Autumnal offerings
A flax art installation, classes, and magic beans
This August I was invited, along with a group of other artists, to create site-specific artwork in under four days on Vancouver Island. After an early ferry ride and a drive, I arrived on Wednesday morning with a carload of dried flax, processing tools, and a head full of ideas. By Saturday, we were each exhibiting our own finished projects, as the event opened to the public at noon.
Having a deadline was a bit intimidating but, as a process-and materials-driven artist I absolutely believed that I could create something in the time we had. Challenge is where growth happens, right? It was a whirlwind of making, sleeping and dreaming the work into being. Every evening, around shared meals, we chatted about art and life, and every morning we drifted off into our own corners to work. It was pure bliss.
The installation will be left, in-situ, and open to the elements through the cycle of seasons. I’m looking forward to seeing how it ages over the coming year and will try to take some photos of its progress when possible.
Huge thanks to artist David Martinello (and his family), who envisioned and hosted all of us at his home in Mill Bay. The event, called Intervene, started with a heartfelt land acknowledgement to the Malahat Nation, as we created artwork on their traditional lands. Additional thanks for support; the Victoria Arts Council, Steps Public Art, and TD bank.
There’s two upcoming opportunities (so far) to hear me talk about this experience, and to view photos of the finished work; Flax Arcana. The title refers to the ancient process of turning flax into fibre.
Once common knowledge, plant technology seems almost mysterious today, a fairytale even–straw into gold.
Most of us are far removed from the process–and effects–of modern textile production; natural fibres are biodegradable but synthetics are destined for long landfill lives. This disconnect leads us to unseen consequences in textile waste.
First up on October 12th. I’ll be giving a 15 minute “Thread Talk” as part of the Handweaver Guild of America Spinning and Weaving Week. I’m in good company with Florencia Campos, founder of Ullvuna pin looms, and artist Karina Puente, best known for working in the Papel Picado tradition, but with a modern twist.
You can register for Spinning and Weaving Week here.
The Spinning and Weaving Week celebration reflects the truly international membership of the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc., and the international traditions of our crafts. We invite fiber artists around the world to join together in celebration of our common heritage.
The next Flax Arcana talk will be on November 7th, as part of the Refugia event here on Gabriola Island. Click the link and scroll down to November to learn more about this wonderful textile-art mash-up event. Last year was a lot of fun, this year promises more of the same.
My recent live English Ivy session through Plants and Colour was a huge success, thank you to all who attended! In this recorded session, I show you all my tips and tricks for harvesting wild English Ivy to use as a basketry material, including how to split and peel it into a material suitable for fine art sculpture. This session is still available on-line to purchase/watch for a limited time.
On October 8th, 2025, Plants and Colour will release my video series class: Open Weave Wall Hanging Basket.
In these videos you will learn to create a simple, open-weave basket made to hang on a wall. You can either use your stash of Ivy vines, or purchase commercially available basketry cane. All the details are included in two lengthy PDFs.
In addition to over 2 hours of video lessons, this class will include a live Q&A session on November 12th, 2025. This format allows time for you to try the lessons on your own, then I’ll be at your service to answer questions in the live Q&A session.
This basket was found in the (out of print) book “Basketry: Projects from Baskets the Grass Slippers” by Hisako Sekijima (1986). If you are not familiar with her work, take a look here. I reached out to Hisako directly and was thrilled when she replied, giving me permission to teach this method from her book! She added:
“I hope you and your students would enjoy making a piece like the sample, as well as learn how to discover a kind of experimental/challenging spirit in you”
I’m taking her prompt as my guiding light for this course, and have been experimenting with different variations of the sample shown in her book. From the practical—it’s good for holding light-weight items like bean pods—to the purely decorative, this method is simple yet highly adaptable.
If you make a miniature version, you can fill it with your favourite magic beans and wear it as a necklace! Why not?
If you have any questions about either session, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can leave a comment here, or shoot me an email.
Subtle Colours from Nature; Fun with Handmade Inks
I’m looking forward to teaching two different ink workshops this autumn. First up will be in October 5th, at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific in Saanich, BC. This one is sold out now, but they are taking a wait list. Please let them know if you are interested, I often visit Victoria, and would love to do another workshop there soon.
Next, on November 4th I’m at the Nanaimo Art Gallery. This evening session will be a bit shorter—6 to 9pm—but we will still pack in a lot of fun playing with ink, alongside the practical how-to. Sign up for the workshop here.
From the archives
A short video from my early ink making days; Squirrel Ink!
With autumnal vibes,
Christi York
Thank you for sharing.