Monday, February 6, 2017

Colleen Heslin

girl friday 2016 colleen heslin dye on linen
Colleen Heslin's exhibition Needles and Pins
McMichael Canadian Art Collection Gallery  June 4 2016 - February 20 2017
organized by the Esker Foundation in Calgary
curator Naomi Potter
girl friday detail colleen heslin
sewn paintings
constructed colour fields
false start 2016 colleen heslin dye on linen
Colleen Heslin won the 2013 RBC Canadian Painting Prize
earth be earth 2015 colleen heslin dye on linen
Colour field paintings or modern quilts?
A Jack Bush solo exhibition runs concurrently at the McMichael
earth be earth detail colleen heslin
Art equals craft, Craft equals art.
The importance and meaning of materials
monochrome 2016 colleen heslin dye on  linen
 Colleen Heslin soaks fabric in dye, and then skillfully cuts and pieces these striking compositions.
They 'resonate with the tension of material and gestural complexity.'  (wall text)
dash 2015 colleen heslin ink and dye on cotton and linen
The work in this exhibition is recent, most from 2016.
Those from 2015 give more evidence about her mark making process.
She allows the fabrics that she stains with dye or ink to dry naturally, and then responds to the marks left behind without her hand touching them.
Not paintings then.
dash 2015 colleen heslin detail
Yet the viewer feels touched.
This artist is exploring and using cloth as a language and cloth is intimate.
counterpose 2015 colleen heslin ink and dye on cotton and linen
 We understand cloth.
log cabin 2016 colleen heslin dye on canvas
Cloth is like the human body.
It's malleable.
runaay 2016 colleen heslin dye on canvas
Most of the pieces are human scale.
The cloth is pulled around stretcher bars. 
seafoam 2016 colleen heslin dye on canvas
Not quilts then.  

3 comments:

  1. I saw her work in Vancouver last year....and was having a similar discussion in my head ... I rather like that they aren't really quantifiable ... poetry for the eyes, perhaps

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  2. Interesting work, good to see that artists are now using modern techniques for their work. Keep up the good and unique work. Thanks for sharing the post.

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