22 -— Wednesday, May 6, 1992 - North Shore News The feeling of freedom Tapestry artist Kaija Tyni- -Rautiainen Evelyn Jacob SPOTLIGHT FEATURE HE TOWERING sitka spruce of Kaija Tyni- Rautiainen’s On the West Coast cast shadows on the flora below, creating a tapestry — literally — of deep purples, teal blues and olive greens. The Finnish-born artist's spec- tacular weaving is testimony to the richness and scope of tapestry art being produced in British Colum- pia. The art form was once used almost exclusively for story-telling, but modern-day artists are pushing its boundaries, using ages-old techniques to create modern designs. Tyni-Rautiainen’s impressionistic images of nature combine texture, muted color, light and shadow, and skilfully capture the West Coast atmospheric volatility. “Ltry to capture how one feels when one is in the forest or by the ocean, the feeling of freedom, vast space — it’s like you’re one of the trees,’ says Tyni-Rautiainen, who emigrated to Canada seven years ago. It's a shame that there.are few places to view tapestries in Van- couver because Tyni-Rautiainen’s work is so rich that photographic reproductions hardly convey their powerful sense of place. Once, while walking through the dense brush of Burnaby’s Deer Lake.Park, she came upon a scene ‘that made her feel as if she had entered one of her own tapestries. Canadian craftspeople have rarely been recognized for the work they create, be they masters of fibre, clay, glass, metal or wood. Frequently marginalized by a society that places greater value on art created with paint, tapestry art has for too long populated the likes of remote island studios and far-flung cloisters — not city gai- leries or museums, “The big problem is tapestry is seally not very well known in North America,” says Tyni- Rautiainen, who is giving the se- cond part of a two- lay workshop on Finnish rya weaving this Satur- day at the Silk Purse arts centre in TAPESTRY ARTIST Kaija Tyni-Rautiainen will be discussing the art of Finnish rya weaving Saturday in West Vahcouver at the Silk Purse Arts Centre. West Vancouver. ‘For the gallery owner, he or she really has to market it com- pared to a painting, which is much easier to sell.” Where Tyni-Rautiainen comes from, tapestry is regarded as a worthy art form, adorning the walls of every home. in Finland, she taught textile crafts for six years before becom- ing a freelance designer for Helmi Vuorelma Oy, a major Finnish tex- tile studio that exports to Ger- many, England, Italy and Japan. When her husband was transfer- red to Brazil on business, she opened her own studio in Sao Paulo. Since moving to Vancouver, Tyni-Rautiainen has shown her NEWS photo Mike Wakefield work at the Seymour Art Gallery, the Cartwright Gallery, Granville Island’s Craft House and the Van- couver Community Arts Council. In 1989 she joined three other B.C. tapestry artists — West Van- couver’s Anthea Mallinson, Bar- bara Heller and Alison Keenan — in a group exhibit that travelled across North America. While her colleagues’ work was largely figurative, Tyni-Rautiainen used traditional techniques and natural fibers — linen, lichen and paper — to create contemporary images that celebrate the beauty and mystery of nature, “Working with soft fibres is what attracts me to tapestry,”’ she See Cap page 28 DON’T FORGET THE SALVATION ARMY. Help us help chose in desperate need. Where good things happen Reserve Now for Mother’s Day May 10/92 445-13th Street, West Van 926-8922 OG frrows ON THE BAY presents... Our Mother’s Day Buffet Brunch 11:00 am - 2:30 pm Sundsy May 10, 1992 $21.95 Adults, $12.95 Seniors, _ and $1 per year for children up to age 12. A portion of the proceeds will go to the B.C. Children’s Hospital. For Reservations Please Call 688-7711 The Coast Plaza 1733 Comox St. at Stanley Park Vancouver Following the conclusion of c our Close Out Sale, the remaining stocks at Ali Baba Oriental Carpets Ltd. must be liquidated at the fall of the gavel GIANT ONE DAY ONLY UNRESERVED PUBLIC AUCTION A rare collection of fine quality hand-knotted PERSIAN CARPETS Room size area rugs and runners of all sizes in wool and silk and wool biend, alt must be liquidated. Confirmed origins from | Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Turkey and Afghanistan. If you visited Ali Baba Oriental Carpets Ltd. in White Rock, BC. in the past and saw carpets you wished you could afford, now is the time to take advantage of the EXTRA SAVINGS available at this unreserved auction. Auction will be heid at NORTH SHORE WINTER CLUB 1325 East Keith Road The hungry, the homeless, the battered woman, the abused child. If we missed you on Monday, mail your donation today to: The Red Shield Appeal 611-198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1H2 God Knows You Can Make A Difference North Vancouver SUNDAY, MAY 10th, 1992 At 1:00 pm sharp, viewing from 12 noon 10% freight, brokerage and warehousing charges to be added