Prayer To The Sky

Prayer To The Sky   2019
60" x 64.5"  or 152 x 164 cm
Three layers of wool, dyed with indigo or madder, hand stitched.

 The inner layer of madder-dyed wool is revealed with slashes into the top layer.

Prayer to The Sky side b  2019
three layers of wool, dyed with indigo and madder and hand stitched
the inner layers of madder and indigo tint the transparent back layer of white wool into a dream-like atmosphere.

Prayer to The Sky detail side b 2019

Featured in the Heartwork, Handwork, Homework lecture presented by Miranda Bouchard, Judy Martin and Penny Berens at the SAQA virtual conference held March 2020.

Part of Quilt National 2021, May- September 2021 at the Dairy Barn in Athens Ohio.

Prayer to the Sky hanging in the Dairy Barn, summer of 2021.  This photo sent to me by the Dairy Barn.    Prayer To the Sky sold into private collection in Waterloo, Ontario July 2021.

In 2024, this quilt was loaned for the exhibition In the Middle of the World when it was mounted in Artsplace, Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia.  

Like a Star in My Sky

Like A Star In My Sky 2020
wool, hand stitch
33" square  or 84 cm square

A Star in My Sky detail

A Star in My Sky (reverse side)
Wool and hand stitch  33" square or 84 cm square

April 2020:  Featured in the Toronto Star in article about Visible Mending
May 2020:  Sold through Perivale Gallery, Spring Bay Manitoulin Island and is now in private collection.

red moons

Red Moons 2014

re-claimed wool blanket, wool threads, hand stitch 52 x 361 cm (20 x 142 ")

Made from a re-constructed 90+ year old wool blanket, this cloth holds time and memory.  The several threadbare areas evoke the man, woman or child who lay with the blanket and repeatedly pulled it up as a covering.  Many of the worn areas are mended with darning stitch by the artist and the edges strengthened with blanket stitch.  These areas of recent handwork add another layer of human touch.

exhibition record:

2015
Hard Twist 10:  Memory
Gladstone Hotel  1214 Queen Street W,  Toronto M6J 1J6

2014: 
Red Moons was included in Judy's solo exhibition, Lucky Protection 
The northern artist's gallery:  artists on Elgin 168 Elgin Street, Sudbury, Ontario
lower two photographs: Nick Dubecki, Sudbury

Beginning With Time

Beginning With Time: Day  78" x 90" (198 x 228cm) 2015  re-purposed wool blankets and blanket cloth, wool yarns, silk velvet, plant dyes and procion mx dyes.
Reverse applique, seed stitch, all by hand

Beginning With Time: Night  78" x 90"  2015  re-purposed wool blankets, cotton velveteen, wool yarns, alpaca roving, silk velvet, plant dyes and procion mx dyes. Reverse applique, couching, seed stitch, all by hand.

This is a two sided piece.  Both sides are the right side.
Created for the exhibition Wild Pure Aesthetic Wonder
which was curated by Gloria Hickey and Philippa Jones.

Exhibition Record:

Wild Pure Aesthetic Wonder, Craft Council gallery, Devon House, 59 Duckworth Street, St. John's Newfoundland.   March 21 - April 25 2015.  The exhibition includes 20 contemporary fibre artists, most from Newfoundland.

Wild Pure Aesthetic Wonder, Woody Point Discovery Centre in Gros Morne National Park, May 1 - October 16, 2015.  part of  Fibre Arts Newfoundland October 14-18.

Perspectives from Here  Thunder Bay Art Gallery   June - September 2017 in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday.  Artists in this exhibition were all connected to the north western region of Ontario.  Judy Martin was born in Fort Frances.

Beginning With Time is in private collection and was loaned for these exhibitions.

Layers of Time

     Layers of Time, 2013, 233h x 233w x 1d cm,   (92" x 92")

Materials: re-cycled wool blanket, re-purposed domestic lace, re-cycled linen damask, foundation fabrics (light weight wool, light weight cotton, plant dyed linen), re-cycled wedding dress, silk ribbon, perle cotton #5 and #3, cordonnet lace making thread, glass beads, sewing and quilting threads, bamboo batting, backed with linen damask pieced with cotton designed by marimekko.   

Techniques:  Layering onto foundation fabrics by hand, hand stitching, hand embroidery, hand quilting, made with community assistance.  Photo:  Klaus Rossler

exhibition history

This quilt is part of the Manitoulin Circle Project which took place over four years in Little Current Manitoulin Island under the leadership of Judy Martin.  149 community members took part in hand stitching four large meditation panels.
Layers of Time was part of the solo exhibition, Mended World.  Organized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (catalog)

September 13 - October 27, 2013  Thunder Bay Art Gallery, part of the Mended World Exhibition
January 19 - March 2, 2014  Art Gallery of Sudbury, Mended World Exhibition

Easter Sunday April 20, 2014,  The four panels are installed in the Little Current United Church for permanent display.

October 18-20  2014, Manitoulin Circle Project, Espanola Fibre Festival,  Judy Martin key note speech
November, 2014:  World of Threads Festival, Oakville, Ontario.  The four large panels are shown in solo exhibition at the festival.
May 9 - June 14 2015, Homer Watson House and Gallery, Kitchener Ontario, Mended World Exhibition

October 2015;  The 4 large panels traveled to Gros Morne, Newfoundland for the fibreconference sponsored by the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Judy Martin taught a workshop based on the technique and design of the panels.

Canadian Pioneer

 Canadian Pioneer, 48" w x 64" h, re purposed wool blankets, wool fabrics, wool yarns

 hand pieced, slashed, mended, bundle-tied, felted, quilted

completely hand stitched

Exhibition History

Ontario Craft 2013 :  Ontario Craft Council Gallery   October 2013  Toronto, Ontario
International Design Show in the Ontario Craft Council booth, November 2013, Toronto, Ontario

Lucky Protection: Northern Art Gallery   solo exhibition at the northern art gallery (Artists on Elgin) February 1 - 28, 2014 Sudbury, Ontario

Quilts=Art=Quilts:  Juried into this exhibition by Kathleen Loomis and Valerie Goodwin
Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center,  November 1 2014 - January 4 2015, Aurburn New York, USA
awarded first prize

The Perspective From Here  Thunder Bay Art Gallery  summer of 2017  an exhibition to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday and includes 150 artists from North Western Ontario.  Thunder Bay Ontario Canada  June 23 - September 10, 2017 

Entered the permanent collection of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in mid November 2017.

The World We Know - a group exhibition (12 artists) of new acquisitions of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery - April - June 2022

starry night

 40" x 46". plant dyed silk and silk wool blend 

shibori markings with hawthorne and walnut

hand embroidery and quilting

exhibition record

until January 6 2013:  Auburn, New York
                                 Schweinfurth Art Center
                                 Quilts=Art=Quilts  (sold into private collection)