Material based explorations in Line and Form.

My work explores ideas through the making of forms by way of thread and loom. I push the boundaries of what textiles want to do, what they have done historically, and ask new things of them. Textiles are inherently flat and are built one thread at a time. I think of my fiber work as line drawings made one line at a time. Each line of thread is significant. I have placed it there with intention.

I believe that the iterative nature of time and existence becomes apparent to anyone who works on a loom, where one naturally witnesses the accretion of moment upon moment, the laying in of thread upon thread. The act of weaving opens the weaver to a state of timeless consciousness. Therein lies the technology’s power, its magic.

Material.

My work is informed by the unique properties of specialized yarns produced in small quantities at specialized mills, mostly in Japan. They are made of linen, paper, and silk. They are uniquely light, strong, and crisp. I use sumi ink (made from pine soot, used in calligraphy) walnut ink (old-master drawings), iron oxide (cave paintings of Lascaux), and Indigo. These pigments have an ancient and organic history. They are deeply material, deeply physical. You can feel that in the work.

Form.

Once the lines of thread have been woven into a textile, I manipulate the textile like paper. I explore how it bends and folds. What shapes can I make with it? How do the shapes play with the colors I have painted? What is it like when I create groupings of similar forms?

These are the questions I enjoy thinking about.