Polygons
It started with suspending a double weave between two sides of a frame. As I attempted to glue the four sides together, the top kept popping off. So, I turned the sides inward and the resulting triangle became “Collapsed Horizon”. From there evolved the other polygon shapes in this family.
Mirror Images
Doubleweave is at the heart of my current art practice. It creates an endless array of possibilities for manipulating cloth in both 2D (below) and 3D (above, in Polygons). The pieces below are painted on the warp threads while under tension on the loom. Only half the image needs to be painted. When the cloth comes off the loom and is unfolded, a mirror image appears. Yet the two halves are not perfect mirror images. Threads don’t absorb dye identically and they can shift in the warping process before weaving. This enhances the subject of each piece: to illustrate the variation of life.
Seep and Fade
When applying dye to any fiber, whether a cloth or single strand, the rate at which the water flows can vary depending on the temperature of the room, humidity, and - I'm convinced - one's mood. A dye comprised of different primary colors can cause various results at the edge: blue sets first, then red, and yellow flows out last. The result is creeping, seeping colors that blend, mix and flow into and fade out of each other.
Storms and Landscapes
When I first started painting warps, subject matter did not come easily. I did pattern and color study, but I grew bored. So I pulled a Brian Eno Oblique Strategy card to help with my artist block. The card? "Don't be frightened of cliches." I laughed, let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and painted some clouds. Then I tried some sunsets. There's a reason that at the time of this post there are 185,000,000+ posts on Instagram with #sunset.
Small Works
These pieces are crafted from scraps of pieces, crop left overs or the “in-betweens,” the pieces that are found between two major pieces. Some are embellished with metal gilding, a technique I hope to explore more in the future.
