Monday, December 22, 2014

Breastplates, Templates: Weaving On and OffLoom (On and off roading for textiles)








































To date, I've devoted this blog to my embroidery projects, giving an inside view to my thought and physical art making processes. I may not have mentioned that I'm also a weaver?

Lately, I'm experimenting with using furniture in my house to create makeshift looms, varying tension of the warp (vertical) yarns to create mixed textures, feels and effects across a fabric. This "breast plate," pictured above, is irregularly shaped, like an animal skin.

Our clothes are a second skin. They are part of how we share and shape our identities. In this selfie (selfish), digital age, in which we obsessively pose and posture who and how we are publicly, incorporating second skins into my selfie creations seems a propos. For me, textiles have an inherent narrative and are a language. My goal as an artist is to use them to shape and share stories I infer, overhear and imagine. While I most often use embroidery, I am finding weaving an important additional tool. I am weaving, in part, to create clothing and environments for my almost life-sized, selfie-in-progress.

I'm excited to continue my circular weaving/apartment-as-loom experiments. They let me know that I could make fabric anywhere in any environment.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Selfie with @YrImaginaryDog























Fearing that Selfie might get lonely, I made her a dog, @YrImaginaryDog, who provides unsolicited advice via Twitter to @EmbroideryPoems. Follow us to be part of the conversation and watch the development of these narrative, interactive sculptures, making an appearance in your NYC neighborhood soon!