Gone to the Dogs at SeaStrands Studio

Photo credit: Erick Walsh (click photo for a larger view)

Title: Foundations (The foundations of the Wesleyan Church at Exploits Islands, NL.)
Artist: Vicky Taylor-Hood
Medium: textile
Dimensions:46” x 41”
Price: $ 2500

Inspiration:
Part of my family comes from the resettled community of Exploits Islands in Notre Dame Bay and we have returned there each summer since I was an infant. Over the past thirty years, I’ve watched time pass on the island and have noticed the progressive decay of certain houses, the construction of summer cabins and the shift from one generation to the next. When first I started going there, the community had only been resettled for eight years. There were still residents on the island and much of the old way of life there was intact. A generation of time has since passed and things are very different there now. The pillars portrayed in this piece are the ruins of the community church. After the decay and disintegration of the wood, all that remains are, appropriately enough, standing stones watching the entrance to the harbour.

Construction and Design:
“Foundations” is constructed from cotton fabrics that are hand-painted using light-resistant acrylic-based textile paints. It is hand and machine-sewn and quilted using an assortment of threads, including metallic and holographic fibres. The pillars are constructed with overlapped cotton fabrics layered with painted cheesecloth. Machine quilted with metallic, cotton and monofilament threads and embellished with tulle, the lines of this piece are designed to evoke the feeling of the morning breeze drifting across the water and to evoke a sense of expectancy.

Hanging requirements:
This piece comes ready to hang, with the proper fixtures and hanging rods. It is actually quite easy to hang, being held by a rod through a sleeve at the top with eyelets on each end. The eyelets are generally attached to a wall, but can also be threaded with monofilament fishing line and suspended from the ceiling.