Fibers

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/180168

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 43

Open Access
Abigail Galvin: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Galvin, Abigail, artist
The artist's statement: Through documentation or metaphor, I seek to understand how both our sense of agency and our sense of restriction are deeply tied to an awareness of our own bodies. The result of this process is two interrelated series of work. On one hand, I use abject elements of the body to analyze issues of identity and control. On the other hand, motion and interaction explore an ecstatic sense of freedom and connection. In all of the work, the human body is focused on as an interface where these conflicting senses merge and create tension.
Open Access
Allison Sheldon: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Sheldon, Allison, artist
The artist's statement: A blue whale has a heart the size of a VW beetle. This piece of trivia has stuck with me since I was a child. Yes, I understood that whales are very large, but when I imagine a pulsing heart in place of a small compact car the scale and majesty of a whale still makes the hair on my neck stand on end. I began to wonder what it would be like to have a heart this massive. Would I be able to love more, give more, and do more? Could I use my heart's power to envelop everyone in warmth? Connection is the core of this piece. A year ago I asked people near and dear to me to give me clothing and fabric that they no longer needed. Through the process of transforming garments into yarn the physical weight of the materials reflects the emotional weight that charges this piece. The act of crocheting binds people who have never met. The pedestal is made from old loom benches that bore the weight of my predecessors. With these gifts (the materials) I am creating a new gift for them; a space to feel loved and accepted. Special Thanks To Peter, Catherine, and Sarah Sheldon, Anne Bossert, Matt Sage, Chris Jussel, Tom Lundberg, Susan and Marta Lea Johnson, Tomas Vallejos, Brayden Love, Allie Cheroutes, all who donated materials to this project. Connection History Transformation.
Open Access
Alyson Crist: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Crist, Alyson, artist
The artist's statement: By challenging the division between the realm of memory and the realm of practice, I have attempted to create work with a fascination of content and an adamant attitude towards conceptual art. Creating fabric allows me to explore my personal vision of memory and projection; through layering and repetition of line and form, I can visually create my personal thought process. Inspired by artists such as Lenore Tawney and her intersection of lines in space in tapestry weaving, I have created work that utilizes this style, as well as the grid and curves. My weaving shadows historical techniques and forms, with a play of functional craftsmanship, inspired by relic textiles.
Open Access
Amber Witzke: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Witzke, Amber, artist
The artist's statement: Rather than depending on synthetic dyes, I carefully gather bark, flowers, and leaves in hopes that they will share their beautiful hues and shapes with my fabrics; these fabrics then become screens in the lantern structures I build. An emphasis on the soothing use of light and color kindles a delicate ambiance. As in nature, the end result is often a magical surprise. The prints can only be planned to a certain extent; at some point the flowers then take their course and leave their personal imprints. This harmless natural method blends with the art of repurposing furnishings. The natural processes of our world are both beautiful and inspiring.
Open Access
Anne Guo: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Guo, Anne, artist
The artist's statement: When working with fiber techniques, I focus on the concept of style and clothing. I have learned that standard clothing only fits right on some body types. I have a love for Asian fashion, but the sizes are almost way too small for regular American bodies. Finding clothing in the color you want can also be frustrating. So, I show people that fashion does not need to be dictated by the clothing companies. So, each piece of clothing I make is a style I like made with yarn. Embracing the yarn material, I work in crochet, embroidery, and weaving. The idea of clothing that I want to make dictates what process I use. Sometimes, clothing just needs embellishments to level up the piece. When I want to experiment with fluidity in shape in clothing, I go to crochet. I tend to go to weaving's pattern consistency when thinking about patterns. When doing images on clothing, I tend to gravitate to embroidery. It shows that each piece is one of a kind.
Open Access
Brieanna Hirsheimer: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Hirsheimer, Brieanna, artist
The artist's statement: My work in fibers displays two very distinct approaches. My first discipline as an artist was painting, and when I began working in fibers, I struggled with bringing my 2D thoughts into 3D through fiber. I had difficulty finding a way of bringing illustrative, graphic-looking subject matter into fibers. As a 2D artist, I slowly began creating these larger than life, cartoon-like vegetables in the 3rd dimension. This body of work brings the digital realm into the real world, with bold outlines and bright colors. These pieces walk the line of playful and methodical, creating an illusion of 2D in 3D. Once I began delving deeper into this area of work, I noticed I wanted to try a more traditional approach. I wanted to weave, however I am not keen on using the loom, so I simply decided to weave but off the loom. These off-loom tapestry weavings are fairly large, and are comprised of hundreds of knots that become mindless as muscle memory takes over. These pieces are inspired by specific memories from my childhood. The color palette and materials I use are reminiscent of the feeling I have of running around in my grandmother's garden (Thompsonville, MI, 2019), or sitting on the coffee table of my childhood house (604 Dexter St., 2018). Each piece is a window into my life, the endless months it takes to complete these weavings allows me to reconnect with my childhood in a mindless yet mindful way.
Open Access
Brigid Hammel: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Hammel, Brigid, artist
The artist's statement: Exploring the contradictions and contrasting ideas that make me who I am is important to my practice as an artist. Within my works, I draw attention to the fact that this world is not black and white. How I view relationships is a large part of this concept. I examine the possibilities, which are sometimes conflicting, of relationships within my series Choice. Why do many view relationships as only one man and one woman, when the multitudes of in-betweens might be better for someone else? In my printed yardage and peculiar pillow series, I combine soft and comfortable associations and visuals with the bizarre, multi-animal monster motifs, questioning what 'monsters' really are. They can be so many things, a lot more than just something to be avoided or battled.
Open Access
Chelsea Lofquist: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Lofquist, Chelsea, artist
The artist's statement: I believe that art is often an experiment. I am inspired by fluid colors, interesting shapes and patterns, and the push and pull between soft and sharp, cold and warm, metal and fabric.
Open Access
Daniella Riggins: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Riggins, Daniella, artist
The artist's statement: My works spotlight hues that blend, complement and dance with one another, mimicking the way that visual memories skitter across the mind in an array of colors. Focusing on the chemistry of color, the technicality of weaving threads at the loom, and the poetry of stitching marks onto fabric, I let my unconscious guide the work. Highly saturated colors and layers of thread abstractly replicate cherished events from my childhood. The forms ripple and coil, dimpled and creased like aged memorabilia. Yet they also recall the luster of warm Mexican sunsets and chilled party treats with lots and lots of sprinkles.
Open Access
David Pipinich: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Pipinich, David, artist
The artist's statement: Textile art involves great deal of precision and detail work, which is something I try to showcase in my weavings. I try to express the humor that I find in everyday life, using fascinating colors to change everyday objects or ideas in subtle ways. Being able to express my emotions through my weavings becomes a therapeutic practice that I want the viewer to be able to appreciate just by looking at my work.
Open Access
Eri Matsumura: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Matsumura, Eri, artist
The artist's statement: Forgiveness, to me, is the release of all hope for a better past. I have found difficulty in articulating certain events in my past that carry the heaviest emotional burdens. Being quiet about these moments has stifled my voice for expression. The lack of control in these pivotal events has left me feeling unresolved. In order to rectify this discomfort I form highly controlled compositions within my work. Creating small details, such as a clean screen printed line or a tight embroidery stitch, allows me to have a sense of power that I do not typically have. Presenting these works in constricted environments is an echo of the preservation of these memories. My work in fiber is a means of expressing feelings I find difficult but necessary to verbalize. The methodical, meditative processes of this art complement the processes of rumination and reflection that I often find myself in. This is the beginning of a conversation about significant personal events in the attempt to reach a state of acceptance, thankfulness, and forgiveness. This is an apology to the both of us for how long it took me to finally let things go.
Open Access
Erin Bolte: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Bolte, Erin, artist
The artist's statement: I create work that draws on the historic traditions of fiber art while pushing towards forms that ease the ennui. Every piece starts as a series of strings that build up with intention over time fusing together to create a form. During the creation process a constant conversation takes place between myself and the piece. It talks, I listen. Although I am the artist I am not in lead of the conversation. I push and pull and manipulate and question until the work before me emits a feeling of quiet confidence telling me that it is exactly what it needs to be. Fibers allows me to remain within my work long after it's created. My epithelial cells are forever nestled dead within the threads of my work. The needles that pierce fabric also prick my fingers. The sweat of my hands permeates the cloth. This is my language and this is how I speak the loudest.
Open Access
Gabrielle de la Torre: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) de la Torre, Gabrielle, artist
The artist's statement: Growing up, I learned that each day was a day to celebrate. My family made every day special. They showed me that we could celebrate people, events, and stories. Within my faith life, the Catholic Church also emphasized the beauty of celebration. The Church even has a color to significantly mark each day. Inspired by their incorporation of color to symbolize a shift between liturgical seasons and every day of the year, I started to pay attention to the colors used. Throughout the year, the colors give indication of the correlated emotion, feast, and celebration. The seven colors used are white, red, rose, green, blue, purple, and black. White symbolizes joy, purity, and glory. Red represents Christ's passion and blood, Gods burning love, and martyrdom. Joy is signified through the color rose. Green signifies ordinary time. Mary and aspects of her life are indicated through the color blue. Purple represents preparation, fasting, suffering, and mercy. Black communicates death and loss. My textile work focuses on repetition, layering, color and embroidery to make cloth sentimental. I titled my show as, "On Which We Build," because the Church was literally built on people's lives, events, and stories. The pieces in this show illustrate stories through the use of symbolic color and allude to those on which mine was built. For Christ I live and create.
Open Access
Gena Wasilewski: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Wasilewski, Gena, artist
The artist's statement: Even when I was young, I thought this world was beyond extraordinary. The neighborhood band of kids and I would discover and conjure up grandiose adventures worthy of story books in our green and trimmed backyards. My imagination ran wild as I relished in the hunt for small corners of untamed wilderness and delighted in stories that wove together the imaginary and the magical with the tangible. The natural world around me was ever abounding with simple gifts of such beauty and freedom. I collected and grasped these tightly in my memory. My textile work is steeped in childlike wonder, replaying the lovely bits of my memories and smoothing out the creases between actuality and invention. I create objects that evoke the emotions tied to nostalgia with delicate materials, soft colors and playfully rendered imagery. I utilize pattern and repetition on a small scale to mimic the actions of retracing and remembering. I hand weave, dye and assemble pieces that tell whimsical and endearing stories, bridging the existent and the make-believe. May we be ever seeking the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Open Access
Hannah Johnson: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Johnson, Hannah, artist
The artist's statement: I have always been drawn to textile and sculptural work but I did not always know that fiber arts existed as an established medium. Discovering it has been like finding a soulmate, a medium that suits me just as much as I suit it. My hands think in their own way, pioneering the path for my projects, exploring new concepts, patterns and forms. This is something that fibers as a medium lends itself to while conserving the inherent humanity and history of the tactile through weaving, silk screen printing, and dying techniques.My work is both conceptual and process based. The concept may sometimes come first, typically accompanied by research and then deepened by the process but other times the process informs me of the concept as long as I place my trust in it. Most of the time it is a combination of the two: concept and process that drives the creation. I work hand in hand with my art, as if it were a conversation. In this sense it is a collaboration between the artwork itself and me as an artist that results in the final piece. I deal with cultural and emotional themes, utilizing art as a way of processing what can often be a fast paced, chaotic yet beautiful life. I grew up moving throughout the Midwest, Colombia, Chile and Colorado. The constant change in language and culture in my life has expanded my perceptions and this is consistently reflected in my work. I am observant and curious about culture, society and humanity; how we function on a variety of levels, especially in context to myself. I weave many perspectives and layers of meaning into each work of art I create but it is my hope that the viewer brings their own interpretation and reflection to my pieces. Seeing the themes in context to their own experience. In trying to understand the world around us, understanding ourselves and knowing where we stand is a crucial first step that, when taken, allows us to see everything else more clearly.
Open Access
Hannah Van Belkum: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Van Belkum, Hannah, artist
The artist's statement: My work explores how photographs act as a capsule of memory, story, and relationships. I examine the ideas of the intangibility of memory versus the physical proof of a memory captured in a photograph. I spend time studying the photos and creating narratives around the subjects. I look at the connections between the known photographic permanence and the unknown unreliability of memory. I spend hours in a meditative fibers practice, focusing on a representation of a memory and honoring the moment with my time. My work acts as a remembrance of who we have been through the documentation of photographs. Creating my mom's portrait in fabric honors her passing down a love of fibers to me and celebrate the person that she has been throughout her life. She has acted as a source of inspiration but ultimately, she is just a person. As I get older, I want to understand how my mom as a person shaped who I knew growing up. I pour hours upon hours of stitch work to recreate photos of my parents. Each piece, made up of over 7,500 stitches, creates a precious intimacy with their story of years together and displaying how our lives stitched together through relationships. They reflect intimacy in relationships through the time spent stitching. Working with these photos is a way for me to conceptualize my parents as people beyond their status as my parents. I speculate about what their experiences meant to them and how their stories can call to us. We build connections with one another that transcend direct personal connection - we resonate with one another.
Open Access
Hayley Davis: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Davis, Hayley, artist
The artist's statement: Working with fiber-based arts has always felt natural to me. I find myself drawn to the comforting familiarity found in cloth and thread, while simultaneously having the capability to convey my artistic message. Through the use of these methods and materials, I create linear illustrations that explore memory, place, and time. The ability of the viewer to recognize the structure of a textile is just as important to me as the significance in the drawings on it; by this, enabling a conversation to occur between the medium and meaning of a work.
Open Access
Heather Matthews: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Matthews, Heather, artist
The artist's statement: Reflection, reverence, relationship—Again and again, these underlying themes rise to the surface in my work. - Reflection on my experiences as I engage with my environment, people around me, and ideas - A reverence for beauty, whimsy, and hope in the everyday. - Above all, engaging in relationships with ourselves and each other. My values and beliefs are made tangible in my creations. At this moment in time these values and beliefs feel challenged by the unrest of a worldwide health pandemic, our culture's reckoning with race and bias, and the questions around our political leadership. Along with that is my slow transition out of art school and into a new career that feels more aligned with my present life goals. For comfort and consistency, I turn to making things. The making becomes a meditative practice on this moment of personal and global transition, a search for hope and beauty, and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. My process engages many media, though primarily I create works in fiber and drawings in charcoal or graphite. The pure pleasure I take in the softness and analog quiet of fiber art has instilled my conviction that I can use the medium to communicate. Meanwhile, I regularly turn to other media to expand my ideas and explore multi-layered ways of expression. Just as a writer must read to improve her craft, I insist on regular involvement in the art community as an avenue for enhancing my art practice. I take annual pilgrimages to major art centers in order to see master works in person, I pore over art books and visit local artists in their studios. Artists who inspire me include Alice Neel, Judy Chicago, Jennifer Moore, Shan Goshorn, Kehinde Wiley, Barbara Gilhooly, Anne Bossert, Jan Carson, Jenny Seville, Theaster Gates, Eric Fischl, Bisa Butler, and Hung Liu, just to name a few. Most recently, I have practiced letting go of expectations by giving in to on-the-loom lessons, studying color and texture, and simply putting more hours into both weaving and drawing without intention of a particular final outcome. These activities push me to learn more about myself and ways of making in ways that surprise me and enrich my pieces.
Open Access
Holly Sargent: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Sargent, Holly, artist
The artist's statement: My art is inspired by my spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. I don't expect everyone that encounters my work to understand the theology of what I am expressing, but I spend my creative efforts to reach intimacy with His heart and the product gets to be displayed for all to see. I work with fabric and string; flowers and rocks, light and shadow. I am interested in textures that are tangled and chaotic. I sew and weave and stich and dye. These painstaking processes are my grief and my joy. Fabric tears, string breaks, dye fades, so why toil? Yet this is what I live for. I work with mud and fire, dirt and glass. I desire to contain; to display. I mix and pound and flatten and join. I pinch and press and carve and wait. Then I send my vessels into the flame. They become stronger, and I fill them with treasures. I am a vessel. His love fills me. I work with color and canvas. I paint visions of joy and capture views of peace. It's not just ideal, it's true. If I can explain truth through my brush, it looks like beauty. I work with notes and chords and emotion. I work with softs and louds, fasts and slows. I let loose the words of my spirit, and tell the stories of my soul. Music is my joy and His presence is always in that place. Art is spiritual. Art is healing. I spend hours enjoying creation in nature but I have to use my eyes that really see, and my ears that really hear. When I do, I get blitzed with gifts of beauty. Love notes written with grass and rivers and light. I must respond. I must worship. I must create. My art explores my heart, but also shows me His.
Open Access
Jaden Scott: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Scott, Jaden, artist
The artist's statement: Memories are invaluable to me. They are passed from person to person, generation to generation, friend to friend, and will outlive what they remember. Sharing these memories through storytelling, artifacts, hidden meanings, and manifested abstract ideas are the goals of my work. Being able to show a deeply personal experience from the inside and share it outwardly is at the root of my expression of memories. I create to hold onto family, friends, past and future versions of myself, and my own challenges I faced in small physical fragments. My work is a collection of personal souvenirs. My personal souvenirs are all rooted in narratives: being diagnosed with an incurable disease, past and future versions of myself, my background in dance, my exploration of gender, and, most prominently: my heritage. My grandparents were farmers and lived on a multi-acre farm, their work ethic and overall way of life heavily inspire my work and the narratives I tell. It is important for me to take these experiences and transform them into work, through which I take the time to reflect on them and myself during the process. In my fibers practices, I focus on bringing together materials, techniques, and physicality that have a lot of importance to me and the work. The larger acts of movement that go into these pieces feed energy into the work. I sit with the pieces and self reflect on myself and the work during the long hours of the process. I find that quilting and weaving allow me the most opportunity for this through physicality and movement. In those techniques, I use a lot of hand-dyed and found materials that feed into the overall depth of meaning in my works. I find satisfaction in the intense physical labor and time spent needed to produce my fibers works. By creating work that dives into deeply personal stories, I am able to dissect the impacts certain events had on me and process them through my work. Taking multiple hours to go through the process of creating a piece allows me time to sit with the ideas and events, and come out the other side a little bit wiser. There is a lot of nuance in the choices I make during my process and I can spend hours detailing the entire story and reasoning in each piece I make. It is my goal to share my narratives, my love for the craft, and myself through my works.

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