Vickie Grey and Cordelia Ann Bates

Theme / concept        Nature, summer, our mutual love of flowers and gardening.

Vicki Gray

Fibre Art Piece                        Iridescence

Both Ann and I derive inspiration from nature and things around us.  Our mutual love of flowers and gardening influenced our selection of irises as a subject.  In keeping with the “Together” theme, I have used a sketch of Ann’s for one of my irises while the others are my own creations.  Thread and fabric, both commercial and hand-dyed, have become my palette.  As a fibre artist, I have the added option of using a third dimension which I have done by adding and stuffing the iris petals and stiffening the leaves, allowing them to protrude and extend beyond the edge. 

Ann BatesWatercolour Painting             Iris

 "During the summer of 2010 my friend Vicky Gray contacted me and suggested we enter the show, she submitting her quilt work and I, my watercolor work.  We decided on a theme of Irises.  I waited patiently this spring for the Iris to bloom and finally found some in a neighbour’s yard and made some preliminary sketches.  The cold, rainy spring weather delayed my work but finally a beautiful Iris bloomed in our yard.  The color was wonderfully vibrant and there were so many blooms.  Between rain drops I finished the painting.   I work in "plain air" and spend much of the good summer weather sketching wild flowers, roaring creeks, lakes and old buildings in the area of my home, Clearwater, BC.   

Vicki Gray and Cordelia Ann Bates

Victoria and Ann have completed two beautiful pieces .... two different styles ... one glorious flower!

Vicki's FibreArt - 'Iridescence'

Detail 'Iridescence'

Ann's beautiful watercolour painting ...

Detail

It all began here ...

Vickie looking over her palette of threads ...

Vicki is the quilter and Ann the painter.

23/01/10 Victoria: Please count me in on the ‘Together’ Show. Today I met with the artist with whom I will work and had a chance to see some of her wonderful paintings. Ann lives in Clearwater, BC, about 2 hours from my place. She produces the kind of art I love and appreciate, mainly watercolours, nature, old buildings, and especially flowers. She is 84 years old but you would never guess from her spirit and enthusiasm. She is professionally trained, an active member of the art community and a very successful artist in terms of the work she produces, sells and is commissioned to paint. We’re both really looking forward to this challenge. We have decided to create irises, each of us in our own medium, but we are trying to think of ways to incorporate the other’s medium in our own work. That may come as we get into the creative part. Our methods of working or course are very different, Ann always working on site, mixing her own palette while I am limited to a studio and having to use resources available (with some possible alteration). As soon as her irises are in bloom, probably June or early July, Ann will get to work and should have no trouble completing her part by fall. I can get an earlier start with design and background. We will confer with one another from time to time and then attempt to coordinate our creations in the final stages, whether this is in the colours, setting or method of display. We have decided that the pieces should be hung side by side on the wall, requiring no less than 45” width. As a point of interest, Ann says that painters always consider the horizontal measurement as length and the vertical as width, just the opposite of quilters.

Vicki  looking over her palette of threads ...


Vicki and Ann have completed their work ... two beautiful representations of one flower.