Painting and Mark Making
Vascular, Avacado dyed fabric, thread, watercolor paint, 8", 2020
The work Vascular was inspired by the organic marks found within the body, mainly the veins that make up the Cardiovascular system. The image of veins has always reminded me of unraveling threads that trail throughout the body, so it came naturally to me to desire to convey this imagery through my work. For this piece I used watercolor to create a blending color field in the background and followed the marks with stitching as to replicate the veins in the body as they would follow the paths made by tissue.
Tapestry, 5'X2', Canvas, Dyed Fabric, 2020
There is something very personal about the process of mark making with the use of a brush. Painting as a way of mark making has filled the fine art world, and is traditionally done on canvas and is generally well preserved to last the tests of time. Even though these works are treasured everything will eventually begin to fade, this impermanence inspired my work. I decided to in a sense make marks in reverse by using bleach to remove the fabrics natural dyes. I then wanted to arrange the pieces like a quilt in a narrative fashion with a pull downwards as if reading a wall tapestry.
Tranquil Pond, 6", Watercolor, Berry dyed fabric, felt, thread, 2020
Watercolor over fabric spreads out in such a manner that is reminiscent of ripples in a pond. These marks inspired me to respond to the marks and create the form of a flower that has landed in the ripples and therefore adding in 3-dimensionality to a traditionally 2d surface. For this work I used watercolor paint to spread out the color in a water ripple motion. I used colored thread to trace the motions of the paint and then used felt to back my fabric to allow the flower to stand upright off the work.
Dip, 3'x 6", Berry dyed fabric, House Paint, Copper, 2020
It is easy to forget that paint can be made with a plastic base and therefore can create thick globular layers that contain a sculptural feel. This work began as an experimentation with paint as a material that can be responded to. I allowed the natural pull of gravity to tug at the paint and freeze the drips in motion which created a natural component to the industrial feel of the plastic-based paint. In this work I toy with the balance between the natural and the industrial. To tie these components together copper scraps were added and placed to respond to the paint and meld the mediums