Nana Fro Textile Art

IT'S BLACK FRIDAY!

2011-11-25T10:39:00.001-08:00

It's Black Friday and I am doing a sale on my Etsy online shop. If you would like to purchase any of my work, here it is your chance to do it with a 10% discount. Sale continues until Monday the 28th of November.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nanafro

HOLIDAY SEASON WITH GREAT ART AND CRAFT SHOWS

2011-11-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

We artists and artisans are starting to get ready for all the end of year events around the city. There are quite a few fairs in Vancouver where you can find unique hand made Christmas gifts for your family and friends. In two weeks time you can visit my studio during the 3 days of Culture Crawl, and you can also find me at the 12th Shiny Fuzzy Muddy holiday show in December. I am preparing some great hand dyed products for women and children for both occasions! Please, come and say hello!

CULTURE CRAWL IN NOVEMBER

2011-10-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

We are getting excited about one more year of the big event. This is a great chance to meet Vancouver artists with studios based in East Van. Grab a map, choose the buildings you want to visit and enjoy! I am located at the Mergatroid Building on Vernon Drive. I would love to see you here. Come and say hello!

MAIS UM PONTO DE VENDA EM SÃO PAULO!

2011-08-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

Se você já comprou alguma meia-calça da minha coleção e deseja adquirir mais uma, ou se nunca teve a chance de enfeitar suas pernas com estes coloridos acessórios, agora tenho mais um ponto de venda em São Paulo: a belíssima e tentadora loja de sapatos Ciao Mao, na Rua Melo Alves, 368.
Formamos uma bela parceria, você não vai se arrepender da visita!

As meias também continuam disponíveis na IT, loja de design e acessórios do Instituto Tomie Othake.

LAST FARMERS MARKET OF THE SEASON!

2011-07-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

It is coming o the end...
I will be doing my last Farmers Market of the season this weekend. If you haven't visited me in one of these fun events or if would like to visit me again, I will be in Kitsilano this Sunday. Last weekend my hand dyed tights and leggings were a great success at the Trout Lake market so there is a new batch for this week. For the first time some children decided to get some, I am sure they will look super cute on them!

Kitsilano Farmers Market Sunday - July, 3rd
10am - 2pm
2690 Larch Street at 10th Avenue, Parking Lot of Kitsilano Community Centre

WORKSHOP DE BATIK EM SÃO PAULO

2011-06-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Não percam esta oportunidade, será a única vez no ano!

VANCOUVER FARMERS MARKETS ARE GREAT!

2011-06-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a beautiful sunny day to launch my first season at the Vancouver Farmers Market. Last Sunday I had my booth in Kitsilano and had a wonderful time. It is such a friendly small market with lots of people walking around. Dogs, babies, and pregnant women are a great part of the public, which brings lots of life to this fun Sunday event. If you have never been to these markets, it is time to visit one. And if you usually go to them, please come and say hi! I am the lady always standing there selling leagwears, organic cotton baby t-shirts, and linen scarves, all hand dyed! This coming weekend will be a double journey for me: I will be at Trout Lake on Saturday and back to Kitsilano on Sunday. Lets hope for great weather again!

This is Jun, a market visitor leaving my booth wearing a linen scarf she had just bought from me.

SHWE SHWE FABRICS - PART II

2011-05-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of April I did a post on Shwe Shwe fabrics including images of some of the ones I bought in South Africa. Here there are a few more to show how large the variety of patterns can be! There is something pretty amazing about some of them: they are printed on both sides with different patterns. If I had to make a choice on which side to use it would be a tuff call... I better think on reversible objects!

reversible/double side shwe shwe fabric

reversible/double side fabric

one side

the other!

detail

THREE STUDIES: ITAJIME SHIBORI ON LINEN

2011-04-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Since I decided to make scarves again (last ones I made were long ago...) I have been testing several kinds of fabric trying to find the ones that I like the most in terms of beauty, touch, and drape.

My studio partner kindly offered me some pieces of linen to try. I cut them in square shapes so if the tests turned out nice she could use them for cushion covers. This are the three results, which I was quite happy with. I started with an orange color, which I overlaid with raspberry followed by brown. The fabrics have been also folded and clamped twice.

Linen scarves will definitely be part of the new collection!

AMARIA IN SÃO PAULO

2011-04-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

If you live in São Paulo and admires textile and wearable art it is worth getting to know in person Amaria's work. The company was idealized by designer Mayumi Ito. Mayumi works together with weavers, sewers, embroiders and artisans from Muzambinho, at southweast of Minas Gerais. Amaria's clothes exalt the importance of traditional craft at the same time that they keep original and contemporary aesthetics.

Their site shows all the collections: Amaria

Se você mora em São Paulo e é um(a) admirador(a) de arte têxtil não deixe de conhecer pessoalmente o trabalho da Amaria, companhia idealizada pela designer Mayumi Ito. Mayumi trabalha junto aos tecelões, costureiras, bordadeiras e artesãos de Muzambinho, do sudoeste de Minas Gerais. As roupas de Amaria exaltam a importância do artesanato tradicional ao mesmo tempo que mantêm uma estética original e contemporânea.

Veja o site com as coleções: Amaria
Se puder veja também ao vivo!

SHWE SHWE FABRICS - PART I

2011-04-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Few weeks ago I did a post on wax print fabrics from Africa, which I brought back from my trip there in the beginning of the year. The other kind of fabric that impressed me (and of course I couldn't resist buying a whole bunch of them!) was the Shwe Shwe.

Shwe shwe is nowadays the most typical South African fabric and it was introduced to the country by European settlers after a seaport was first established at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. The fabrics are still done traditionally by using the method that was used one hundred years ago: the fabric is fed through copper rollers which have patterns etched on the surface, allowing a weak acid solution to be fed into the fabric, bleaching out the distinctive white designs. This creates a beautiful pattern that cannot be artificially reproduced.

All fabrics are 100% cotton and the designs are very detailed and intricate. Traditional shwe shwe fabrics are printed in three colours: indigo blue, red and chocolate brown. They are typically stiff when new. This is because starch was historically used to preserve the fabric on long sea voyages from the UK to South Africa. After washing, the stiffness disappears, leaving a soft cotton feel.

The term “shwe shwe” apparently established itself for being the swishing sound made by the long skirts used by South African woman when they walked.

Shwe shwe, shwe shwe.....

Each pair of images below tries to give a sense of the proportion of the designs (quite small!), followed by a zoomed in photo to show the patterns intricate details.

CREATIVE TOOLS FOR PRINTING FABRICS

2011-03-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

Quite a while ago I had a fun experience visiting for the first time a shop on main St. called Urban Source. It is a place that attracts art teachers, artists, designers, students, and families, and it is definetely worth a visit. They offer a variety of alternative materials from local industries, diverting safe, usable off-cuts, discards, misprints and over stock from the land fill.
In my visit there I found some small foam cylinders being sold by bulk. I immediately visualized them being used to stamp on fabric, foreseeing some beautiful printing outcomes. It took me a long time to create and construct the actual tool, but it is finally ready and approved after having done the first tests! I have to thank my husband for doing his part on it since he has kindly assembled the door handles for me. Aren't they perfect as stamp handles as well? Check it out!

WAX PRINTS FROM AFRICA

2011-03-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to photograph some of the fabrics that I brought from South Africa in January. I had to do some digging to find where the vibrant colorful wax prints were. I couldn't find the most beautiful ones in fabric stores but I did find them around street markets. Sellers in markets do not expose them among the products they are selling, so you really gotta ask around. Surprisely I found out the doorman from the hotel I was staying was from Congo and he had some fabrics himself! Aparently Congo is one of the great producers of wax prints in Africa. Would that be the next stop???

Nana Fro Textile Art on Facebook

2011-03-10T12:42:00.003-08:00

You are invited to visit my new page on Facebook.
Become a fan to receive some great tips and lots of useful information!
I will also be posting new photo albums as the work progress.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nana-Fro-Textile-Art/185832318119178?sk=wall

SUNSET FROM THE STUDIO

2011-02-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken during sunset viewed from the studio yesterday. I am glad I had my camera with me. Just a simple automatic camera in the night setting. I was so impressed with the number of shades and colours that were kindly offered to me on a cold winter day!

2011-01-27T23:09:00.000-08:00

Estes dias descobri por acaso pela internet uma artista com um trabalho belíssimo em tecido. Seu nome é Cristina Haberl e ela parece que vive em algum lugar no Rio Grande do Sul, se não por outras bandas no sul do Brasil. Em seu trabalho mais recente Cristina desenvolve estampas esclusivas utilizando-se da combinação entre técnicas de tingimento (principalmente shibori), carimbos e stencils criados e feitos por ela.

Vale a pena conferir o site: http://www.cristinahaberl.net

HANDS OF KOREAN ARTISTS

2011-01-22T14:54:00.001-08:00

South Korean fiber artists play an important role on the development of the textile scene around the world.Capable of producing complex yet delicate and sensible pieces of work, artists are able to successfully combine elements of their traditional fabrics with with new media and contemporary approaches. Here are some examples of the amazing works that they can do.

Korea featured as guest of the last European Patchwork Meeting held in France last year. If you would like to know more about participating Korean artists and the event, go to their webpage at http://www.handsofkorea.com

2011-01-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

Hard Twist 5: CHROMA! & pieceWORK

2010-12-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

Great images of our last event in Toronto.
Thank you Gladstone Hotel and organizers of the event!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gladstonehotel/sets/72157625354238019/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gladstonehotel/

WORKSHOP DE TINGIMENTO

2010-12-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

Encerramos neste domingo o workshop de tingimento aqui em São Paulo. Apesar de dezembro ser sempre um mês corrido para todos, algumas pessoas conseguiram reservar quatro dias desta semana para aprender algo novo e se divertir um pouco neste universo fantástico de cores e formas. Parabéns mulheres, o workshop foi bárbaro!

BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH HEMISPHERE

2010-12-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

Shibori hand dyed nylon top

The problem of living between the North and the South hemisphere - Canada and Brazil - is that when it is summer in one it is winter in the other and ideally I would have to produce for both seasons at the same time. For that reason I have been thinking of items that despite being for a specific season can also be seen as accessories. And accessories are always welcome!This image shows one of my pieces that was created following the production of the leg wears: it is a charming nylon top that is tight on the body and supposed to be used in cold days by itself or under dresses, short sleeve shirts, vests, or any clothing that would leave the arms out. Because they are tight on the body and do not alter its original shape, Brazilians call it "second skin".

TEXTILE SHOW AND SALE IN TORONTO

2010-11-22T23:42:00.000-08:00

Here is your chance to buy unique Christmas presents!

If you are in Toronto between Friday and Sunday this week you are welcome to stop by the Gladstone Hotel to take a look at two textile events that will be happening there at the same time. PieceWork, a pop-up show and sale with fiber artists offering a variety of crafted items, and Hardtwist5: Chroma!, an exhibit of contemporary installations and objects in which artists make use of fiber in most innovative ways.
For more information on the events go to:
Piecework
Hard-twist 5: Chroma!

If you would like to make a serious craft marathon of your weekend, another great event will be starting in the city next weekend as well. About 800 craft artists from across Canada show and sell their work at the One of a Kind - Toronto craft fair, which happens two times a year and also in Vancouver, Chicago and New York.

Visiting these exciting events is a good way to stay inside and keep yourself warm!

ZÊNITE: A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT

2010-11-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

It starts tomorrow in Curitiba!

My blog is becoming bilingual! I guess for events in Brazil I sometimes will have to do some posts in Portuguese. This one is an exhibit in Curitiba and my collaboration to the work were some hand dyed tights and a nylon top, which had the colours and textures of fire and forest.
About the work:
Projeto Zênite O projeto Zênite apresenta uma série de desenhos e objetos de autoria de Laura Miranda e Juliane Fuganti e um vídeo com a participação de: Cynthia Lorenzo, Denise Bandeira, Eliane Moreira, Juliane Fuganti, Laura Miranda, Lauro Borges, Mai Fujimoto, Mariana Frochtengarten, Rebeca Ficinski e Thalita Sejanes. O projeto foi realizado na região da represa do Passaúna em Campo Largo, PR, a partir de uma série de imersões, sensibilizações corporais, trajetos, fotografias, coletas e diários que formaram a documentação necessária para o desenvolvimento da proposta. Zênite significa ponto da esfera celeste que, relativamente a cada lugar da terra, é encontrado pela vertical levantada desse lugar. Ou ainda, ponto acima de nossas cabeças. O local exato escolhido para determinar o zênite foi um riacho com margens cobertas por samambaias e animais silvestres. O corpo imerso nesse ambiente tece as relações com a fauna e a flora e traça a vertical entre a superfície da terra e a abóboda celeste.

Mais informações podem ser encontradas no site da galeria: http://www.galeriazildafraletti.com.br

FALL, 2010

2010-10-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

These are the colours of fall in Canada. This is W11th St in Vancouver, on a rainy morning of this past week. I had driven through few days earlier in the week. Last Thursday I went with my camera. I was impressed how the red of the leaves were reflecting on the asfalt and coming into the street felt like entering in a tunnel with red bulbs in it. Except this was natural light. Nature provides us with these beautiful colours!

NEW EXPERIMENTS IN THE STUDIO

2010-09-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

I am more and more captivated by the art of resist techniques on fabrics. These last days in the studio, apart of the tights and socks that seem to have become a permanent production, I have been experimenting with clamps more than ever before.

I am freely taking the risks to see how the fabric and the liquid media (dye or discharge agent) respond to my acts.

It can be liberating to loose control! I can now let go some of my "old habits" and enjoy the construction of a pattern layer by layer, choosing the next step always based on the prior outcome.

I have generally been happy with the results!

I LOVE LAYERS!

2010-09-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

I am interested in generating a sensation of depth on two-dimensional surfaces through the exploration of layers of rich colours, prevented areas on each layer, and geometrical and organic forms. I work in partnership with the materials, allowing fibre and liquid media to respond according to their own qualities. I combine my initial plans with elements of chance and enjoyment of the unpredictable responses.

DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY!

2010-08-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

HAND DYED TIGHTS, LEGGINGS, AND TOPS AT THE STEVESTON MARKET

You still have a chance to buy one. Don't miss out!

Visit the summer Farmers Market in Steveston and there you will find these colourful hand dyed items (and myself in the booth!). A half hour to forty minutes drive from Vancouver and you arrive at this friendly coastal community which offers a nice market every second Sunday between June and October. There you can find super fresh local fruits and vegetables, edible home made products, and arts & crafts.
Come and visit!

My next show dates: Sept. 12, 26

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM - rain or shine!

Where: Corner of Third Avenue & Moncton Street, Steveston, British Columbia.

A DAY AT THE BEACH: NEW TOPS AND TIGHTS

2010-07-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

Nana Fro shibori tights have been a big success and they keep coming up in different colours and patterns!

The newest item is the nylon top, which is a great choice for cool days. To be worn by itself or under a sleeveless shirt, vest or dress. Just be creative and make your own style!

Tops also come in different colours and patterns.

As meias-calças de shibori Nana Fro tem sido um grande sucesso e continuam sendo lançadas em diversas cores e estampas! O mais novo ítem que estou lançando é a blusa segunda pele 100% nylon, uma ótima opção para os dias mais frios. Pode ser usado sem nenhuma sobreposição ou embaixo de coletes, blusas ou vestidos sem manga. Seja criativa e ouse em seu estilo!

As blusas segunda pele também podem ser encontradas em diferentes cores e estampas.

Os ítens podem ser encontrados em alguns endereços de São Paulo incluindo a loja Esencial

e o Espaço Sonia Pinto

RESIST DYEING WORKSHOP IN SÃO PAULO

2010-05-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

The workshop RESIST DYEING ON NATURAL FIBERS happened between the twenty frst and twenty fifth of April. Days were intense and production has happened in such a happy way! People seem to have made great discoveries! The intense hours of binding, stitching, folding, clamping and pole wrapping were worth several: "QUE LIIIIIIIIINDO!"

Check the smiles and the beautiful fabrics:

SPRING IS COMING!

2010-03-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

Finally spring is coming!
For the past two days I have been able to dry tights outside. A whole bunch of them have been waiting for the final wash for a long time...

This "anthen clothing line" was my acquisition for the new season. My lovely husband helped me to instal it. We found out the soil here is very rocky and there wasn't much choice.
It ended up in a perfet spot, where it gets the breeze of the day without being exposed to direct sun.

When I come back from Brazil in the beginning of May, spring will definetely be here. Lots of dyes to happen...

MEIAS-CALÇAS EM SHIBORI NAS LOJAS PAULISTANAS

2010-03-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

As meias-calças de shibori para o inverno já podem ser encontradas na capital paulista. Estão a venda na belíssima loja de sapatos Ciao Mao, localizada na Rua Itamirindiba, 58 em Pinheiros e na Rua da Consolação, 3058 nos Jardins. Se você não quer comprar meias super coloridas mas é louca para vestir bem os pés, não deixe de visitar a loja. É de encantar...

TEXTURES

2010-03-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

I love how I can create patterns and textures by resisting areas of the cloth before dyeing or discharging them. There is always a surprise involved in the process and most of the times I am amazed by the outcomes! Here are some of them

Dyeing Fabrics Through Resist Techniques

2010-01-07T00:34:00.000-08:00

Back from holidays and ready for 2010!
I will be offering a course at the Dunbar Community Center in Vancouver. The course starts on the 22nd of February and goes on for 6 weeks. All the information and registration are available through the link below.
Come and join us, the course is fun!

DYEING FABRICS THROUGH RESIST TECHNIQUES

In this course students will learn how to dye, discharge and create patterns on natural fiber fabrics such as cotton, ramie, linen and silk, using Procion MX reactive dyes. Hot and cold dye processes will be taught as two ways of using the dyes to achieve distinct outcomes. The construction of patterns will happen through mechanical resist methods which prevent dyes or discharge agents from reaching certain areas of the cloth. Resist methods explored in this course include folding, pleating, stitching, wrapping, tying, and clamping the fabrics. These processes allow us to work in partnership with materials, watching fiber and liquid media responding to our acts. The combination between voluntary actions and the elements of chance involved in resist dyeing practices produces beautiful fabrics and unpredictable results. Fee includes all the equipment and related supplies, including fabric Students need to bring: sketchbook and pencils, scissors, 3 glass containers, apron, dust mask, and rubber gloves.
http://vancouver.ca/parks/cc/dunbar/website/creative_performing_arts.cfm?catid=18&age=1,2,3,4,5&actid=219050

"Last Stop to Shop" - Beaumont Studios Holiday Sale

2009-12-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Just few days left until the annual holiday sale at the Beaumont Studios. Please, come and join us for a drink on Friday night and meet the artists that will be displaying their works. This is an opportunity to do your last Christmas shopping. Hand dyed tights will be available!

More Hand Dyed Tights

2009-12-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hand Dyed Tights

2009-12-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

In the end of 2008 I started to produce these shibori/tye-dye tights. They are 40 denier, made of nylon and elastane. A great accessorie to use in the winter of the South hemisphere or the in fall of Northern lands.The tights are made one by one and the patterns are produced through dyeing and discharging processes, combined with different ways of pleating, clamping, folding, tyeing or wrapping the pieces.

Artist's Statement

2009-10-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

My exposure to textiles began in 1992, when I took a course in the ancient art of batik. I immediately fell in love with the technique, especially because of the dynamic effect of the flow of hot wax, the concept of layering and the surprises that the process offers. The quick empathy I found with batik allowed me to focus almost exclusively on wax resist on fabric and paper for many years, until I started to expand my work towards other printing and traditional resist dyeing methods which I have continued exploring until today.

My practice has always been accompanied by the research into the history of manually produced textiles, as well as field trips to textile communities in different areas. I am interested in seeing how these artistic manifestations are so strongly related to the cultural aspects of their original places. Only then I feel I am able to insert them into a contemporary context and to apply personal attributes.

I am particularly captivated by different kinds of resist dyeing methods on fabric and the way that patterns can be constructed through preventing dyes or discharge agents from reaching certain areas of the cloth. I am interested in generating a sensation of depth on two-dimensional surfaces through the use of layers of rich colours, resisted areas, and the combination of geometrical forms. I work in partnership with the materials, allowing fiber and liquid media to respond to my acts according to their own qualities. Therefore I combine my initial plans with elements of chance and the unpredictable responses.

Since I became a textile artist, I have been producing mainly objects for the body and for the home. I am attracted by the tactile properties of fibers as well as the idea of imbuing with beauty our daily life. In my most recent work I have been exploring elements of the traditional Japanese shibori. Different ways of binding, stitching, folding, twisting and compressing the fabric have guided my latest creations, revealing continuous ways for constructing sensual surfaces.