Japanese Lantern / Chinese Winter Cherry

The Japanese Lantern plant, also known as the Chinese lantern or winter cherry, is a popular symbol of ‘life within death.’ It blooms in the winter, but when it dries up in the spring, the ‘skin’ crumbles away, revealing the red fruit that lives inside its ‘skeleton.’

#63. 'Father/Son, Mother/Daughter, (with lemons)' 66 x 68 no preference. Japanese and English floral prints.

Life is bitter AND sweet.

Lemons sit in the center of English Chintz and on the other side in the center of Asian florals.  

This was started at the beginning of summer and finished at the end of summer. 

In memory of Max and Beatrice who passed May 10 and August 16, 2022.

Actually when crumpled and crushed you can glimpse the other side...

Available for purchase at 'FISHCAKE' 307C Kamani St. Honolulu. 'Hawaiian Garden/Kansas Baseball'.

#32. Hawaiian Garden / Kansas Baseball. 62 x 73.4

Shown at 'Firecat Projects', Chicago, 2018 

800.00 retail.

Made of thrift store gingham, 

samples of Hawaiian prints from sister in law, 

and accumulated African fabric.

 

Something to investigate..."THE NONA MYTH: Nona is one of the three Parcae goddesses of Roman mythology, symbols of human destiny and the necessary change. Nona spins the thread of life, Decima weaves it and Morta cuts it."

#51. 'Mauna Loa / Powehi', is in the Hawaii Craftsmen 'Fiber Hawaii 2022' show. Opens June 8 - July 1. Fabrics used are scraps from Colleen Kimura's Tutuvi line and samples from Hawaii. Go see the back of this front panel.

#62 'Ukraine: Before and After' 56.5 x 52.5 Hawaii Costco sarong, blue color off Marimekko fabric, children print and various "ugly" fabrics.

Juror Kate Irvin, Curator and Department Head, Costume and Textiles at the Rhode Island School of Art Museum selected side B into 'Excellence in Fibers VIII' which will be published in the winter issue of 'Fiber Art Now', Jan. 2023.  A subsequent show will be held in San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles August 23, 2023. 

I'm excited that the "ugly" side has been selected to present. How interesting.

 

Side A

Side B

 

#55 'Juneteenth-20 / Heroics' was accepted for publication and a show.

Jurors:

 Petra Slinkard, Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Nancy B Putnam Curator of Fashion and Textiles, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Melinda Watt, President Textile Society of America, Chair and Christa C. Mayer Thurman Curator, Departed of Textiles, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Excellence in Fibers VII

Fiber Art Now. Vol 11 Issue 2 Spring 2022

Schweinfurth Art Center Summer Exhibition May 28-August 14 2022

 

#61 is delayed until bridal gown gets trimmed. So on to #62 and in the mean time, if you're so interested...here's my resume.

Resume:
Betty Jane Lau

EDUCATION:

1980 MFA 1976 BFA

EXHIBITS:

March 2022

School of the Art Institute of Chicago University of Hawaii, Manoa

2022 Excellence in Fibers VII,
Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY. (Petra Slinkard, Melinda Watt)

2021 DAC The Halls: Invitational, Honolulu, HI. (Gina Bacon, artist)
2021 4th Midwest Open, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL. (Brenda Oelbaum, artist)
2020 Home: a Virtual Exhibit, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL. (Jennifer Weigel, artist) 2019 Truth as a Contested Concept, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, (invited by Indira Freitas

Johnson)
2019 Solo Exhibition, It Takes a Village, Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park, IL.
2018 Solo Exhibition, Syzygy: To Yoke or Pair Together, Firecat Projects Gallery, Chicago, IL 2017 Solo Exhibition, Woven Quilts, 4th Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL.
2016 Quilt Expo, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI. (Nancy Zieman and WI Public TV)

1988 3rd International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition, University of Hawaii Art Gallery, Honolulu, HI. (Lili Dujourie, artist; James Surls, artist; Javier Martinez, Director of the Museo de Monterrey in Mexico. [catalogue])

1983 Solo Exhibition, To Hing Chock, Beatrice and the Sandalwood Mountains, Contemporary Arts Center, Honolulu, HI.

1982 1st International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition, University of Hawaii Art Gallery, Honolulu, HI. (Marisol, artist; Morio Shinoda, artist. [catalogue])

1981 Good As Gold, Alternative Materials in American Jewelry, Smithsonian, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC. (Lloyd E. Herman, Guest Curator, Director, Renwick Gallery. [catalogue])

1980 Solo Exhibition, Sculptures of Impermanence, Artemisia Gallery, Chicago.
1976 Tradition American Style, Contemporary Arts Center, Honolulu, HI. (Ruth Tamura, artist) 1975 Art Hawaii II, 25th annual Exhibition, Honolulu Academy of Art, Honolulu, HI. (Dextra

Frenkel, artist) COLLECTIONS:

1983 Marcia Morse 1983 Persis Corporation

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“Excellence in Fiber VII”, Fiber Arts Now, 2022 Spring edition. https://fiberartnow.wordpress.com/

Evangeline Reid, “Syzygy: To Yoke or Pair Together”, New Art Examiner, Vol. 32 No. 4 March/ April 2018. 28. http://www.newartexaminer.org/archive.html

Tom Klobe, “3rd International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition”, University of Hawaii Art Gallery, 1988. 74.

Jay Hartwell, “Artist Uses Collages and Laths to Construct Her Own Images”, The Honolulu Advertiser, August 19, 1983

John Brandenburg, “OU’s ‘Shoebox’ sculptures tap artists’ imagination”, Oklahoma City Times, Sept. 15, 1983

Tom Klobe, “The First International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition”, University of Hawaii Art Gallery 1982. 58.

Lloyd E. Herman, “Good As Gold: Alternative Materials in American Jewelry”, Smithsonian Institution, 1981. 10, 20.

#61. In Progress...

 

#60. 'Waltzing With Bears / Uncle Walter' 2021.12 66.5 x 60 Very lumpy and bumpy. American fabrics. Bears gifted from Missouri.

I was contrasting these dark bears to light flowers and kittens; when I stumbled upon a song. 

My ukulele group sang 'Waltzing With Bears', written by Dr. Seuss and later interpreted by other musicians. I was inspired to learn that this song is an anthem for some gays and lesbians. 

Our Uncle Walter's not right in the head 

He's been that way all his life, my mother said

 Its not that he's violent or falls down the stairs 

Its just he goes waltzing, waltzing with bears 

 He goes wa wa wa waltzing, waltzing with bears 

Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears too 

There's nothing on earth Uncle Walter won't do 

So he can go waltzing, wa wa wa waltzing 

He can go waltzing, waltzing with bears  

Repeat #58. Appalachian Moose / Hawaiian Plastic Lei. Finally finished binding in December. 51" x 41". Tennessee thrift store and "silk" scarf from Economy Shop.

Exploring artifice.

A painted portrait of a moose in his natural habitat is printed on a piece of fabric. Why? He is hiding between candy cane stripes. Some areas are purposely exposed and not hidden under a weave so that viewers have enough visual input to actually see the moose.

A scarf was printed with a photograph of real flowers laid in a mandala circle. I wove it with a Hawaiian fabric of stiff plastic print of plumerias.  Surrounded and woven with a summery madras. 

A Beach Boy's vibe.

#59. Fae's Bear Hides in Honolulu. 7/2021. 46-47 height x 34.5-36 width. Honolulu sourced fabrics. Flower print sarongs from Costco and tapa design cloth from Central Union Thrift Store. Of course the bear came from the mainland.

Difficult fabrics. The tapa print is a woven twill which did not allow me to tear into strips. It may unravel despite sewing into place because some threads are cut along the edges. The large floral design is a loose woven fabric. The small floral print is a slippery synthetic knit which I used to patch "holes". All of this made it difficult to keep "square". 

 

 

#58. 'Appalachian Moose / Hawaiian Plastic Lei' 51" x 41" 2021.6 Moose hides while the other side dances the hula.

 Moose print was found in a thrift store in Tennessee. Lace printed bed sheet is from a thrift store in N. Carolina. Plasticky print of plumeria was salvaged in Hawaii. Scarf of photo printed flowers and camouflage fabric is from the Economy Shop, Oak Park, IL. Who knows where I got the plaid, not exactly a tartan but I think of it as such.

 

Scavenged from a thrift store in Tennessee. Can't wait to strip the Moose.

https://karm.org/karm-stores/    

(Cancer) "IS RELENTLESS. SO ARE WE". Advertisement printed on warp. "HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A REAL INDIAN" is printed on weft going horizontal.

Paper is easier to manipulate and weave unlike flexible fabric. It too spreads apart on the edges and weave tighter in the center. 

 

With vaccines come house guests. My studio gets shoved into boxes and turns back into a guest room.

 

#57. 'Dolly Parton's Christmas Present' 2021.2 58" x 55" Mostly American with some Japanese, Hawaiian, African, Indonesian fabrics; some left over from making Covid-19 masks. NFS. Gifted to Dolly 2021.3.18.

 A podcast hosted by Jad Abumrad led me to Dolly Parton's song 'Coat of Many Colors'. This inspired me to make as traditional a quilt as I could. It's worth listening to 'Dolly Parton's America'.

 https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america

Christmas wrap the exterior of the many colored and faceted "coat". 

#56. 'Election-20, Red/Blue' 50 x 55.5 African, Hawaiian, Japanese fabric, and a contemporary fabric that reminds me of Russian Deconstructivism.

 

 

                              

55. 'Juneteenth-20 / Heroics' 2020.9 51"x41" African wax print, Kente design, and Civil War pictures on cloth. Gifted and found materials.

This is in the 'Fiber Arts Now' spring edition, as part of the 'Excellence in Fibers VII'. It will be on display at the Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY. 

May 28 - Aug 14, 2022.

Some questions I answered about this piece is below.

 

        

What do you want the audience to feel when they see your work? 

I want the viewer to feel joy.

What is the overall goal of this piece? 

To remind us that the Civil War resulted in a people freed from bondage and that is what we celebrate on Juneteenth. That history includes all people in a conflict, not just the leaders.

What is the most important thing to you about this artwork?

That I get to express what I feel and share it.

Why did you choose to highlight this political undertone in this piece? 

I’m not a very political person. But I do listen and am a part of my society.  When I learned about Juneteenth in 2020, so many years after the fact, I took note.

A Missouri acquaintance knew of an artist getting rid of fabric and got me a whole bunch of scraps. Among them were a few small pieces depicting scenes of Confederate and Union soldiers not fighting but making peace. I thought of how Missouri was a state that had men fighting on both sides of the war. 

I also have beautiful African fabrics. I framed the heroic figures coming together in peace with the celebratory colors of African cloths on the front side. On the back you see fabric printed with red, white and blue bunting against a night sky of small fireworks, this is interwoven with the African cloth from the front. To me, I feel the euphoria of 4th of July festivities combined with Juneteenth.

Is this a theme of more of your work?

Not exactly. All of my two sided woven quilts deal with commenting, complimenting, and/or contrasting one side with the other. I wouldn’t have searched for fabric of Confederate and Union soldiers. Chance plays a large part of what I bring together.

Is there anything else I didn't ask about that you'd like to add?

Some of the best views of my pieces are seen when they are tossed into a 3D heap. Of course the “story" is not read easily as it becomes a jumble of colored and patterned squares. Sometimes I can be very literal and sometimes very abstract.