Negative Spaces, Textile Art by Raz Rotem

At the opening reception last Sunday, we had a guest from the textile guild who came dressed in one of the most interesting hats I'd ever seen. Bright colours, patchwork, almost in a classic train conductor shape. In fact, we had several guests from the textile museum who all had a unique, very distinct and interesting sense of style - whether or not they'd made the clothing themselves.

This fellow had made the hat himself. I tell you this because we got to talking about life in the arts, and the various expenses one incurs simply to MAKE art... and then of course, the ways in which we mitigate those expenses.

The hat specifically was an experiment with different techniques in weaving and stitching, but the common strategy we, and probably the majority of us in the arts can claim, is reclaimed materials.

I'm lucky, in that my work is for other people, a common hobby. I get more than half of my materials from people who have lost interest in painting, and who are trying to make space for the next thing to do.

With textile artists, the truth is that because of fast fashion, the price of new fabric almost always exceeds the price the layperson is willing to pay for a shirt. Tailoring is an income for the very high end, or niche. Sometimes, they can do repairs. In the end, it's better to play with reclaimed material. It saves the material from becoming waste, and it costs significantly less than new.

Which brings me to this piece in my current show. Here, my artist has created a quilt out of scraps. Behind and to the left, you can see part of the 'parent' quilt, called Tic Tac Toe. This piece is called Negative Spaces, and is just that. The leftover pieces cut from the inner sections of the "o"s.

My artist, Raz Rotem, is interdisciplinary, and works in multiple media. He came to textiles after a few years working as a mascot maker 7 years after graduation. Now, he teaches English and studies languages, and most of the work I have of his present in the gallery has been created as part of his dissertation coming up quite soon in March.

I'm excited to see where his career goes from here, whether or not I can help him sell more of his work. I'm fielding an inquiry on another piece today, so I remain hopeful. Regardless of how that goes, I can safely say that I'll be bragging about showing him first after his success develops.

More soon. Maybe another one of my own pieces from my gap years from posting here. We will see!

Rachel

rachelsvparry.ca