ORPHANED FABRICS
My interest in the history of objects, and especially in the handmade, drives me to explore vintage linens. Tears, stains, and other flaws in the object’s surfaces from real-life wear create a launching point for me to begin an exploration of these textiles, and to give them new life by adjusting their use and reclaiming their beauty in my own visual language. While working I ask myself: why did this person make this object? What might the flaw on the surface of the object be caused by? Was this an object that fell quickly into disuse, or was it a well loved object passed down and eventually forgotten? These questions help push me to explore, combine, and sometimes destroy these textiles while simultaneously giving them new life in a world where they have become obsolete. At times the object becomes the work itself and others it is a means to explore mark making and texture. All of my works inform one another and I aim to continue to find ways to cross new boundaries within this medium.