Monthly Archives: August 2011

Jeanne Raffer Beck: Finding Ikigai in the Studio

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TSGNY: You call yourself a “mixed-media textile artist.” What does that encompass?

Jeanne Raffer Beck:  I currently use a variety of materials and processes in my work. Earlier in my artistic life I was passionate about crossing disciplines to gather and learn techniques; I imagined that eventually one would stand out and I would build a body of work around it. Fiber, more than any other medium I explored, captured my imagination with its tactile sensibilities and its versatility. Eventually I realized that I wanted the techniques and processes to emerge from my ideas.  I now select particular techniques for various series because they seem to best serve the concept behind the work.

Before 2007 my works were layered, textural whole-cloth wall-hangings that I called “interior landscapes” — think dense machine and hand embroidery meets surface-design-on-silk and layered sheers.  In 2007, I started to envision a series of threadwork constructions incorporating printed cut silks to suggest pages of books.  In my vision for this series, each piece would increasingly deconstruct linear blocks of text until the letterforms themselves would dance in space, free from the confines of words or meanings.

"Pages 4," 2009, 33” x 96” Habotai silk, acrylic paint, dyes, cotton thread. Silkscreened, cut, mounted, stitched and hung on handcrafted stainless steel hanger.

TSGNY: So you needed to develop a new textile process to support the theme of deconstructed text?

JRB: Yes. A few years earlier at Penland, Hollie Heller had introduced me to the use of gel mediums on paper and silks, which allow paper to be used like cloth and cloth to be more paper-like. That workshop planted important seeds that emerged when I decided to move my work away from the wall with the Pages series.  I screen-printed silks with a variety of texts, both mechanical and handwritten, and then cut the screen-printed fabrics apart into tiny rectangles. I composed and sandwiched the rectangles on water-soluble fabrics and then stitched grids over the surface. Once I removed the water-soluble material, the pieces appeared to float and cast beautiful shadows on the walls. The interplay of positive and negative space in these works are continuing to inspire new directions and ideas, but as my ideas for these works evolve, so do the materials I use to execute them.

A long-time appreciation for Olga De Amaral‘s gold-leafed weavings and El Anatsui‘s recycled constructions led me to begin working with gold leaf. Currently I am working on a series of dimensional constructions titled “Writing in Air” and “Fluttering Pages,” inspired by books, handwriting and fragments of printed texts. These incorporate acrylic painted tissues, and gold leaf applied to spun polyester fabric, which I manipulate and combine to make into dimensional pieces mounted on fiberglass screening or gold-leafed, painted canvas.

"Writing in Air," 2011, 24” x 48” Spun polyester, tissue, gold leaf, stretched canvas frame. Painted, collaged, cut, manipulated and mounted on gold-leafed canvas.

JRB: These written language-inspired works consider the effects of time and the gradual disappearance of details of personal memories, both in aging and after an individual’s death. Fragments of documents, inscriptions or histories of individual lives are often all that survive over time.

Explorers have discovered exquisite, ancient cave paintings but know little to nothing about the individuals or cultures that created them. An ancient burial shroud covered with remnants of handwritten text was discovered in Egypt, but linguists can only partially translate the forgotten language in which it was written. Old letters, documents and journals reveal fragments of the lives of those who lived long ago; we are left to imagine the rest.
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The bits and pieces that survive from individual and cultural histories have also led me to notice and appreciate the effects of contemporary aging and deterioration. I gather images of urban graffiti, decaying walls, rust and peeling paint. In addition, my interest in handwritten texts has grown. In an increasingly computer-driven age of text messaging, e-mail and social media, handwritten documents are virtually disappearing. Yet each person’s handwriting is as distinct and individualized as a fingerprint.

My personal desire is to translate the rhythms and energies of writing, dance, music and poetry to visual surfaces. I am passionate about immersing myself in studio work and enjoy the immensely fertile and creative waves of inspiration that it brings. Engaging in creative process is my way of making meaning in life. The Japanese have a word, ikigai, that does not have an exact English translation but roughly means, “a reason to wake up in the morning.”

"Crumpled Page," 2011, 48” x 48” Spun polyester, silk, gold leaf and stretched canvas frame. Cut silk letterforms applied to stitched polyester and mounted to gold-leafed, painted canvas.

TSGNY: That’s a wonderful concept. While we’re on the subject of motivation and inspiration, are there any living artists who inspire you whose work you’d like us to know about?

JRB: Two contemporary artists, Yves Leterme and Monica Dengo, who incorporate gestural calligraphy in their work. This loose, expressive form of writing is something I want to pursue further in my own practice. The energy in their mark-making is palpable and while Yves’ work is slightly more reminiscent of traditional calligraphy, both artists focus on the gestural energy of handwriting and the beauty of marks made by the human hand.

TSGNY: Thank you, Jeanne.

You can see more of Jeanne Raffer Beck’s work here and read her blog here.

"The Fluttering Pages of My Life 2; Remembered Address Numbers" (detail of a work in progress), 36” x 36” Fiberglass screen, polyester, gold leaf. Painted, screen-printed, cut and stitched.

 

Bonnie C. Epstein: Embroidering the Story

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"Safety Net Fragment" (detail) 8 3/4" x 8 3/4" Newspaper, joss paper, cotton interfacing, thread. Hand and machine stitching. Photo: D. James Dee

TSGNY: How do you describe your work?

Bonnie Epstein: I am a hand-embroiderer.

TSGNY: You embroider, but not on fabric . . . .

BE: No. I construct lace-like structures made of paper intercepted on its way to the recycling bin – – maps of all kinds, ledger sheets, catalogues, fliers, newspapers, magazines, ads, envelopes, almost anything except scented papers. I harvest clippings, coat them with matte medium, machine stitch them to cotton interfacing, then use basic hand-embroidery stitches to connect and embellish the paper elements.

TSGNY: What kind of artwork were you doing before you developed this method of combining found paper with embroidery?

BE: I would say I first became “an artist” in the technicolor paradise of my grandmother’s yarn store.  During sweltering pre-Salk vaccine summers in the Catskill Mountains resort village where I grew up, I begged to be allowed to work in the store rather than stay at home to play in the backyard. I fell in love with threads, yarns, and texture; and discovered the transformative powers of color and pattern.

BE: I was also taught that every woman had to be able to earn a living, that an artist could not earn a living, and that a teacher would always be able to support herself.  So after college I was a teacher. I lived abroad, moved to Manhattan, changed professions, married, lived abroad again, and returned to Manhattan in 1978.  Walking along Broadway with my children, I discovered the Thread Company and Lisbeth Perrone’s needlepainting classes. I have been an embroiderer ever since.

For years I designed and embroidered functional items – – one-of-a-kind ceremonial cloths sold at museum shops, a succession of accessories sold at boutiques, and numerous embroidery samples and prototypes for the garment industry.  Although I read  Fiberarts  and visited fiber exhibitions, my work had to conform to color and trend forecasts.  Membership in TSGNY offered options and encouragement.  In 1998 I covered my 9X9X3 box with photographs embellished with embroidery.  It was my first experiment with embroidery on paper.

"Window Box" (detail) 9" x 9" x 3 Wooden box, photos, fabric, thread. Photography, hand stitching. Photo: D. James Dee

TSGNY: When did the found paper become central to your work?

BE: After the 9x9x3 show, TSGNY members Ann Kronenberg, Colette Wolff and Joan Pao goaded me to continue exploring the possibilities of stitching on paper.  Their incredible friendships, insightful critiques and patient mentoring are invaluable gifts. In 2003, frustrated by the growing piles of paper awaiting recycling, and provoked by increasingly angry red, orange, and yellow terror warnings printed on many of those papers, I challenged myself to make good use of the mess.  I wanted to maintain the integrity of the papers rather than printing or copying their texts and images on fabric, but I had to find a way to strengthen and preserve them. Months of experimentation led to the techniques that I continue to use.

TSGNY: So your paper isn’t fragile?

BE: Paper coated with matte medium then machine stitched to cotton interfacing is parchment-like: tough, yet wonderfully pliable. It is a perfect base for embroidery.
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TSGNY: How do you decide which of the incoming paper to incorporate in your work?

BE: I work at home; some days the papers that arrive are so compelling that they call me to deal with them at once. Often their potential is obvious, but it takes me a while to make use of them.  Five years’ worth of charts and graphs from the financial pages are currently being stitched into a series of “safety nets.” I am also exploring the possibilities of envelopes.

"Mail Box" (detail) 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" Paper envelopes, cotton interfacing, thread. Hand and machine stitching. Photo: D. James Dee

TSGNY: How has this choice of recycled material affected your artwork?

BE: Needless to say, much of my work is infused with text. I use it as pattern, and as visual texture. Frequently the text determines the path of my work. A fully text-based work in progress is “No End in Sight,” a documentary series composed of “Names of the Dead”  lists clipped from our newspaper almost daily since the autumn of 2005.  These lists include names, ages, hometowns, and military units of American service members killed at war in Afghanistan and Iraq.  “No End In Sight” is a series of annual documents of deaths.  So far I’ve completed two years of the series:  “Autumn 2005 – 8/ 8/ 2006,” and “8/ 9/ 2007 – 8/10/ 2008.”   I’m just beginning “8/11/ 2008 –  8/9/2009.” There were 30 names on the list I clipped yesterday and sadly, there is no end in sight. 

"No End in Sight 8/2006- 8/2007" (detail) Approx. 68" X 45" Newspaper, cotton interfacing, thread. Hand and machine stitching. Photo: D. James Dee

BE: Selectively harvested materials enable me to explore issues and events, capture a mood, comment quietly, and hopefully stimulate discussion.

The treated paper also enables me to construct deceptively fragile-looking structures. When suspended, their flickering shadows playfully deflect evil and fear. I  think of my first pieces as talismanic and call them Security Blankets. To increase the potential for shadows, I stitched bits of metal hardware cloth mesh (aka Rat Wire) among the paper squares.  I continue to construct unique lace-like paper structures, happily mining the seemingly endless potential of the daily paper crop.  Each harvest sparks fresh ideas for new work.

"Security Blanket" (detail) 31" x 26 1/2" Paper, cotton interfacing, hardware cloth, thread. Hand and machine stitching. Photo: D. James Dee

TSGNY: Finally, is there any living artist whose work inspires you who you’d like us to know about?

BE: Since I began exploring the possibilities of recycled paper, I have become increasingly interested in the work of artists whose innovative use of recycled materials enables them to explore a broad range of issues.  Several years ago I discovered the fascinating installations of Guerra de la Paz, a collaborative of two Cuban-born artists working in Miami.  The pair builds lush, seductive, politically resonant environments of recycled textiles. Used as construction materials, these textiles remain secondary to the message of the work.  The team’s skillful twisting and knotting so totally transforms their materials that it is shocking to suddenly realize that the foliage above your head is composed of masses of green patterned, solid, and printed sweaters, shirts, dresses and pants.

TSGNY: Thank you, Bonnie. You can see more of Bonnie’s work here.

"No End in Sight" (Autumn 2005 - 8/ 8/ 2006 and 8/ 9/ 2007 - 8/10/ 2008) Each approx. 68" X 45" Newspaper, cotton interfacing, thread. Hand and machine stitching. Photo: D. James Dee

Lorrie Fredette: 110 Elements A Day

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Lorrie Fredette lying under a section of her installation, The Great Silence (suspended just 30 inches above the floor).

TSGNY: Tell us about your process and what drew you to it.

Lorrie Fredette: I paint with molten beeswax mixed with tree resin (encaustic medium) on unbleached cotton muslin that has been fitted and hand-sewn to a wire armature. While I have worked in textiles over the years, I had not previously combined them with the encaustic medium.  I began working with encaustic in 1999 but didn’t “commit” to it as a formal material in my work until 2005. The two primary materials (beeswax and unbleached cotton muslin) offer me several components that are vital to my work: translucency, controlled pigmentation, a lightweight finished object, and the ability to create a series with many minute variations. I also respond to the historical and contemporary associations of the materials.

TSGNY: Can you elaborate on some of those associations?

LF: I often draw on medical and environmental stories as inspirations for my work. Wax — in particular, paraffin — was historically used to encapsulate biological specimens.  For example, in the U.S. during the outbreak of the Spanish Flu of 1918, samples were taken from each person who passed away from influenza.  Those samples have been (and still are) stored in several U.S. federal labs. Muslin is used to make sewing patterns for garments and upholstery.  In theater, it is the ground to paint backgrounds for sets.  It is used in the culinary field as a filter for wine, cheese and to separate out solids from liquids like in processing apples. In the medical field muslin gauze is used in neurosurgery to wrap vessels at risk for bleeding.

A half-sewn element. Unbleached cotton muslin whipstitched over a handmade and soldered armature.

TSGNY: Encaustic is usually a 2D medium. Are there any challenges to using it in 3D work?

LF: I work just outside the limitations of my materials.  It is recommended that wax be applied to a rigid surface for 2D work, since bounce can cause cracking and/or detachment from the substructure.  I create 3D elements and work on hollow forms. I think the very taut substructure and the multiple layers of paint decrease the risk of cracking.  Fusing between painted layers (heating each layer so it molecularly attaches to the layer below it) dramatically reduces the possibility of fracture.  Other materials would be less expensive (I used more than 275 pounds of wax for The Great Silence) and take less time to make.  But for now, these materials support my intent.

The foreground shows several painted elements that have been strung for installing. The middle ground shows several sewn and one half-sewn element.

TSGNY: How did you develop the process of creating the multiple elements that go into your pieces?

LF: I realized that in order to create the serial elements, I needed to be able to construct my own armatures and quickly determined that I needed to learn to solder.   This was before iChat, SKYPE and Facetime came into existence; I was taught how to solder by TSGNY member Biba Schutz via  telephone.  After making the armatures, I pin and sew the muslin to them in a manner similar to traditional handmade lampshades. Then I melt my wax in a 16-quart roasting pan, allowing me to paint the seven coats per pod as well as paint 110 elements in a day.

The work table covered with 55 painted elements.

TSGNY: What was your work like before you made the commitment to these materials?

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LF: Before I began working with encaustic medium and returned to working with textiles, I was creating abstract figurative drawings and sculpture.  My preferred sculptural materials were combinations of wood, metal, fiberglass and plastics.  These pieces were humble in size, less than 2 feet, and pedestal bound.

TSGNY: So engaging with the new medium allowed you to change scale, and fill much larger spaces?

LF: I wouldn’t say my work changed as a result of these materials.  I think it’s more accurate to say my work changed because I wanted to be a different kind of artist, and the choice of materials grew out of that. My concept is about distortion and that concept is supported through seriality and size.  Each individual element is slightly different because of its “handmadeness.”  I believe this variation is similar to how a story is told.  Each version is slightly different from the last told by the teller.  Group those individual portrayals together and you begin to see the differences, once you get past the cacophony of the whole experience.  I make multiples not only to create site-responsive installations to fill a space but again, to alter a rendition.

Lorrie Fredette, The Great Silence. Bank of America/Hunter Gallery at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. 6 feet 6 inches H x 36 feet 10 inches W x 5 feet 8 inches D suspended 8 feet 6 inches from the floor. Beeswax, tree resin, muslin, brass, steel, nylon line. © 2011

TSGNY: Finally, is there any artist working today who inspires you whose work you’d like us to know about?

LF: One of many contemporary artists I admire is Laura Splan. TSGNY members might recall her work at the Museum of Art and Design’s Pricked: Extreme Embroidery.

TSGNY: Thank you, Lorrie.

You can see more of Lorrie Fredette’s work here and in the wonderful book Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility.