Featured Artists

Interviews Archive Page

135  Christina Massey

134  Mary Grisey

133  Trina Perry Carlson

132  Anne Kelly

131  Louise Lemieux Bérubé

130  Dorothy McGuinness

129  Penny Mateer

128  Christine Mauersberger

127  Jim Arendt

126  Merce Mitchell

125  Louise Keen

124  Rosemary Claus-Gray

123  Mary Giehl

122  Emily Hermant

121  Robin Wiltse

120  Barbara Klunder

119  Megan Skyvington

118  Rachel Brumer

117  Heike Blohm

116  Shanell Papp

115  Carmella Karijo Rother

114  C. Pazia Mannella

113  Karen Goetzinger

112  Andrew MacDonald

111  Jeanne Williamson

110  Catherine Heard

109  Rosemary Hoffenberg

108  Cathy Breslaw

107  Leslie Pontz

106  Cas Holmes

105  Geri deGruy

104  Suzanne Morlock

103  Barbara De Pirro

102  Kathryn Clark

101  Noelle Hamlyn

100  Judith Mullen

99  Barbara J. Schneider

98  Merill Comeau

97  Beverly Ayling-Smith

96  Barbara Hilts

95  Mackenzie Kelly-Frère

94  Anna Keck

93  Pilar Sans Coover

92  Dolores_Slowinski

91  Leslie Pearson

90  Temma Gentles

89  Tilleke Schwarz

88  Anna Torma

87  Kim Stanford

86  Ingrid Lincoln

85  Anna Hergert

84  Joy Walker

83  Maximo Laura

82  Marie Bergstedt

81  Alice Vander Vennen

80  Xia Gao

79  Leisa Rich

78  Megan Q. Bostic

77  Sayward Johnson

76  Heather Komus

75  Sheila Thompson

74  Kerstin Benier

73  Molly Grundy

72  Nathan Johns

71  Lorena Santin-Andrade

70  Lisa DiQuinzio

69  Nancy Yule

68  Jenine Shereos

67  Bovey Lee

66  Nell Burns

65  Lancelot Coar

64  Elisabetta Balasso

63  Matthew Cox

62  Yulia Brodskaya

61  Lotta Helleberg

60  Kit Vincent

59  Barbara Heller

58  Catherine Dormor

57  Joyce Seagram

56  Yael Brotman

55  David Hanauer

54  Dwayne_Wanner

53  Pat Hertzberg

52  Chris Motley

51  Mary Catherine Newcomb

50  Cybèle Young

49  Vessna Perunovich

48  Fukuko Matsubara

47  Jodi Colella

46  Anastasia Azure

45  Marjolein Dallinga

44  Libby Hague

43  Rita Dijkstra

42  Leanne Shea Rhem

41 Lizz Aston

40  Sandra Gregson

39  Kai Chan

38  Edith Meusnier

37  Lindy Pole

36  Melanie Chikofsky

35  Laurie Lemelin

34  Emily Jan

33  Elisabeth Picard

32  Liz Pead

31  Milena Radeva

30  Rochelle Rubinstein

29  Martha Cole

28  Susan Strachan Johnson

27  Karen Maru

26  Bettina Matzkuhn

25  Valerie Knapp

24  Xiaoging Yan

23  Hilary Rice

22  Birgitta Hallberg

21  Judy Martin

20  Gordana Brelih

19  Mary Karavos

18  Rasma Noreikyte

17  Judith Tinkl

16  Joanne Young

15  Allyn Cantor

14  Pat Burns-Wendland

13  Barbara Wisnoski

12  Robert Davidovitz

11  Amy Bagshaw

10  Jesse Harrod

9  Emma Nishimura

8  June J. Jacobs

7  Dagmar Kovar

6  Ixchel Suarez

5  Cynthia Jackson

4  Lorraine Roy

3  Christine Mockett

2  Amanda McCavour

1  Ulrikka Mokdad

   

Kim Ohno, 70" x 12" x 12", aluminum, wood, concrete, clothing, paint, medium.

 

Just a Thought, 73" x 19" x 17", clothing, stainless steel, aluminum, concrete, paint, wood, medium.

 

Old Growth, 71" x 38" x 29", stainless steel, copper, aluminum, concrete, clothing/cloth, industrial felt, paint, medium.

         

Artist: Christine Mockett, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Interview 3: Christine was Winner of Best in Show for the 2007 Common Thread  National Juried Exhibition for "Tree Prosthetic."

Subscribe to Artist Interviews here...

Interviews published by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.

 

Biography

Christine Mockett is a fibre sculptor, born in England and raised in Southern Ontario.  In 1996, Christine completed a BSc at the University of Waterloo. The emphasis on research is an influence on how she approaches her artwork today.  In Australia, Christine studied clothing design and operated a business in Sydney for four years. Garments now appear in her artwork as a second form of architecture, closer to the body and portable.  When she returned to Canada she developed her professional interest in art and completed a BFA at Concordia University in 2006.  Her artwork has since appeared in the Preston Catalogue, Fiberarts, Embroidery Canada and Fibre Quarterly, and has been exhibited and collected in Canada, the USA and Italy. Her current body of work addresses issues of place, and the inter-relationship between architecture and human presence. View Website

 

Christine Mockett of Ottawa Ontario was winner of the "Best in Show" for the 2007 festival.
Photo: Peter Juranka.

 

Tell us about your work?

I am working in fibre sculpture on the theme of connection between people and places.  Each sculpture is an abstracted human form combined with the physical appearance of a place.  Facial features are missing because the figures’ identities and actions are only possibilities.  Groups of sculptures invent, recreate and sometimes poke fun at our interpretations of things.  The sculptures are usually life size for a more personal interaction.

I like working with reclaimed materials and often include environmental themes and materials in my work.  The sculptures are made of left over construction materials salvaged, clothing donations and purchases from community organizations.  The clothing is wound around the building materials, like lives wound around places.  It is an intermediary between places and people, a portable architecture.             

 

 

Operette 2, 71" x 16" x 12", Media: clothing, aluminum, concrete, paint, wood, medium,
Fibre Technique: additive fibre sculpture, wrapping, shaping

 

I'll Paint You If You'll Paint Me, 12.5" x 15" x 10", clothing, wood, concrete, paint, wire, medium, Fibre Technique: additive fibre sculpture, wrapping, shaping

 

From where do you get your inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere, so much so that I need to keep books with drawings and notes of ideas because building things takes longer than thinking of them. Nature is a brilliant designer in colour combinations and construction.  I also try to be involved in other fields and activities that may seem completely unrelated. This brings different perspectives together and makes for a larger tool box of ‘how to’s’!

 

Why did you choose to go into fibre art?

I spent a long time searching for a career path that moved me.  I think fibre art chose me, and that was it.  I have always built things from whatever material was available, but fibre is the perfect medium for me because it is so flexible.  It has so many forms and so much history.

 

 

Winner of Best in Show, for the 2007 Common Thread National Juried Exhibition.

Tree Prosthetic 1, bark, yarn, thread, acrylic.

 

Winner of Best in Show, for the 2007 Common Thread National Juried Exhibition.

Tree Prosthetic 1, bark, yarn, thread, acrylic.

 

Which is your favourite fibre medium?

Fibre sculpture and machine embroidery are my favourite media at the moment. I like being able to move around the work, creating hidden areas that can be discovered and visually delved into, this suits the themes I choose.

 

What other mediums do you work in, and how does this inform your fibre work?

I work with steel, aluminum, concrete, wood, plastics and paint, so far.  My work almost always has fibre or a fibre technique in it, but I include other materials as it suits the idea.  Different materials require different tools, approaches and methods of working.  This leads to transference between media and into the themes.  If a material appears to not be suitable for an application, I have to know why and then try to change it.

 

 

Detail: Tree Prosthetic 1, Bark, yarn, thread, acrylic.

 

Visitor, 71" x 14" x 14", wood, concrete, clothing, paint, medium, Fibre Technique: additive fibre sculpture, wrapping, shaping, sewing, clothing design

 

What specific historic artists have influenced your work? 

I’m not sure if there is a date attached to what you consider historic but I like Alexander Calder’s work, particularly his jewelry.  He included found materials in his work and did innovative things with simple materials.  I’ve read that he always had a roll of wire with him when he traveled and he referred to himself as a maker of things instead of an artist.

Sometimes I find I am putting non-existent barriers up around what I am making, that it has to look this way or that way.  When I look through a book of Calder’s work, the freedom in his forms reminds me how to find my own direction.

 

 

Oil Pithoi, in the Common Thread Nationall Juried Exhibition at The Gallery at Sheridan Institute 2007.

 

Oil Pithoi, in the Common Thread Nationall Juried Exhibition at The Gallery at Sheridan Institute 2007.

 

What role do you think fibre art plays in contemporary art?

Fibre is the surprise mystery ingredient, because it is such a ubiquitous element of our lives and can be used in so many physical and expressive ways.  The role it plays depends on whose hands it is in.

 

What specific contemporary artists have influenced your work?  

I like the combination of media in Michael Raedecker’s work.  I would like to consider the notion of objects in my theme of people and places.  His work leaves the subject material not overly defined.  This ambiguity fits with my tendency to keep things flexible.

I like Olga Chagaoutdinova’s photographic images of rooms, places and people in different cultures.  Textiles appear in some of her images and they are so expressive of the lives operating around them. 

 

Detail: Oil Pithoi.

 

What other fibre artists are you interested in?

I am interested in Louise Bourgeois’s work.  She was a French-American artist and sculptor.  I like her use of textiles from her own life, her very expressive fibre forms and the fact that she kept on creating work, with the last pieces finished the week before she passed away.

 

Tree Museum, 13" x 9" x 9" (each piece), paper core, reed, paint, yarn, thread, fleece, medium, Fibre Technique: wrapping, sewing, basketry, tying, beading, felting.

 

Tell us about your studio and how you work:

I have a home-based studio where I can work alone when I need to and do the noisy dust generating construction work.  I also seek short-term studio space in artist collectives and studio buildings so I can interact with other artists.  The opportunity to work in a variety of places is ideal for me.  Different environments lead to changes in work direction and inspiration.  I also get to meet more people. Trading tools, experiences and critique is great.  It gets all of us miles ahead of where we would be and the process is so enjoyable.  This combination works best for me.

 

Christine Mockett working in the studio. Photo: Peter Juranka.

 

Where do you imagine your work in 5 years? 

I am currently working sculpturally, interpreting building surfaces into sculpture. My next plan is to reverse this process and incorporate sculptures into flat surfaces. I would like to do more with mixing fibre into other media, perhaps suspending it in glass or mixing it with concrete.  I don’t have a definite plan because it would change anyway, and it is nice to let the work itself lead sometimes.

 

Common Thread Nationall Juried Exhibition at The Gallery at Sheridan Institute 2007.

 

Which World of Threads Festival did you exhibit in?

I exhibited in the World of Threads Festival Common Thread National Juried Exhibition, in 2007. (Christine was awarded Best of Show.)

 

What was your motivation for submitting your work to the World of Threads Festival?

I finished my undergrad work and setup my business in 2006. I submitted my work to the World of Threads Festival because I wanted to connect with other artists and art organizations more.  When I was in university those opportunities were all around, but after graduating I knew I had to seek them out myself.  I had heard a lot about Sheridan and the art programs there, so I thought I would meet interesting people.  I also hadn’t shown my work much in Toronto, and the World of Threads Festival matched the kind of work I was interested in doing.

 

If you'd like to make a donation to help support our
"Weekly Fibre Artist Interviews" series, you can do so here.

 

Subscribe To Artist Interviews here...

Interviews published by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.

 

   

Stone #1, 20" x 16" x 3/4", embroidery and acrylic on canvas, Fibre Technique: Machine embroidery.