RADIANT DARK
I almost didn’t head out to this show, but I’m so glad that I did. There is no way that I would have seen Grant Heaps’ textile piece otherwise, it’s absolutely massive. A few months ago Grant put out a call for vintage cross stitch patterns and now I know why. His piece is an interpretation of one of those patterns, made up of one inch squares of fabric loosely stitched together. It’s absolutely incredible.
Grant is a regular at the workroom’s Quilt Sunday and each month he brings in one of a series of quilts he has been working on for over a year. They are each magnificent, using only scraps of fabrics and detailed embroidery to depict a narrative in imagery and text. You can read a great profile of Grant on Toronto Craft Alert.
Bev Hisey’s hand-tufted carpet representations of various diseases and bacteria in petry dishes was my other favourite from this show. Who knew that SARS could be so beautiful?
Take a look here to read about the other participants. Radiant Dark is organized by MADE and is now on my list of MUST SEES for next year.
Of course, there’s one last thing to report on from the weekend – the Love & Rummage Trunk Show! But since today is my day off and I worked extra hard last week, I’ve scheduled in a few hours of seriously indulgent relaxation. I’ve just made a pot of cheese fondue and I’m going to curl up under my quilt and read a deliciously trashy novel. I won’t admit just yet which novel it is, but I’ll give you a hint – it was very recently made into a movie. (MB – Yes, it’s THAT novel and I’m swooning already)
{NOTE: WOW, a huge thanks to Grace for posting these photos on Design*Sponge. Welcome, to everyone who is visiting from one of my all time favourite blogs! Also, Grant Heaps has posted some comments below speaking a bit more about his textile piece. Be sure to check them out to find out exactly how many little squares make up that huge piece)
14 comments
Hey Karen,
Is the book you’re reading the Twilight series by any chance? If so, and you need to borrow any, I just finished the series in the last 2 weeks, reading one after the other because I couldn’t put it down. If it’s not that book, then you’ll have to share what it is…I love trashy books 🙂
See you Wednesday. Gillian
Oh, and the show was fantastic. So inspired that I’m almost done sewing all my panels together on my skirt.
woah, I had this crazy dream the other night that, as the “performance” part of the exhibit, Grant tore his piece apart square by square, it was sad. Good thing it was just a dream!
omgosh that is so so amazing. all of grant’s work is absolutely unbelievable
re: book. ummm. AWESOME
re: that little high school in scarborough. rumour has it that it graduated some pretty talented people. i’m just saying.
Wow very Amazing!
What is the size of the squares?
How many squares do you use?
Did you become crazy at the end?
Nice coverage of the show! Thanks for sharing! ~Nikko
gillian – oh yes, it is TWILIGHT and PLEASE, can you bring me #2? I just finished the first one yesterday. I did nothing else but lay on the couch and read that book yesterday. sooo good.
angelune – crazy dream!
michelle – i know, each time i see another one of his pieces i can hardly believe it!
mb – when i finish all the books, i’d like to watch the movie with you! and yes, the talent just poured out of FLHS
gaelle – i’ve asked grant to answer your questions, so check back soo!
nikko – thanks for dropping by!
Whenever Grant is working away on Quilt Sundays, I pretend to check out the books and patterns so I can get close and sneak a peek at what he is working on!
Beautiful!
i was totally going to guess twillight before reading these comments. i’ve seen the movie (totally hit the spot) but haven’t committed to the books. this is the nail in the coffin – i need to read this! i just need to finish the fantasy series i started reading in cuba – ultra nerd but very addictive.
oh yeah, and grant’s a genius and the best dresser to boot.
hello gaelle
the squares are 1″x1″, there are 20049 of them. sewing them on a lousy machine and a bad stool left my back soar and having such a tight deadline was a bit panic inducing but i have just begun the companion piece this evening. a faun and doe.
hello karyn
organization was a bit of chaos. little bags of squares and a highlighter to mark off completed sections. i carried it to work with me stuffed in an old suitcase. it is pretty tough. sometimes i would be working on it and my pup would curl up on the parts that were bundled on the floor. i did press it when it was complete and after that i just folded it and carried it in that same suitcase.
i wish i had gone to all these shows. what a packed weekend. but instead, i avoided the world, made my own crafts and went to the events i was obliged to be at. now i wish i never had to sleep and/or was capable of more outings.
oh yes, and grant is a star. obviously.
becky – i often wish i didn’t have to eat or sleep so i could do more fun stuff… then i remember how much i love eating and sleeping…
ahhhh! So excited to see this! Im currently working on the cross stitch pattern of that buck and it’s matching deer and fawn, which I first saw on an episode of Mad men and then spent months hunting down the pattern! very very fabulous work!