RSSFiber ‘explorer’ revels in her creative journeys
“Streaming the Veins of the Earth” is one of two pieces by Mary Hertert of Fruita and is showing through Feb. 24 at the Art Center, 1803 N. Seventh St.
Mary Hertert of Color Creek-Fiber Art models one of her wearable art garments that represents Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska. See more of Hertert’s work in her online gallery at http://www.colorcreekfiberart.com
Yards of rich velvet dyed by Mary Hertert are the basis for her coat entry in the Alaska Wearable Arts Show in March.
QUICKREAD
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Mary Hertert of Fruita will lecture and share samples of her art at a meeting of Colorado West Quilters Guild.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8.
WHERE: First Christian Church, 1326 N. First St.
COST: Nominal fee for nonmembers.
Mary Hertert of Fruita is an explorer ... of fabric art as well as outdoor terrain.
She and her husband, Doug Van Etten, moved to the Grand Valley last spring from Anchorage, Alaska. Together, they operate Western Slope Adventurers, organizing hikes, canyoneering treks, boating excursions and other activities for like-minded people.
When Hertert comes indoors, she experiments with art cloth at her business, Color Creek-Fiber Art, within the Fabric Arts Studio at 2297 Tall Grass Road, Unit 9. The building is south of the G and 23 roads intersection in a new business park.
Because most commercial fabric is unappealing to Hertert (“too static”), she specializes in making her own art cloth through dyeing and surface design. Silk, velvet and organza are some of her favorite mediums.
“I prefer a mish-mash of textures, a more organic look,” she explains.
Some of her cloth turns into art garments that mirror her love of nature. Wearing or viewing these lush creations is like taking a walk in the woods. A series of garments based on national forests includes a coat that represents Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska.
“The object was to bring the feel of the place,” with its mushroom caps collar and fibers that look like heavy moss dripping from the dyed velvet, she says. “I’ve also sewn real plants and pieces of wood into the coat.”
Hertert is sending another velvet coat design to the Alaska Wearable Arts Show scheduled in March in Anchorage. She dyed yards of velvet blue and red for her entry. Velvet takes the dyes well and yields vivid colors, Hertert says. The coat features a high collar and fabric at the back of the head with added pieces of dyed organza to give it “different weights and texture.”
The theme of the coat is “when ice burns and fire freezes.” Hertert has machine- and hand-sewn the coat. At times, Hertert ruches her velvet pieces with strong upholstery thread, referring to her process as sculpting.
“I just love the three-dimensional aspect,” she says.
Her fabric art also is on display this month at two galleries in Denver, and two more of her pieces are on exhibit in Grand Junction through Feb. 24 at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts (The Art Center), 1803 N. Seventh St.
The two shown locally are titled “Streaming the Veins of the Earth,” which looks like glowing lava, and “In the Confluence of Time.” The latter includes pieces of metal mesh to add “a glimmer of light” for the viewer, Hertert says. She uses a blowtorch to give the metal its patina.
Hertert will present a lecture on her fabric art and show samples of her work at a 7 p.m. meeting Wednesday of the Colorado West Quilters Guild at First Christian Church, 1326 N. First St. Non-guild members are welcome to attend for a nominal fee.
With 15 years of experience in teaching fabric art, Hertert also is comfortable in the role of instructor.
At her Color Creek studio, which contains about 400 square feet of space, she has access to a classroom, where she teaches a fibers course to about 20 art students with Colorado Mesa University. Again, the class focus is on dye work and surface design.
On Feb. 25, she will teach Introduction to Silk Painting from 1–4 p.m. at the Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade. Cost is $46. If you’re interested, call Hertert at 788-5985.
Working with Procion fiber reactive dyes and acid dyes for silk and wool in her studio, Hertert is exposing her college art students to a variety of techniques.
One of their first exercises was making a resist of oatmeal on cloth. A resist keeps the dye from reaching the fabric surface, Hertert explains. Later, they’ll learn discharging methods that “pull the color away from the fabric.”
A large piece of brown fabric on one of her work tables is textured with potato dextrin, a starch generally used in cooking. With a laboratory scientist’s zeal, she crumbles the dried product to reveal a crackled pattern underneath.
The fabric represents a rock surface with fossils, Hertert says, “and that’s exciting for me.”
I found all of her fabric works fascinating, and I encourage you to see for yourself at the galleries showing Hertert’s work or at her upcoming appearance.
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