“You fold towels so nicely,” my mom commented recently.
“I fold fabric for a living,” I replied.
Manipulating fabric by folding, clamping, binding, and dyeing is the basis of my work in textiles. As an artist I am drawn to themes of repetition and evidence of change. I am fascinated by subtle marks that suggest something else that has been there. The Japanese form of bound resist dying called shibori speaks to both of these ideas. Arashi shibori is a pole wrapping technique that can create pleats in silk and varying patterns on fabric. Itajime shibori is a folding and clamping technique that creates dyed shapes on fabric.
Creativity and constraint go hand in hand for me. I love working within the constraints shibori bestows. It allows me to realize order onto cloth through folding, binding, stitching, and dyeing. Astronomy, agriculture, and geometry provide much of the backdrop of artistic inspiration. However, I prefer making functional pieces that allow for interaction between people and the objects I create. I see the role of craft as providing a vital connection to process on a daily basis.
P r o c e s s
Ironing silk in preparation for itajime dyeing.
Itajime silk drying on the line before being hemmed and wrapped onto ABS pipe for pleating.
Arashi shibori in process Dyed silk is wrapped on ABS pipe and then dyed for pleated scarves.
Tools for itajime dyeing.