Artist Statement
My art throughout the past ten years has primarily focused on weaving. I have spent many years studying, understanding and being fascinated by the dually limiting and facilitative role of the loom. Recently, I have expanded this focus. I have begun thinking about not only the physical limitations imposed by tools and materials, but also about the ways in which a viewer’s understanding of work can be limited by his or her understanding of the artist’s materials. In my experience, it is because of this that the concept behind textile art is frequently ignored, as the material becomes the viewer’s focus. My work at this time is informed by the work of artists who have strived to expand the understanding of art done with fibers.
In my work I am considering the ways by which textiles have been included and excluded from the realm of fine arts. I am exploring ways to allow the viewer to understand work created with fibers as something beyond material. I am doing this in two ways. The first is through harnessing the ability of thread to stand in for drawn line. In my Frame series, thread is affected by gravity and by woven boundaries. The series is created by weaving 1-inch strips on all four sides of a linen warp, creating a self-imposed frame. The pieces are then hung in a way that allows the thread to take on the illusion of three-dimensionality. Thread is taken out of a traditional context and is used in the way that traditional fine art materials are used.
The second way in which my art work considers the role of textiles in fine arts is by exploring the conceptual limitations and possibilities of working with fibers. I am doing this by referring to artists working with fibers whose work is primarily conceptual. In these pieces I am not using traditional fiber techniques to manipulate the material. From this platform as well, I hope to challenge the viewer to consider the context of the material, and not primarily the material or technique itself. It is my hope that my work can be part of a decades-long conversation about materiality and concept, working together to stretch boundaries.
In my work I am considering the ways by which textiles have been included and excluded from the realm of fine arts. I am exploring ways to allow the viewer to understand work created with fibers as something beyond material. I am doing this in two ways. The first is through harnessing the ability of thread to stand in for drawn line. In my Frame series, thread is affected by gravity and by woven boundaries. The series is created by weaving 1-inch strips on all four sides of a linen warp, creating a self-imposed frame. The pieces are then hung in a way that allows the thread to take on the illusion of three-dimensionality. Thread is taken out of a traditional context and is used in the way that traditional fine art materials are used.
The second way in which my art work considers the role of textiles in fine arts is by exploring the conceptual limitations and possibilities of working with fibers. I am doing this by referring to artists working with fibers whose work is primarily conceptual. In these pieces I am not using traditional fiber techniques to manipulate the material. From this platform as well, I hope to challenge the viewer to consider the context of the material, and not primarily the material or technique itself. It is my hope that my work can be part of a decades-long conversation about materiality and concept, working together to stretch boundaries.
