The online home of Marlene Yuzak, artist
Fall is here and I am plunging into abstraction. The summer has been full of planning for a new residence/event centre. My son is moving out so my studio is expanding too. I’m lovin’ focusing on colour and space at my favourite time of year when the air changes and new ideas seem to arrive. The magic of uncertainty is delightful!
Last night I placed the 1,476th and final intention on the blanket. Done. I must say my body will be happy to have a break from the work, which has been physically demanding. Each of the sewn squares required six separate, knotted stitched. As the weather has gotten warmer I’ve wanted to be outside more but finishing has kept me standing at the studio counter. So today I will be out walking to catch up on fresh air and sunshine.
One more interesting statistic from the blanket: one small sewing needle was used for the whole job. Not one type of needle. Just one, individual needle. When I started, there was only one needle I could find in the studio. I meant to get more, but didn’t get to it. And then that needle began to take on ritual significance. Now and then I would drop it, but it never when down a radiator or anything. It always came back!
And now it’s time to celebrate.
As promised, an exhibition of the blanket and other recent work will be held in my temporary Riversdale studio. The details are below, and all are welcome. Hope to see you.
A Gathering of Intentions
Open Studio
Saturday, April 25 — 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.
208 Avenue D South, Riversdale, Saskatoon
Look for the yellow door!
After three months, I’ve almost finished the prayer blanket. Like a lot of projects, this turned out to be a bigger thing than I imagined at the start. There are about 1,500 little squares that make up the blanket, each of which is like its own mini painting. But it’s been a soothing and uplifting task to work on — gathering names and having conversations with people, painting, cutting, stitching and making intentions. Along the way, I’ve realized that people have a profound yearning for prayer, meditation, just sending what we used to call good vibes.
Also along the way, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has gotten into the mix. I keep up with his website (yes, he has one!) and began devoting some squares in the blanket to his words of wisdom. His squares are done in gold — of course!
I’m going to be celebrating the completion at the end of the month with an exhibition of the blanket and some other recent works. It will be called A Gathering of Intentions, details to be announced. In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who has participated so far — thanks from my whole heart! There are still a few squares left and some work to do, so if you have names of loved ones to add, feel free to send them to me.
When I started working on the prayer blanket, I approached it from the front like any painting or collage. But I soon realized the back side was telling a story too. Each square represents an “intention” for a particular person. I sew the tiny square of paper onto a backing. Each square is held by two stitches knotted at the back and I write the first name and last initial next to the stitches. The stitching isn’t perfect. The squares aren’t all lined up. Some of the names are squiggly. But seen all together, there is a beautiful pattern and story that is not of my making. It’s all held together by people’s generosity to bless, to wish well to others.
There is still room if you would like to add to the blanket. You can send me their names by commenting on this post, or by email at sunnymarlene@sasktel. I would be honoured to add them.
Due to a strange set of circumstances, I am living across the river from my house in a rented apartment this winter. (Long, crazy story.) Looking for simplicity, I began making a prayer blanket. The process involves sewing intentions into the artwork. The work is meditative and rhythmic. Perfect for winter, although winter may be ending soon!
If anyone would like to add an intention for someone they would like included, please send me their first name and last initial and I will include them. The picture gives a hint of work in progress. I will show more as the blanket evolves.
This watercolour painting was done in Los Angeles, CA. I was on residency at the 18th Street Arts Center in 2014 in Santa Monica.
I was trying to get a handle on the city, freeways, water shortages, desert beauty, finding out where our produce came from, and the natural beauty of California. This collage was an attempt to grasp it all.
I will post more LA stuff now and then, and some of it will be in an upcoming show.
Now and then (OK, almost never), I decide to attempt something rigid and formal. These new pieces started out that way. The idea was to do something sort of monochromatic. I had all this tame-coloured Japanese paper I just bought cheap. What would happen if I worked exclusively in these muted off-whites, buffs and beiges, with maybe some pure white thrown in? I chose some pine boards to work on. Maybe I would let some of that warm, natural wood colour into the mix, add just a bit of that warmth.
Probably that was my undoing.
Along with all these dull shades in my paper collection, I had some much livelier colours — electric blues, kiss-me reds, tangerine, handlebar-tassle pink. My magic pen that writes in real gold leaf was calling to me. Well, one thing led to another.
“Hi, my name is Sunny, and I am a colour addict.”
“Hi, Sunny!”
It didn’t help that outside my window, the weather was warming. Spring was bringing colour coming back into the world. A very pregnant looking robin was under my patio table. A tulip was emerging. I went for a walk and saw the first crocus. A butterfly bobbed past the window. Resistance was, as the they say, futile.
I call these pieces Sweethearts, because they reminded me of the candy called Sweetarts.
As for all the dull-coloured paper, I gave it to my man, Cloudy. Maybe he will write on some of it with his fountain pen, if he can bring himself to use such fine paper. With really fancy paper, his hording tendencies kick in. He’s kind of squirrel-like when it comes to paper. Poor Cloudy.
When I hear the words “New Exhibition,” I think cotton candy and ferris wheels. Well, this one is paintings. The work you see in this post will be shown at Esteem for the Home, a retail gallery in Saskatoon, beginning in September. Scroll down to see more of the work, and get directions to the gallery.
