COMPOSITIONAL CONVERSATION - Stage OneToday marks the beginning of COMPOSITIONAL CONVERSATION, a project designed to create dialogue between artists and a textile construction, artists to artists and hopefully, artist to audience. Most artists work in the solitary environment of their studio. While they engage in a type of running dialogue with their work as it is being created, often the first feedback they have is when the work is presented in an exhibition. Even then, the environment isn't always ideal for more than the casual comment. We are hoping for more and invite you to follow along as this project develops.
The concept is simple: A composition made of fabric is begun and then passed form artist to artist. Each artist in turn has the opportunity to add elements to the composition, remove elements from the composition and/or totally rearrange the elements of the composition. The components of the piece will not be attached to the original substrate until the work is completed after passing through the hands of each person. The one thing they may not do is to remove everything and start over with all new elements. If they remove an element, that element will continue to travel with the work so that it can be added back into the work if someone chooses to do so.
The participating artists are: Rebecca Howdeshell, Beth Carney, Shelley Baird, Gayle Vickery Pritchard , Judi Hurwitt, Leslie Bixel, Fulvia Luciano, Marcia DeCamp, Marina Kamenskaya, Paula Swett, Valerie Goodwin, Kathy Loomis, Leslie Riley, and Terry Jarrard-Dimond. Each week an image of the most current version of our piece will be pictured along with notes and comments from the most current artist. in addition, there will be a mini artist profile of the artist which will feature a photograph of them in their studio, an image of the type work they do and an artist statement. This will help you get to know them as we move along.
Terry Jarrard-Dimond - Mini Profile
As the originator of Compositional Conversations, I had the pleasure of initiating the work and adding the first compositional element. The substrate is a blue/gray (more blue than it appears in the photo) and the element is a rich warm red. I generally work with large shapes and often focus on figure ground relationships. I love working with color and hand dye all of my fabrics.
Terry Jarrard-Dimond 
Joy and Sorrow - 59"H x 38"WI think of my work as interior landscapes filled with figures, structures and spaces that have a story to tell but which are very open to interpretation. I love working in the studio where you can explore and discover to your hearts content.
I live in South Carolina and share a studio with my husband Tom Dimond. I will be teaching a workshop at the Crow Timberframe Barn in Baltimore, Ohio in April of 2011 entitled Ask "What If?". This workshop will be geared for the beginner to intermediate artist/quiltmaker and will focus on ways to generate ideas and tap into your personnal creativity. Next week's mini profile will be on Rebecca Howdeshell and we will see what she has added to our Compositional Conversation.
