Fiberart International 2 -- best in show

The best in show piece was an impressive, large (6' x 8') 3-D felted and knitted wool construction with lots of presence.  And somewhat redundantly, its twin sister was there too (I liked it better than the best in show).

Naoe Okamoto, A Laughing House (best in show), detail below

(for some reason my camera made this way lighter than it is in real life)

Naoe Okamoto, A Deep Night

That's what the judges thought.  But if I were choosing best in show, it would go to Stephen Sidelinger.  Like others I have mentioned, he has two pieces in the exhibit.  Both were delicious, but this was my favorite.

Stephen Sidelinger, Pirates #1, detail below

The work is 26 x 20", densely hand-embroidered in DMC floss, individual strands mixed together to blend colors.  I can only imagine how long and how painstakingly he must have worked to finish this piece!

Many hand-stitched works depend on the sheer virtuosity and texture of the stitches for their impact, but this one, virtually flat and matte, rises and falls on its powerful imagery.

Finally, if I could choose a runner-up it would be this piece by Eszter Bornemisza.  I've drooled over her work before but this is a lot different from what I've seen in other shows.

Eszter Bornemisza, Lung of the City (detail below)

It's a 3-D work, composed of three separate panels of bits of newspaper joined by a machine-sewed thread grid.  (Do I like it because it reminds me of my own work?)