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Sheila Niles


		This month I am pleased to introduce Sheila Niles. Sheila is a textile artist of distinction who prides herself on setting her own course. She says her art is a response to an irrepressible spirit that has always been a part of her life. She does not set goals, move in a logical sequence or follow rules. Sheila has studied art and craft techniques throughout her adult life. She uses her diverse skill set to create unique works of art. Sheila is known for including stones in her work. In fact, I first became aware of Sheila's work when I saw a
stylish jacket on display at the Alberta Crafts Council. The shoulders were artfuly decorated with smooth stones. I had the enormous pleasure of developing a personal friendship with Sheila as we worked together on the "Inside the Dress" project. I appreciated her wit, honesty and unpretentious charm. She is a generous and supportive colleague. Sheila's work has received well-deserved recognition. She has won numerous awards. Her work was included in the Fiberarts Design Book #7 (2004). She will be featured in the summer 2005 issue of The Canadian Quilter magazine. I hope you will enjoy this brief introduction to my friend, Sheila Niles. - Mary Holdgrafer. Sheila Niles - Artist statement: My art is the way that I talk to myself – explore various aspects of my life, and my place in the scheme of things. I am not a traditionalist in any sense of the word. My ideas come from the depths of my being – I take them and run with them, letting them grow as I go. I do not plan and design ahead of time – just feel my way into my creations and see what happens. I have discovered that too much analytical thinking is very disruptive to the creative process. I have spent 30 years gathering skills and techniques. I have not limited myself to one specific area, but rather draw from a broad spectrum. This includes using ceramics in a woven wallhanging or using my gardening gloves as hangers for my work. There are no holds barred - no rules that can't be broken - all ideas taken seriously. Serendipitous surprises are the ultimate reward. S H E I L A N I L E S 2 0 0 5 MILLARVILLE, ALBERTA, CANADA

Kimono - 2002

Click on the image to enlarge

Size: 73" X 69"
Materials used: hand dyed and commercial fabrics - new and antique, a piece of Shibori fabric from Kasuri Dyeworks, linens, silk, polyesters, cottons, rayons.
Techniques - piecing, couching, pointillist techniques using cut-up bits of fabric, paper piecing, X stitch and appliqué.

Kimono -"My Mother Always Wanted to go to Japan"
The Spirit of my Mother, through my hands.
"Mother, have I touched you?"

"My mother gave me the gift of life and the spirit of art that breathed through my life. I wanted to give her the gift of my art but she wasn't there to receive it.

As an adult, I lived great distances from my mother and time and circumstance robbed us of the opportunity to develop a close relationship. The creation of this kimono allowed me to communicate with her in a way that only art can achieve. My regrets have been laid to rest.

It is about women of her generation who were expected to fulfill roles of answering to the needs of family and the dictates of society.

Click on the images to enlarge

Their hopes and desires were not taken seriously and their lives were often very unfulfilling. I am eternally grateful to have escaped the 'shoulds' and 'oughts' that they were subject to.

The X stitch panels were done by my mother 60 years ago for an altar frontal used in St. Mary's Anglican Church in Lethbridge, Alberta. They were returned to me when they were no longer used and came into my hands just as I had completed the kimono and have eerily provided the finishing touch to this memorial.

The kimono is a 3D piece hanging from a mahogany frame and must be viewed on both sides. It is not necessarily wearable".

Nine Patch - 1999

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Size: 118" x 52"
Materials used: all kinds of fabrics, sisal rope, rocks.
Techniques - layering, machine stitching and quilting.
My nine patches are held together with sisal rope weighted with rocks.


"This piece was created in response to the challenge put out by the Fibre Arts Network in 1999 - "Can a Nine Patch be Art?" Due to poor geometry on my part, it came out much larger than I had anticipated - 11' x 6' !	Click on the image to enlarge

"Stories Need To Be Told" - 2005

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Size: 81" x 51" x 18"
Materials used: Antique dress and upholstry fabrics, macreme, garden gloves, silk fusion, yarns and trims, letters, memorabilia, foot and shoetprints and text printed on fabrics, and more . . . .

Photographer - Mario Pietromala


"When confronted with the challenge of exploring "Inside the Dress" the first idea that surfaced was "My Story". As I am usually preoccupied with what I am doing 'today and tomorrow', looking back was somewhat overwhelming.	Click on the image from "children and motherhood" . . . . to enlarge Photographer - Mario Pietromala
One thing led to another and soon I was digging through a massive accumulation that I had never looked back at - drawers and boxes - 40 years of Christmas letters, workshop notes, a huge pile of ideas, children and grandchildren's letters - collections of philosophy and poems. I could not believe I had done so much in my life. Opening this box was more than I ever would have had the courage to do if it were not for working towards the exhibition: "Inside the Dress". All the fabric that I used in this piece is printed with the memorabilia, then cut and pieced. Many of the fabrics were hand painted, rusted - aspects changed in many ways that I had experimented with through the years. There are five pages in the book that accordion closed from bottom to top and are hinged together. The first page talks about budding youth and promise - the second about children and motherhood - the third about conflict between family demands and my artistic yearnings - the fourth about my art - and the fifth is the last chapter, for now, mainly about what I have learned. The leather gloves that are holding it all up are my garden gloves as my garden is my place of solice".

Sheila Niles' piece, "Stories Need To Be Told" was seen in the exhibition "Inside the Dress" at the
McMullen Gallery,
8440 - 112 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7
Phone: (780) 232-1886
Dates: May 7 - July 10, 2005.

Click to enlarge

At the opening of "Inside the Dress", Sheila Niles describes
her work to her son and daughter-in-law.

The "Kimomo" and a piece called "Absence of Colour"
will be shown at the Yokohama Quilt Week, Nov. 11-13,
and in Sendai, Dec. 5-13, 2005.
This exhibition is sponsored by the Japanese quilt magazine "Patchwork Quilt Tsushin" who have invited Valerie Hearder of
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia to curate the exhibition.

See Sheila's exquisite pieces - "Skiff of Ice",
and "Mandala for Meditation", on the Alberta Craft Council website.

Contact Sheila Niles:
email - nilessl@telus.net

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website: http://www.exploringcreativity.com