia, and our members.

ArtCraft Gallery and the Salt Spring Arts Council thank the
British Columbia Arts Council and the Province of
British Columbia for their support.

Design Layout by Rachel Bevington

Copyright © 2015 Duthie / Edwards
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barbra edwards fiona duthie
www.barbraedwards.com www.fionaduthie.com

blue friday 72 x 48 in (183 x 122 cm) oil on canvas

propagation, felted sculpture