Category Archives: Embroidery

Mary McFerran: Reaching Beyond Myself

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1. Mary McFerranTSGNY: Do you call yourself a fiber artist?

Mary McFerran: I’m a fan of “mixed media.” I do work in textiles, mostly embroidery and fabric collage. But I also incorporate found objects, painting, and printing.  And I’ve started to work with some simple structural elements like wire, cardboard, foam core, and wood.

“Mother,” 2017, 22” x12”, print, stone, wire, paint, photo.

TSGNY: How would you describe your working method?

MMcF: Drawing has always been at the core of my work: drawing as mark making and as a tactile approach to defining space. I usually get an idea for a piece or project and make notes in a sketchbook, but not elaborate drawings. Sometimes I do make more involved drawings as a way to “warm up” and get the juices flowing. Another way I begin working is to assemble a variety of materials, which can include scraps of fabric, photos, rocks, whatever I have around, and arrange the assorted elements until I’m satisfied with the composition.

Work in progress, 2017, drawings and photos for “Ancestor Museum”

TSGNY: How did textiles become a part of your practice?

MMcF: I was working on a collage and experimenting with glues to attach various found objects when I realized sewing was the solution. This led to my realizing that embroidery was mark making, like drawing.

“Eternal Love,” 2017, 21”x 19”, textile, print, wire.

TSGNY: What kind of artwork were you doing before you started working with textile techniques?

MMcF: I was drawing and doing watercolors on paper. I discovered the world of textile art when I was living in London and started taking some classes at City Lit College (an adult education center). It felt so right for me. My textile work started with simple and minimal line drawing using the backstitch, then expanded to surface-design techniques and printing on fabric.

“She Sleeps,” 2011, 15” x 11”, embroidery, cotton, thread (detail).

TSGNY: Does your current combination of media enable you to do things you couldn’t do with drawing and watercolor alone?

MMcF: Mixing media and working in fiber arts allows me greater freedom to experiment with my ideas. My background was in academic fine arts and it seemed like there was a weight from the history of painting and printmaking that I don’t feel with fiber work. Even though there is a strong historical tradition of women in craft and sewing, they seem more open, with endless possibilities of new techniques and combinations.

TSGNY: Do you intend to keep adding new techniques?

MMcF: I’m always tempted to try new techniques, but I think I should try to limit myself to avoid getting overextended. I’ve set myself the personal challenge to improve my standard of craft. When I am in the flow of an idea I just want to work, not take time to perfect things. This can sometimes lead to messy work habits.

TSGNY: How do you combat that tendency?

MMcF: I try to force myself to take my time. Hand sewing can be helpful and I might reserve areas of a piece for hand stitching. I also work on several pieces at once. Research helps by forcing me to slow down, engage in reading and observing, rather than just making.

“My Son, the Doctor,” 2017, 50” x 35”, section of The Ancestor Museum installation, mixed media, box, assorted textiles, paint, bottles , print on fabric.

TSGNY: How big a role does research play in your work?

MMcF:  Research is a mainstay of my practice. The “outside” information enriches my internal tendencies and helps me reach beyond myself. Several recent projects grew directly out of research. “The Ancestor Museum” evolved from research into family genealogy.
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TSGNY: How did your genealogical research lead to “The Ancestor Museum,” and can you tell us about the scope of that project?

MMcF: As I found familiar names on census records and in old city directories, I imagined my grandparents and great grandparents as children living in their family units in the old parts of the city, or in the towns I had always heard of. I read about Irish immigration and estimated the years that my ancestors came to America. Objects that I had saved from my own grandparents combined with photographs, my memories, and family stories started to coalesce.

“Collage,” 2016, 21”x 18”, Spoonflower © print.

MMcF: I took photos of some of the “heirlooms” in my possession, which are mostly everyday items that are interesting to me because they mingled closely in my family’s lives and retain that energy. I printed the photos on fabric and combined them with textiles or other objects to create assemblages, almost like small shrines. In my open studio installation, I included the original objects along with the artwork. I’ve also created a book that is a catalogue of my art and includes family stories and memories.

“Barbara Connelly-glovemaker,” 2016, 12” x 12”, mixed media, box.

TSGNY: You mentioned that other recent projects were driven by research…

MMcF: I became fascinated by the Jungian interpretations of beasts in fairy tales in Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ “Women Who Run With the Wolves.” That eventually led to “Wolves, Brides and Fairytales.”

“Lessons from mother wolf ”, 2016, 32” x 24”, burlap, dye, stitching, rope.

TSGNY: How did you get from Estés’ Jungian interpretations to your “Wolves, Brides, and Fairytales” installation?

MMcF: By interpreting age-old myths and fairytales, Clarissa Pinkola Estés creates a new reference for readers to understand our own psyches. She posits that within every woman lies a powerful force, filled with good instinct, creativity, and ageless wisdom.

“Wolves, Brides, and Fairytales,” 2016, installation – rear view.

MMcF: Estés presents the wolf mother as an archetype of fierce knowing and a protector of her young. She suggests that — like wolf pups — women need a similar initiation, to be taught that the inner and outer worlds are not always happy-go-lucky places. Women need to listen to their intuition to know when to walk or run away from a predator. The example of the Bluebeard fairytale is a good one: when Bluebeard leaves on his journey, his young wife does not realize that even though she is exhorted to do “anything she wishes-except that one thing,” she is living less, rather than more.

“Wolves, Brides, and Fairytales,” 2016, installation – side view.

MMcF: As a mother of two daughters, the mother wolf medicine resonated with me. So many challenges in life have no clear solutions. One must rely on intuition. This is something women know deeply, if they are encouraged to do so. My “Wolves, Brides and Fairytales” installation aims to convey/conjure archetypes by displaying wolf images, text from fairytales, drawings of young and old women, and a variety of earth and natural elements. The installation is designed so the visitor can walk through a forest-like path and discover hidden parts of herself.

“Wolves, Brides, and Fairytales,” 2016, installation – front view.

TSGNY: Has your shift in process from drawing and watercolor to mixed media and installation changed your outlook as an artist?

MMcF: It’s become less of a goal to show my work in a gallery setting. I’m interested in alternative spaces, especially for installation. I’m also interested in community work that allows me to teach or share skills with others.

TSGNY: Finally, are there any living artists who inspire you who you feel we should be aware of but may not know?

MMcF: Well, I’m certainly inspired by some well known artists who are no longer living. I’d start with Louise Bourgeois’ autobiographical work, her drawings, use of fabric, and installations. Agnes Martin is a longstanding art hero of mine. Although I could never be as restrained as she is, I admire her for that very reason. Her ideas about imperfection and spirituality resonate with me. Robert Rauschenberg’s show at MOMA blew me away. He was experimenting with so much. I love his collaborations with Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown. As far as living artists, Tracy Emin has been a big influence on my work. Her style of irreverence has been very freeing for me. I like her distorted drawings, and the way she’ll use any material to express her ideas. Among fiber artists, I would include Tileke Schwarz, Alice Kettle, Hannah Lamb, Shannon Weber, Cathy Cullis, as well as more familiar names like Sheila Hicks, Judy Pfaff, and Elana Herzog.

TSGNY: Thank you, Mary. You can learn more about Mary’s work here.

Lisa Lackey: Always A Maker

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TSGNY: How do you describe your technique?

Lisa Lackey: I refer to my work as textile paintings. Fabric and thread replace the medium of paint on a canvas.

"The Conversation 5/6," 20" x 16", fabric, thread and acetate on canvas, 2014

TSGNY: Is this a recent development in your way of working?

LL: It’s been a gradual evolution. From my earliest memories, I’ve always been a maker.  I am always making something. Starting in my high school years, I began learning how to work in practically every medium, as I explored to find where my passion lay. That exploration and learning of processes made me a versatile art teacher — my profession for the last 18 years. But it wasn’t until I returned a few years ago, full circle, to my childhood love for sewing that my work found its genre.

"In the Shadows 5," 30" x 24", fabric and thread on canvas, 2015

TSGNY: Does working in thread enable you to do things you were not able to do in other media, like painting?

LL: I’ve never been a painter. I tried it along the way and was never enamored with it.  What I’ve always loved to do is sew and piece things together. There was a time when I made all my own clothes, and even had a business designing and manufacturing a line of women’s clothing. About three years ago I kind of stumbled onto collaging fabric and using hand and machine stitching to develop the details of the image.  When that happened it was like a light bulb went off.  All my artistic “parts” finally coalesced into an art form that spoke to me.

“The Conversation 4,” 20” x 16”, fabric, thread and acetate on canvas, 2014

LL: I bring to my current work everything I’ve learned from working in other media. Taken directly from photographs, my images are about the culmination of everything compositional: depth of plane, color, pattern, texture, and positive/negative spaces while witnessing, capturing, and recording unadulterated and universal moments in time.

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“Sister’s Foot,” 14” x 11”, fabric and thread on canvas, 2015

TSGNY : Does working in thread pose challenges you didn’t face when working in other media ?

LL: The biggest challenge in my work is size: both small and large scale. If the image is too small, the fabric pieces disintegrate under the pick of the needle.  And if the work is too large, it no longer fits under my sewing machine because of the stiffness the canvas creates.

“Selfie 103115,” 16” x 12”, fabric and thread on canvas, 2015

LL: Stretching the work for hand-sewing was another challenge I had to overcome.  The thickness of my work prevents it from being put into an embroidery hoop or wrapped around a quilt frame.  To solve this dilemma, I ended up developing my own stretching frame, inspired by frames used to stretch drying animal skins.  I lash my canvases to a wooden stretcher frame using a series of buttons and drilled holes. This gives me the tension I need to do the hand embroidery without the work becoming crumpled and distorted.

"Skin Frame Detail," 18" x 18", embroidery thread on canvas, 2015

LL: I like the stiffness of canvas, the white of the gesso and the texture.  It helps me keep the work flat and undistorted even after much sewing. I love the graphic quality of a flat solid plane of color and abhor when bubbling occurs on any large area of fabric. Although I fuse the fabric down, I machine-sew each of the fabric edges down for extra stability and because I like the way the outline looks.   When a piece is too big, I run the risk of it delaminating after being curled and re-curled to fit under the sewing machine’s foot. I am currently working on a piece that will finish at 36” square, a size I have never attempted before and am not sure how I will accomplish.  It will definitely stretch my process to a new level and probably add a few more gray hairs to my head!

“Sisters: The Other Feet,” 11” x 14” fabric and thread on canvas, 2015

TSGNY: Who inspires you?

LL: I love the work of Alex Katz, Chuck Close and Georgia O’Keefe. Among current artists, the sewn portraits and recent paintings of the verso images by Cayce Zavaglia are amazing.  When I saw one of her portraits in person for the first time, I was struck by how small it was. Its scale creates an intimate almost private experience with the viewer.  Then she turned them around and showed us the backs, or “verso” as she calls them.  Her latest work is a return to her painting roots, where she is painting those verso images on enormous canvases, thread by stunning thread.

My most recent influence is an artist I stumbled onto by chance: Lori Larusso. Her paintings have a wonderfully simplified, bold graphic quality that I love. At first glance, they actually tricked me into thinking they were fabric, and not acrylic paint at all. In some of the pieces, like those in the series “It’s not my Birthday,” it almost feels like you could lift each color and peel it away as if it were tactile.

TSGNY: Thank you, Lisa. You can see more of Lisa’s work on her website and in her book, The Composition of Family.

Sandra Golbert: Finding Dimensionality

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TSGNY: How would you describe your fiber process?

Sandra Golbert: I use a great deal of fabric manipulation, making a flat piece of silk into a sea urchin, or a barnacle. In my beading, I make the traditional peyote stitch into what I call my ‘distressed peyote stitch,’ which takes a flat surface and makes it into something three-dimensional. To me, flat is boring, unless you’re a Picasso or a Van Gogh. Finding dimensionality is the part I enjoy most, the search for a new way of going ‘3D.’

"Urchin I," 2008, 6" x 6" x 6", silk organza, silk thread, beads.

TSGNY: How did that search for dimensionality begin?

SG:  It was a question of geography.  My fashion designs appeared in Vogue when I was 21 (I had won a competition for ‘sporty tropical outfits’ sponsored by the Fashion Council of Puerto Rico, and the winning designs were published and sold at Saks). But then we moved to Mexico. I could no longer make debutantes’ or bridal dresses like I did at home, because I was an ‘alien’ (in the best sense of the word). I tried doing colorful Mexican-inspired watercolors, but flat work never appealed to me, even then. I wanted things to pop. So I took all the embroidery techniques I used in my fashions and went ‘to the wall,’ making heavily embroidered wall pieces. When we moved again, this time to Curacao, in the Netherlands Antilles, I had my first solo exhibit of what I called my ‘yarn paintings.’

"Serengeti," 1998, 57" x 24" x 5", hand-dyed silk hung from gold wire mesh.

TSGNY: How would you describe the yarn paintings?

SG: I made them with wool yarns, a lot of them bought during a trip to Bogota, Columbia (they have wonderful yarns). I also used some cotton. They were all based on a backing called ‘monks’ cloth,’ a cotton open-weave fabric that is perfect for embroidery with thick yarns and a large needle. Many of the pieces included a tufted stitch called, I believe, ‘turkey work’ which was used a lot a the time. I cringe to think of it being used in my work now. Very Rya rug!

TSGNY: How did you get from the yarn paintings to your current work?

SG: Many incarnations. I am all over the map. When I moved from Curacao, where I was doing the yarn paintings, I didn’t make art for a long time. I ran a business for almost 10 years. Then I received commissions for three hotels from an amazing architect/designer who was a great admirer of my work. These pieces had to be more sophisticated and rather flat, since the accumulation of dust was a factor — not that I wanted to do yarn work any more. So I kept to the idea of ‘no wool’ — just fabric manipulation and cotton embroidery.

"Silk Rain I," 2009, 16" x 15" x 3", hand-dyed silk, gold wire mesh.

TSGNY: What can you tell me about the hotel commission called “Amanece”?

SG: “Amanece” means ‘dawn approaching’ and is the title of a famous Puerto Rican song about the farmers coming down from the hills with their harvest (probably coffee) at dawn to market. The installation is In the lobby of La Concha Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It fills eight cases, 6′ x 6′ each, and is made up of approximately 7,000 pieces of hand-dyed silk;  with three rows of silk pieces attached by threads, then hung on acrylic poles.

"Amanece," 2007, hand-dyed silk.

TSGNY: Do your fiber processes pose any particular challenges?

SG: I have had four operations on my right hand, and I’m about to schedule surgery on my left hand. Who says art in fiber is easy? But I don’t stop for anything….
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"Tree-Bark Bracelet," 2010, seed beads, Biwa pearls, 99% pure silver.

TSGNY: Would you say your artistic intent has changed as you’ve moved through various techniques of fiber art?

SG: My intent has always been to enjoy the process of making art, which I have been lucky enough to have achieved. Working in handmade paper or hand-dyed or manipulated silk makes me laugh out loud! People say my silk Silent Chimes are joyous, which makes me even happier.

"Thai Chimes" (detail), 2007, 54" x 12" x 12", silk fabric, wire.

TSGNY: Speaking of handmade paper, have you also lived in Japan? I notice at least one piece with a Japanese title.

SG: Unfortunately, no. It has been the lifelong dream of three generations in my family to go there — but none of us has made it. I love all things Japanese, and it shows in some of my work. Think Shibui and Wabi Sabi (especially the latter, as I love ‘planned imperfection’). I’ve made a set of pieces that depict the Japanese goddess of papermaking (Kawakami) reclining with an ‘offering’ of a small basket, a piece of paper and a ‘sign’ on wood that says “Goddess – Paper’ in Japanese. The upper box (Imadate) is the place where the Goddess taught papermaking to the Japanese.

Kawakami/Imadate, 2010, 28" x 5" x 4" (x 2), handmade paper, waxed linen.

TSGNY: Even though you haven’t yet made it to Japan, would you say your travels have influenced your work?

SG: The greatest influence in my work, both the art and the jewelry, is the ocean. Having lived on so many islands and being an ‘island girl’ from Puerto Rico myself, I find the sea to be a great source of ideas.

"Barnacles," 2007, 18" x 6" x 2", silk, silk thread, felt backing.

TSGNY: Finally, are there artists who inspire you whose work you feel we should know about?

SG: My daughter’s work inspires me. She began art very late in her life and works very had making wonderful and quirky things. A favorite artist and friend who paints and works with fiber, is Luba Shapiro-Grenader. Her work is wonderful and she is under-appreciated.

TSGNY: Thank you, Sandra. You can learn more about Sandra’s work on her website.

"Cure," 2013, 44" x 21" x 2", linen, cotton, silk, cording.

 

Erma Martin Yost: Felted Fields

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TSGNY: What fiber techniques or materials do you employ in your artwork?

Erma Martin Yost: I create handmade felt from roving and/or wool batting and use the resulting mat as my canvas. I start by making elements that interest me. Only later do I put them together and begin composing, taking my direction from ideas that evolve as I work.

“Spring Song,” 2011, 16” x 21”

TSGNY: Can you talk a bit about that process of evolution?

EMY: When felting I compose colorful shapes with the dyed batting and roving. When the felt is thoroughly dried, I pin the piece up on a board and wait for it to “speak” to me. Gradually I develop the surface, sometimes combining pieces of felt. Since this is a slow process, I usually have three or four pieces pinned up at a time and work on them simultaneously. I find that if I have a fixed idea when I start, the work ends up self-conscious.

“River Shadows,” 2012, 31” x 17”

TSGNY: You refer to felt as your “canvas” – were you originally a painter?

EMY: My graduate degree was in painting. While exploring many types of surface design and transfer processes, my work evolved into mixed media art quilt constructions. The tactile quality of the materials and surface texture has always been an important component to me. Felt making satisfies all of these interests.

"Autumn Field," 2012, 21” x 28”

TSGNY: How did felt become your canvas?

EMY: After retiring from teaching art at The Spence School, I did a lot of subbing there. One day I subbed in a class of 6th graders that was making felt scarves. I was completely seduced. I had never encountered the process before, so the students ended up teaching me. I went home and researched felt making on the Internet, ordered some supplies, and did a great deal of experimentation. The rest is history.

“Pond Shadows,” 2012, 22” x 26”

TSGNY: Does making or working with felt pose any particular challenges?

EMY: The supplies and process for felt making are deceptively simple. However, to get a durable fiber structure takes a lot of physical effort. Injuries to shoulders and wrists are common, which I found out the hard way.

"Evening Field," 2011, 24" x 24"


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TSGNY: If you’re willing to risk injury, working with felt must offer you something you couldn’t find in other media.

EMY: I find it less daunting to begin composing on the colorful surface that I intuitively create in felt, than facing a blank white canvas. And while I thoroughly enjoyed all the surface design techniques and processes I explored over the years, I had begun to get concerned about some of the toxicity and fumes I was being exposed to.  With felt making I am basically exposed to wool, soap and hot water. I like the simplicity of these few requirements. When I begin to embellish the felted surface with thread, my fascination with “mark making” is more open-ended and easier to explore.

"Shadowed Field," 2012, 22” x 27”

TSGNY: “Mark making” is very much a part of the current art conversation. What form does it take for you?

EMY:  I create mark making by hand-stitching with embroidery floss to create dashes of color. I start to fill up a space and stop when there is “enough.” To create lines or outlines, I love to use hand-dyed #3 pearl cotton thread and “couch” it. The twisted thread has a bit of a life of its own and it tells me where it wants to go.

"Shadowed Field," 2012, detail

TSGNY: Has your intent changed since you discovered felt?

EMY: My work, regardless of the medium, has always had a reference to nature. Even though I’ve lived in the city for 36 years, only two pieces ever had urban themes: the events of 9/11.

"Winter Sunset," 2011, 22” x 16”

EMY: There are several folk textiles I keep visible in my studio that have informed my work. One is a hand-embroidered pillow sham from India, found at a flea market. The other is a Sujuni wall hanging from the village of Bhusara, Bihar, India, commissioned by Dorothy Caldwell at a women’s domestic textiles cooperative. The background is black handwoven cotton; a story of village life is portrayed in white thread, entirely through dashes and lines that fill one hundred percent of the surface. These Indian textiles tell local village stories, which is not my goal. But I am impressed by how the density and direction of the stitch marks create the design.

TSGNY: Finally, are there any living artists who inspire you who you feel we should know about but may not have heard of?

EMY: I admire many well-known textile artists whose work involves “mark making.”  Two resources about the textiles of India I often refer to are “The Narrative Thread,” from an exhibit at the Asia Society in 1998 and “Stitching Women’s Lives” from the Museum for Textiles exhibit in 1999.

“Shifting Shadows,” 2012, 37” x 22”

TSGNY: Thank you, Erma. You can see more of Erma’s work on her website and her solo exhibit at the Noho Gallery, Felted Fields, February 5-March 2, 2013.

Gulia Huber: States of Human Presence

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TSGNY: Your work is not clothing in the traditional sense, but it clearly refers to clothing. How did you embark on this body of work?

Gulia Huber: During my graduate studies in art school at Penn State, the professor asked me to draw on skills that came from my personal life experience. I had worked as a costume designer in theater and film and as a clothing designer, so working with fabric, designing, drawing, making patterns, sewing and embroidering were familiar skills for me. I started by creating “Harness” out of rawhide, using materials and techniques that are usually applied to the craft of saddle-making. I cut a single piece of rawhide into many leather bands and connected them with grommets and buckles to make two human harnesses for a male and a female body.

"Harness" (2005); leather, metal accessories.

GH: In “Harness,” soft leather presents an idea about a human body and skin.  I used leather not only because of its look and texture but also because of its smell and capacity to change over time, to engage the viewer’s senses on multiple levels beyond the visual. “Harness” was a starting point for me; I wanted to explore these ideas, as well as to work with other soft materials. After working with leather I turned to flat sheets of rubber.

"Rubber Jackets" (2005), rubber, metal, polyester filler.

GH: Everyone relates to clothing on different levels, through touch, look, smell, and sound. “Rubber Jackets” is similar to “Harness” because it also affects the viewer’s perception through more than his/her visual sense.

TSGNY: What kind of artwork were you doing before “Harness” started you on this path?

GH: Before I started to explore the subject of human body and its boundaries through textiles, I was working with sculptural materials like plaster, wood, stone, and found objects.  I used carving, shaping, and molding to create  abstract representations of the human body. For my performances I used found objects like caution tape, iron bells, trunks and branches of old trees that had been cut down, and used them in the context of my subjective views about how we deal with obstacles and how our actions are driven by cultural influences.

TSGNY: Did switching from these materials to textiles change your intent?

GH: By purposely choosing a limited number of materials and processes for my works  that have long been classified as women’s crafts, I can express my feelings about accepted restrictive norms on women’s rights and freedoms. My work addresses issues of the gendered territories that are characteristic of every cultural system. Having been brought up on the intersection between Western and Eastern cultures, I experienced a variety of cultural norms that place women in the position of an object.

"Parachute" (2007); polyester fabric, accessories.

GH: I ask viewers to probe the questions: How far do we extend our personal boundaries? When does the destructive violation of the personal boundaries begin? What should one give up to retain personal freedom?

“Veil,” (2007); polyester fabrics, wire.

GH: In “Veil” I embroidered fabric with wire and then gently pressed this “ wired” textured fabric against my face, revealing a relief of my face as a part of this veil, commenting on women’s rights and cultural boundaries. As I began to explore these restrictive forces, and the changeable nature of boundaries posed by society, by culture and the inner self, I found that clothing can be a powerful metaphor for a human being, capable of standing in for a real person.  I began using sewing, knitting, and embroidery to create sculptural clothing or pieces of clothing that could embody emotional states of human presence.

“Red. Grace.” (2008) Performance, cotton, sand, foam board.

GH: I bring together different media such as video, performance, photography, and sound, but I continue to work with textiles and use the form of clothing because clothing defines our sexuality, reflects the world through which we define ourselves, contains an imprint of the private space that we create around ourselves, and also exposes a public space that we are immersed in.

“Yurt” (2008); cotton fabric, embroidery thread, rope, video projection.

There are many brand viagra prices male enhancement drugs available in the market for a very high price. Excessive hand practice discover for info now viagra 25 mg creates physiological and psychological problems. Apart from the typical NBA tattoos, the players also make other variety designs as per their cialis generic free choice and style. You could prefer any genuine quality pill to get into levitra no prescription see here the blood completely and then react accordingly. TSGNY: Can you talk a little bit about the relation of clothing to public space and architecture in your work?

GH: My works refer to the body as an energy entity that is enclosed in layers of skin, clothing, building, air, and nature. I like to utilize light, height and the spaciousness of the room. And, like in any installation, the viewer is invited to be the part of the artwork. In “Yurt,” I created a structure similar to a nomadic yurt.  Inside the yurt, a shirt hangs on a hanger on the wall.  The white shirt is cut open in the middle, in the shape of a square from which a band embroidered with unreadable words falls on the floor, covering a video projection of a pit. Different cultural artifacts are thrown down the pit one by one.

TSGNY: The scale of your work is often very ambitious. Does your self-imposed limitation of techniques pose any particular challenges?

GH: In some way every work is a challenge for me. The works made out of leather and rubber led me to take the next challenging step: finding a visual solution to representing movement in space using simple fabrics bought in WalMart. When I start working on a project I have to think about how to transform a very simple piece of cotton or polyester fabric in a minimalist way to represent the idea I have in mind without violating the fabric’s own natural appeal.  I also pose a challenge to myself to use only two techniques — sewing and embroidery. For “Boots” I used only cotton quilted lining fabric.

"Boots" (2006): quilted cotton lining fabric.

GH: For “Table for Two” I challenged myself to create a glowing sensation of a table dinner setting using only vinyl. The sewn vinyl table cloth and a dinner setting for two are attached in one solid piece, glowing with light, signifying absence and presence at the same time.

"Table for Two" (2007); vinyl, light box, wooden table and chairs.

GH: Other challenges I’ve purposely posed for myself include sewing with wire in “Veil” and embroidering with human hair in “I Love, I Hate, I Need, I Protest.”

“I Love, I Hate, I Need, I Protest” (2005); cotton fabric, human hair, hangers.

GH: In “I Love, I Hate, I Need, I Protest,” I embroidered the words using human hair in order to emphasize the innately human nature of these statements. These are inborn desires, just as natural as our skin or hair.  I’ve also challenged myself to embroider while being completely covered by a black bag in “Trespassing”; and even to sew and burn a dress while performing.   In “Fire Dance” I danced with my very long, very wide dress on fire, while the photographer took over 300 photographs. It was a well planned performance, so nobody was hurt. As you can see, to me there are no limits in using textiles.

TSGNY: If you feel that the expressive capacity of textiles is unlimited, do you also feel that working with textiles enables you to do things you had not been able to do in any other medium?

GH:  Working with textiles made me realized how far I could push boundaries. I’ve used my own body as part of the process of art making. I’ve asked myself the question: “How would I feel if sewing is the only action I can take speaking about my body?” In “Trespassing,” I created a series of pieces that explored the process of constructing an identity within cultural norms, restrictions, and gendered territories.

“Trespassing” (2008); performance, polyester fabric, embroidery thread.

GH:  I created this performance in the context of women’s rights. Viewers witnessed my gradual “appearance” through the means of embroidery. I would come out hidden under a huge bag that I had sewed out of silky fabric in dark night-sky blue. At the beginning of this performance the viewers couldn’t know who was under this formless bag. Then I began embroidering the outline of my body with the gold thread. Within 20 minutes they could see that I was expressing myself even though I was under the bag. I used video as a tool to document my performance, altering the viewing time: in real time it took 20 minutes to complete this performance, but the video is five minutes long.

TSGNY:  Finally, are there any living artists who inspire you who you feel we should know about but may not have heard of?

GH: I’m fascinated by the variety of artists who aspire to bring textiles to the front of fine art and to make it stand on its own alongside other less perishable media. Many artists, like Yinka Shonibare, explore their ideas through clothing. The ideas relating to the phenomenology of the body, particularly physicality of the feminine body,  in the works of Ann Hamilton, Mona Hatoum and Jana Sterbak, influenced me to incorporate sensory experiences in my sculptural works. The artworks of Beverly Semmes and Lucy Orta focus on portraying a social dimension of the space that body occupies. The artworks of Do Ho Suh and Nick Cave explore cultural dimensions in relation to the body.

TSGNY: Thank you, Gulia. You can see more of Gulia’s work on her website; and you can learn more about her company, PELAGOZ, which designs ergonomic clothing to help children with educational needs here.

Wen Redmond: Following the Vision

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TSGNY: Your use of fiber is unusual. How would you describe your process?

Wen Redmond: I hope to expand the understanding and perception of fiber as a medium. I enjoy the creative processes afforded by contemporary digital technology, and my work merges digital processes, photography, collage and surface design. I have developed several signature techniques: “Holographic Images”; “Digital Fiber”; and a new “Serendipity Collage” technique.

My work continues to grow as I explore my medium: over time one develops an eye. When I finish composing an image that I like, I decide on presentation, which might be whole cloth, a photo-art quilt, divided into multiple images, or collaged into mixed-media art. I will layer and finish work using different mediums – like glass-bead medium, for example — for a variety of purposes.  In my newest work, I use Photoshop to change the actual image, layering and digitally fusing it with photographs of my painted cloth.

“Whispers of the Positive,” 2010, 120” x 25”; Hand-pulled print, collaged, and sewn watercolor paper, cloth, painted with acrylics, layered with digital images, monoprinting. Inkjet prints, cyanotype, silk organza, cheesecloth, watercolor paper, ink drawings and mediums.

WR: Most of my attraction to the artistic process is being in that zone I call ‘flow.’ When I work, I encourage a collaborative process with spirit or my higher self, that mind-boggling principle of the universe. When you are in this state of mind, you tap the intuitive and the work can become more than the sum of its parts. Allowing time for inspirations to percolate up from my unconscious is a vital part of the process.

“Before I Knew You,” 2009, 28” x 22”; Holographic and Digital Fiber techniques. Silk organza; photograph, silkscreened and hand-painted silk and cotton.

TSGNY: Can you talk a bit about the specific techniques you’ve developed?

WR: My “Holographic Images” technique is a multi-layered design process of printing photographs on silk organza. I mount the work in such a way that a 3-D effect is created, resembling the movement of a holograph.  (This process was published in Quilting Arts Magazine, April/ May 2007. They also offer a DVD.) My silk organza collages add the dimension of light. Light flows through the picture and creates different patterns, depending on the angle of view. These are free-flowing and loose, with a kinetic quality.

“Ripples,” 2009, set of 3, 24” x 24” ea.; Holographic and Digital Fiber techniques. Manipulated digital image of water: original image printed on archival digital canvas, bordered in hand-painted and surface-designed fabrics. One section of the image printed on transparent silk organza, providing holographic effect. Additional stitching details. (Installation at the new Dana Farber Cancer Building, South Weymouth, MA.)

WR: “Mixed Media Serendipity Collage” is an assemblage of digital prints collaged with surface-designed textiles and paper. The use of transparent organza or papers allows me to layer physical elements, creating depth and design. This is a very ‘green’ method of working. Because all of my work travels parallel roads, I often have lots of leftover scraps, which are excellent for collage. Everything becomes suspect. I save teabag wrappers, candy wrappers, found metal, and the odd items that fall into my path.

“Brainwave,” 2007, 28” x 20”; transparent multi-layered silk collage. Dyed, painted, monoprint. Silk organza, burlap.

WR: “Brainwave” is a slightly more radical piece. All of the layers hang freely, unbound in any way. (The layers have a quote by Bob Dylan: “Who is not busy being born is busy dying.”)  It’s an interactive piece: one can lift the layers in exploration. I wanted to see how movement within the piece could create more patterns. Since it’s an almost completely transparent piece, the wall on which is hangs influences the final color.

TSGNY: How did you arrive at this fantastic range of processes?
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WR:  I am a process person. I’m passionate about coming up with ideas and working out the kinks. This leads to more discoveries, an evolution. This work always keeps me thinking- what if?

Part of that evolution is photography, which became readily available with digital technology. My process is also fed by my love of being outdoors. Now I can see the most exquisite scenes or combinations of patterns and share that beauty. These moments become my source, my well. I bring them back to share, to remind, to remember. I hope to bring that energy into my art-making, to communicate the positive, the source, the inspiration, and my mad desire to capture thoughts, dreams and the beauty of nature.

“Perception of Trees,” 2009, 35” x 36”; three digital interpretations of a manipulated photograph, printed on ink jet prepared cotton duck, stitched.

TSGNY: Does your process pose any particular challenges? How have you overcome them?

WR: Digital printing is not for the faint of heart. Creating substrates and feeding fabric into printers gives one much patience. I always say a little printer prayer during the printing phrase of my artwork.

TSGNY: Does your process enable you to do things you have not been able to do in any other medium?

WR: Printing directly onto various substrates to create stitched textural constructions is a unique way of presenting photographs. I love the textural quality and mark-making stitching lends to a finished work.

“Trees Seen, Forest Remembered,” 2008, 24” x 33”; Digital Fiber Collage. Images printed with archival inks on various substrates, mounted onto canvas and collage-fused with painted, silk-screened cotton and stabilizer; stitched.

WR: I love what I do! I love the processes, the places I go when I see color or get inspirations, and the connections with artists. Artists tend to be a little left of center. They see more, feel deeply; they are kindred spirits on so many levels. As Thomas Merton said, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

TSGNY: Speaking of kindred spirits, are there any artists who inspire you who you feel we should know about but may not have heard of?

WR: There are a great many artists whose work I love. I love the abstract expressionists, Jane Frank, Paul Klee, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Jules Olitski — the classics. Georgia O’Keefe- I have always admired strong independent women. I like the serenity of Andrew Wyeth’s work. The trees of Wolf Kahn. The photography of Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, and the innovative work of Mike and Doug Starn. The fiber revolutionary work of Fran Skiles, Joan Schultz, Nancy Crow, and Jane Dunnawold. The digital gurus Karine Schminke, Dorothy Simpson Krause,  Bonny Pierce Lhotka, Mary Taylor, and Gloria Hansen.

TSGNY: Thank you, Wen. You can see more of Wen Redmond’s work on her website, her blog, her YouTube channel and in the TSGNY exhibit Crossing Lines: The Many Faces of Fiber.

Kathy Weaver: Navigating the Uncanny Valley

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TSGNY: Would you describe your work as fiber art?

Kathy Weaver:  I use both traditional fiber techniques and ones not normally associated with fabric. I delight in the quilt and appliqué techniques used by my grandmother and mother.  But essentially, technique is a means to convey ideas and I want the viewer to look beyond the technique to the content.

"Robo Sapien Agent 5,"2006, 44” x 44”, Airbrushed, machine quilted, embellished.

KW: Since my subject matter is often robots and ideas generated from the field of artificial intelligence, I deliberately chose airbrushing in order to render in a mechanistic way, without evidence of the artist’s hand.

Preparations for airbrushing.

TGSNY:  What kind of work did you do before you started airbrushing?

KW:  I was a painter, and still am. I use gouache and egg tempera. I sometimes paint vignettes on canvas and attach them to my textile work. Sometimes I draw and paint directly onto the fiber. Airbrushing seemed like a natural evolution. As an art teacher in the public schools I loved exploring materials and trying new media with my students, so taking up another instrument, the airbrush, as a means to paint, was not intimidating to me. It seemed perfect for the robots’ “skin.”  So I enrolled in an airbrush class at a local college where I learned how to airbrush on motorcycle helmets, gas tanks, fish and bird decoys, and taxidermy forms.

Airbrushing

KW: I’ve always loved the advertising designs and coloring of the era I grew up in.  Many of these ads were airbrushed rather than photographed. I also like the look of medical illustrations as well as cutaways and schemas for products and product parts. When I was young we had the run of an electronics factory with which my dad was associated and I loved seeing the engineer’s drawings and how-tos, as well as the renderings of the final products, usually transformers or TV components.

“Cyborg Female 5: Stripped of Instinct,” 2004, 90” x 54”, Satins, silks, velvets, airbrushed, hand embroidered, hand quilted.

TSGNY: When you’re in your airbrushing gear, you certainly look as much scientist as artist. Can you walk us through the steps of your process?

KW:  I compose the work in one of two ways.  I may create a small color drawing which I enlarge by means of a projector onto a large piece of paper. Or I work intuitively directly on the bridal satin, the substrate for the textile paints. I use white bridal satin for my work…and sometimes black. In the first method, I use the full-scale drawing as a cartoon, tracing each section or division of color onto freezer paper. Then I tape all these pieces together like a giant puzzle and iron it onto the fabric.  I methodically remove the hundreds of taped pieces and proceed to airbrush each section one at a time, lifting off to airbrush and re-ironing, lifting off, re-ironing, until the piece is finished. With this method the work is always covered by paper so that I must imagine the colors as I airbrush. After the last tiny piece is airbrushed, I peel the paper away to reveal the finished work.

Airbrushing with stencils

KW: With the second method I use masks and stencils and can see the work as it progresses; the image develops as I paint.  Although airbrushing looks very spontaneous, it is a laborious process requiring great patience. There is little leeway for mistakes; the process is akin to the layering, additive process of watercolor painting.

“Mimetic Concerns,” 2010, 44” x 57”, satin, airbrushed, hand quilted.

TSGNY: Are there other challenges to the airbrushing process?

KW: Yes, mainly involving proper ventilation. When I built my studio I installed a ventilating system and I stand under the hood of the vent to paint. My environment is this: I wear a respirator, protective clothing, gloves, and shoe coverings, while standing under a noisy ventilating hood. The airbrush’s hose is plugged into a compressor, which, although called “Silent-aire,” hardly is. With all my gear on, I look pretty robotic myself.  All this tends to separate me from my surroundings, which in turn places me in a different mental space. In order to communicate with anyone I must remove all my gear and step away from the area. In this bubble I feel very free to create. It’s just me, my decisions, and my “canvas”; time passes in a different way.

“Strategic Alliance,” 2008, 48” x 55.5”, Satin, airbrushed, hand quilted.

TSGNY: How does the range of materials you incorporate enhance the body of your work?

KW:  I love working with a variety of materials. Some of my favorite Chicago Imagist artists, H. C. Westermann and Karl Wirsum, showed their stuff and told their stories using a wide variety of materials. What my fabric pieces, drawings, paintings and sculptures have in common is the theme of robotics, nano robots or artificial intelligence.

“Habeas Corpus: The Great Writ,” 2008, 35” x 68”, Cottons, nylon line, airbrushed, hand-stitched.


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KW: The various materials overlap and enhance one another. For example, the charcoal drawings I am doing at the Rehabilitation Institute are translatable to thread line via embroidery, yet the finished drawings stand alone and have been exhibited in that form. The toys that I deconstruct and transform into robots are kinetic sculptures, yet use fabric and texture to express themselves. The larger papier-mâché sculptures have sensory devices, recordings, embroidery, and airbrushing.

“LMR VII (Mother),” 2009, 59” h x 24” w x 16”d, Fiber, papier mâché, found objects, horsehair, metal, sound and light, airbrushed, embroidered.

KW: The sculpture LMR VII (Mother) is airbrushed on fabric, with embroidery. The appendages and head are papier-mâchéd and airbrushed. The head has sensors so that when a viewer approaches a recording is activated. Also, a door in the back of the head opens and a light is activated, revealing a scene in the inside of the head.

“LMR XII (Captain Le Rocher),” 2011, 12” h x 12” w x 3”d, Bronze, airbrushed, embroidered, painted.

KW: Recently I have been making some bronze sculptures in a stage-like setting. In the sculpture LMR XII (Captain Le Rocher) I cast the bronze figure using the lost-wax process. The background of the box is airbrushed satin, which is also embroidered and quilted. The outside of the box is airbrushed and also painted with egg tempera.  The sculptures reiterate the 2D robot quilts but have the added feature of the solidity of the bronze contrasted with the fragility of embroidery, the machine-made futuristic look of my bronze robots contrasting with the labor-intensive stitchery that reminds us of another era.

TSGNY: Would you say there’s an ongoing tension between the presence of the “hand” in the textile processes you employ and the deliberate absence of the hand you’re going for with the airbrush?

KW: In all the work there is an incongruity in the use of soft material for hard objects and sharp thoughts. The embroideries show a duality between the softness and familiarity of satins and threads and the complexity of forms from organic chemistry, cellular biology and engineered robots. The labor-intensive hand embroidery has a feeling of slow Penelopian rhythms, reminding us of a distant pre-technoid era.

“Fire Slinger,” 2010, 48” x 46”, Satin, airbrushed, hand embroidered, hand stitched.

KW: There is also an eerie incongruency in the fact that humans often relate very personally to technological devices, particularly those in which they have a relationship born out of necessity. I am currently drawing patients and devices at The Robotic Lab at The Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago, a hospital and research facility for traumatic injury victims.

Much of my work has been about the military-industrial complex and the amount of money, not to mention human waste, that goes into the management of war. I was appalled at the number and kinds of injuries being sustained by civilians and vets during the Iraqi and Afghan wars, so I decided to do some research, which led me to The Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago. This research facility and hospital is doing amazing work in advanced prosthetic devices. The majority of their patients are not war victims, as those patients would most likely be treated at VA hospitals. The people I am observing and drawing at this facility are victims of traumatic injury. (If they are victims of war I don’t have access to this information.) I am currently drawing in the hand lab, which is receiving funding for research from the government for the advanced development of prosthetics.

TSGNY: How do you view this particular form of human-robot interaction, compared to your earlier depiction of robotics?

KW:  I have the utmost respect for the roboticists and bio-engineers and doctors there who are working so hard trying to make life a bit more palatable for traumatic-injury victims. Mostly, in my drawing sessions of patients who are testing devices, I am humbled by the incredible energy and mindset it takes for them to adapt to their disabilities. The patients are awesome in their perserverance to get some mobility back.  As for the traumatic brain injuries, I do not have access to these patients. It would be too disorienting and interruptive of their concentration for me to be in the room drawing while they are working on devices. Words cannot express how sad it is to see young adults being totally cared for by their parents.

“Biomechatronics Development Lab 2,” 2010, 27.5” x 33.5”, charcoal pencil on paper.

KW: As for how I view this form of human-robot interaction — I would have to say with mixed feelings. I am inspired by the technological advances and the people making that happen, and appalled that we need this effort. Both come out in my work, by trying to do beautiful drawings (which will become embroideries/mixed media on fiber) of the patients and devices I am observing, and, concurrently, by doing a series of airbrushed quilts of “disaster” robots about the ravages of war on people and the environment inspired by Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children.”

It’s the juxtaposition, the contrast of where we’ve been and where we are going, that I highlight by using both a needle and thread and the airbrush. As in science, in my art and in life, things are never what they first appear to be. Upon closer inspection, more is always revealed.

TSGNY: Finally, are there artists who inspire you whose work you’d like us to know about?

KW: Most of my inspirations come from the ideas of other artists rather than their medium or techniques. I love the work of William Kentridge and Sue Coe. After seeing a recent show of Lia Cook’s work at Duane Reed  in St. Louis and talking with her about the differentiation between her dolls and humans, I felt an affinity or parallel to the border crossings between my robots and the human condition I am expressing. This is the “uncanny valley” that I am continuously exploring — so oftentimes, what scientists write interests me much as what I see.

TSGNY: Thank you, Kathy. You can find more of Kathy’s work at her gallery and on her website, where you will also find her extensive current exhibition schedule.

“Simian Interface,”2003, 42” x 59”, Satins, cottons, egg tempera.

 

Leisa Rich: Please Touch

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TSGNY: How do you describe your artistic process?

Leisa Rich:  My main artistic method is free-motion embroidery, which is done by dropping the feed dogs on a sewing machine (the teeth underneath the sewing foot that pull the fabric along while you sew) and using a special foot adapted for this purpose, effectively “drawing” with thread. I use various types of stitching methods: embroidery floss in the bobbin, heavy threads, tension play and more.  I’m able to push the stitch in unique ways.

"Happy Toadstool," 2011, 36” X 48” X 32”; repositionable fabric, felt, dyes, vinyl, thread, acrylic paint; free-motion stitching, hand-dyed and painted.

LR: My materials include dissolvable paper, sheets of glue, acrylic paint and vinyl. Many of these materials have just come on the market in the last few years, so possibilities are constantly opening up. In the future, I’m hoping to collaborate directly with the manufacturers.  The variety of manipulative methods and the wealth of new materials make free-motion embroidery endlessly exciting.

TSGNY: Did discovering these new materials alter your intent?

LR: No, I chose these materials because they were perfect for the concept I have been working with recently: human interaction. Viewers can play and reconfigure my components to form their own compositions and stories.

"Architects in Flux," 2010, 88" X 108"; repositionable fabric, vinyl, thread; free-motion stitching.

LR: The interactive pieces are clear vinyl stitched to white vinyl; sometimes I include acrylic paint and other colored vinyl or fabrics in the design. These pieces can be pulled off and repositioned by the viewer on special fabric backgrounds. The works are 2D as well as sculptural. Installation — creating my own interactive world — is my favorite way of presenting my work.

"Architects in Flux," 2010, 88" X 108" (interactive view).

TSGNY:  Was there an “aha!” moment when you knew this kind of interaction was something you wanted to explore, or was it a gradual evolution?

LR: I would say I have been intentionally moving toward more human interaction in my art for several years now. Fiber art is so tactile that it is a shame humans — who innately love using their very sensitive fingertips to touch and explore — are not allowed to experience art physically.

"No Sense Crying Over Spilled Milk: Altering the Course," 2010, 87" X 52"; vinyl, thread; free-motion stitching.

LR: When I was a small child I was deaf and spent considerable time in the hospital. My mother brought me beautiful Barbie clothes she made from her work suits. I loved the feeling of the satins, laces and nubby silks as I dressed my dolls. Living in that silence for so long made me crave human interaction; those early experiences, combined with the thrill of finger-painting in the hospital art room, led to a lifelong passion for all things textural and a need to touch.

"No Sense Crying over Spilled Milk: Altering the Course," 2010 (interactive view).

LR: In 2009 I had a solo installation exhibition, “Beauty From the Beast,” which featured a 25 foot by 20 foot “garden” made of the detritus of mankind, fabrics, free-motion stitching that also included lots of other mixed media and incorporated an assortment of fiber techniques such as quilting.
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"Beauty From the Beast," 2009, 25' x 20' (dimensions variable). Mixed media: obtainium, fabrics, plastic drinking straws, vinyl; free-motion stitching, hand-dyed and painted, rolled, constructed, quilted, applique.

LR: There were pathways people could walk on in the garden; they could touch the bubble-wrap flowers and rearrange the “grass” rocks. However, that level of interaction was still not enough for me; once they were done, everything went back the way it was, so it was still “my” piece as opposed to “our” piece. The new work is much more interactive and the viewer has more of a stake in it.

"Beauty From the Beast," 2009, bubble-wrap flower bouquet.

TSGNY: Given your love of the textural and tactile, what other fiber processes have you explored?

LR: I have been an absolutely obsessed fiber artist since 1975. It’s hard to think of a fiber technique I haven’t explored since. I was a serious weaver for a number of years, which included dyeing with plants, spinning, basketry and more. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 1982 with a degree in Fibers.  I went on to become a designer of knitwear on both loom and knitting machine and a hat/ jewelry and wearable artist with a successful company designing for tv shows and stores, until I moved to the island of Kauai in 1998. I had incorporated free-motion stitching in many of these works but it was really then, due to the confines of living in a tiny island house with room only for a sewing machine, that I returned to stitching and started expanding my free-motion repertoire. At that time much of my work utilized mixed media and themes of women and children’s issues. When I went back for my Master of Fine Arts in Fibers at the University of North Texas in 2007, the questions I had to ask myself as an artist led to my present way of interacting with my viewer.

“(in)CONSEQUENTIAL,” 2007, dimensions of installation variable; plastic drinking straws rolled in dyed wool and sliced, stuffed, stitched, dyed wool amoeba forms; free-motion stitching, constructed, stuffed, rolled and sliced.

TSGNY:  Does your process pose any particular challenges?

LR: Well, the “do not touch” rule is still a pretty hard one to overcome. Most galleries and exhibitions are not comfortable with allowing viewers to “play” with a work. This limits the exposure of the audience; they are relegated to a passive role, which is not satisfying to me. I just completed a permanent installation piece for the Dallas Museum of Art’s new education center that will be completely interactive. Everyone will be allowed to enjoy it all of the time! I’m striving to get more of these kinds of commissions. I really love to take people to a happy place, in light of the often depressing and difficult world we live in.

TSGNY:  Are there any living artists who inspire you who you feel we should know about?

LR: Andy Goldsworthy’s installations are fleeting and lovely. I enjoy the way that he can interact with nature and then allow it to reclaim the works after he is done. His art makes it possible for humans to think of doing it themselves, creating their own sculptures as a method of self-expression without being intimidated by fancy materials or intimidating art classes.

TSGNY: Thank you, Leisa.

You can see more of Leisa’s work on her website, her blog, her teaching blog, and on Facebook.

"Beauty From the Beast," (2009); recycled plastic tablecloths, felt, vinyl; free-motion stitching, constructed mixed media.

 

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