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135  Christina Massey

134  Mary Grisey

133  Trina Perry Carlson

132  Anne Kelly

131  Louise Lemieux Bérubé

130  Dorothy McGuinness

129  Penny Mateer

128  Christine Mauersberger

127  Jim Arendt

126  Merce Mitchell

125  Louise Keen

124  Rosemary Claus-Gray

123  Mary Giehl

122  Emily Hermant

121  Robin Wiltse

120  Barbara Klunder

119  Megan Skyvington

118  Rachel Brumer

117  Heike Blohm

116  Shanell Papp

115  Carmella Karijo Rother

114  C. Pazia Mannella

113  Karen Goetzinger

112  Andrew MacDonald

111  Jeanne Williamson

110  Catherine Heard

109  Rosemary Hoffenberg

108  Cathy Breslaw

107  Leslie Pontz

106  Cas Holmes

105  Geri deGruy

104  Suzanne Morlock

103  Barbara De Pirro

102  Kathryn Clark

101  Noelle Hamlyn

100  Judith Mullen

99  Barbara J. Schneider

98  Merill Comeau

97  Beverly Ayling-Smith

96  Barbara Hilts

95  Mackenzie Kelly-Frère

94  Anna Keck

93  Pilar Sans Coover

92  Dolores_Slowinski

91  Leslie Pearson

90  Temma Gentles

89  Tilleke Schwarz

88  Anna Torma

87  Kim Stanford

86  Ingrid Lincoln

85  Anna Hergert

84  Joy Walker

83  Maximo Laura

82  Marie Bergstedt

81  Alice Vander Vennen

80  Xia Gao

79  Leisa Rich

78  Megan Q. Bostic

77  Sayward Johnson

76  Heather Komus

75  Sheila Thompson

74  Kerstin Benier

73  Molly Grundy

72  Nathan Johns

71  Lorena Santin-Andrade

70  Lisa DiQuinzio

69  Nancy Yule

68  Jenine Shereos

67  Bovey Lee

66  Nell Burns

65  Lancelot Coar

64  Elisabetta Balasso

63  Matthew Cox

62  Yulia Brodskaya

61  Lotta Helleberg

60  Kit Vincent

59  Barbara Heller

58  Catherine Dormor

57  Joyce Seagram

56  Yael Brotman

55  David Hanauer

54  Dwayne_Wanner

53  Pat Hertzberg

52  Chris Motley

51  Mary Catherine Newcomb

50  Cybèle Young

49  Vessna Perunovich

48  Fukuko Matsubara

47  Jodi Colella

46  Anastasia Azure

45  Marjolein Dallinga

44  Libby Hague

43  Rita Dijkstra

42  Leanne Shea Rhem

41 Lizz Aston

40  Sandra Gregson

39  Kai Chan

38  Edith Meusnier

37  Lindy Pole

36  Melanie Chikofsky

35  Laurie Lemelin

34  Emily Jan

33  Elisabeth Picard

32  Liz Pead

31  Milena Radeva

30  Rochelle Rubinstein

29  Martha Cole

28  Susan Strachan Johnson

27  Karen Maru

26  Bettina Matzkuhn

25  Valerie Knapp

24  Xiaoging Yan

23  Hilary Rice

22  Birgitta Hallberg

21  Judy Martin

20  Gordana Brelih

19  Mary Karavos

18  Rasma Noreikyte

17  Judith Tinkl

16  Joanne Young

15  Allyn Cantor

14  Pat Burns-Wendland

13  Barbara Wisnoski

12  Robert Davidovitz

11  Amy Bagshaw

10  Jesse Harrod

9  Emma Nishimura

8  June J. Jacobs

7  Dagmar Kovar

6  Ixchel Suarez

5  Cynthia Jackson

4  Lorraine Roy

3  Christine Mockett

2  Amanda McCavour

1  Ulrikka Mokdad

 

For Lethe, 2014, 8’H x 4’D x 8’W, hand-dyed sisal rope & rusted steel.

 

Cradling: In Ruins, 2014, 6 ½’H x 3’D x 4 ½’W, found barn wood, hand-dyed & burned sisal rope.

     

Artist: Mary Grisey, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Interview 134: Mary exhibited in two 2014 World of Threads Festival exhibitions including The Red and the Black at The Gallery and Solo Shows & Installations in the Corridor Galleries at out main festival venue Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

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Interviews published and curated by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.

Mary's Website.

 

For Lethe, 2014, 8’H x 4’D x 8’W, hand-dyed sisal rope & rusted steel. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

Tell us about your work:

I began my art practice as a painter using oils and then eventually the medium became too restricting for me. I felt as though I wanted to run off the canvas to create more of a three-dimensional atmosphere. My first undergraduate degree in Studio Art at Marist College was a small program and only offered a few artistic disciplines, so I figured painting would be a good foundation. When I graduated from Marist, I applied to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where I navigated my way into the Fiber and Material Studies Program. This is where I began weaving on a floor loom and considered fibre and other sculptural materials as my main mode of art making. In the beginning of this sculptural exploration, I used the wall as a surface to dig and cut into, and also layer onto. Eventually my work moved away from the wall and became suspended from the ceiling or free standing using hand-dyed ropes, linens and ceramic.

 

For Lethe, detail, 2014, 8’H x 4’D x 8’W, hand-dyed sisal rope & rusted steel. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

For Lethe, detail, 2014, 8’H x 4’D x 8’W, hand-dyed sisal rope and rusted steel. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

You make, yet you also unmake, unravel, dismantle and undo. Talk to us about the processes that you employ for your work:

To first make and then unmake, unravel, dismantle and undo my work has always been a very performative act in my studio. The tendency to create and then to undo my work gives me liberty to destroy something that is pristine, and give it history through dismantling it. My process is very intuitive and immediate, yet there are so many steps to complete a finished work. Traces of my hand are important in the construction of the weavings and the subsequent deconstruction of its parts.

I’ve always been interested in this quote by the late artist and Yale University professor Josef Albers: “What is the primary characteristic of a sheet of paper? Can folding or crimping the flat sheet give the paper new properties, new form? Can we confound our preconceptions about the paperness of paper?” These questions are similar to the questions I ask myself when I am in the studio. It is important to me that the materials I use have transformative qualities in themselves and that they have the ability to change when combined with each other.

The aesthetic destabilization and ruined quality of my installations is a vital component in the production and outcome of my work. I am currently furthering my destructive processes by exploring the effects of weathering and time and experimenting with transformative mediums. These mediums include rubber latex, bleach, natural dye and so on. Applying these fluid substances to solid materials alters their original properties, adding fortuitous transformation to the process. For instance, my work Shrouds consists of a series of process-based linen and horsehair weavings. After completing the weavings, I submerged them into black dye. When they were dry, I bleached parts of them, improvising where the bleach would transform the black linen back to white. It is this transformation that results in a tension between control and chance.

 

Cradling: In Ruins, 2014, 6 ½’H x 3’D x 4 ½’W, found barn wood, hand-dyed & burned sisal rope. Technique: Handmade large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. When the weaving was completed, I burned the surface of the hand-dyed sisal ropes using a torch. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

Cradling: In Ruins, 2014, 6 ½’H x 3’D x 4 ½’W, found barn wood, hand-dyed & burned sisal rope. Technique: Handmade large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. When the weaving was completed, I burned the surface of the hand-dyed sisal ropes using a torch. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

You use a lot of sisal rope in your pieces. How/why did you first start using sisal and what is about sisal that you use it so frequently in your artwork?

The heaviness of the sisal rope initially attracted me. I knew I wanted to work with a natural, dense material, so the rope just worked perfectly. I first started working with sisal back in 2009 during my artist-in-residence at Artcroft in Carlisle, Kentucky. I was unable to weave using a traditional floor loom, so I created my own “loom” on the wall with a series of nails. In the work titled, Native Origins, I wound a huge warp structure around nails directly on the wall and inserted local alpaca fur as the “weft” into the sisal-warp structure. The work was really about responding to the natural landscape around me and navigating my way around the obstacle of not having a loom.

The intimate contact with my materials—smell and touch—is of great importance. And sisal definitely has a distinct smell! I think that fibre is an affective medium due to the intimacy that exists in touching. Intimacy seems to exist between texture and emotion, and fibre is a thing that yearns to be touched. Likewise, there is a seductive, visceral quality about the fibre materials I use in my works. The sisal ropes are alluring to gaze at, yet rough when touched. They are unyielding and prickly… I laugh to myself for weaving with such an unforgiving material that gives me splinters!

 

Cradling: In Ruins, 2014, 6 ½’H x 3’D x 4 ½’W, found barn wood, hand-dyed & burned sisal rope. Technique: Handmade large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. When the weaving was completed, I burned the surface of the hand-dyed sisal ropes using a torch. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

What are your sources of inspiration?

Ancient mythology and literature have been a constant source of inspiration for me throughout my practice. I have loved myths since I was a child, and my work tends to illustrate these myths, as if I am building them with my materials. I am drawn to the way in which mythology references women and weaving. I really feel that textiles tell stories, hold memory and have history.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope weaves a death shroud for her husband’s father, Laertes. Since she did not know if her husband, Odysseus, had died, she came up with a stratagem to buy herself time: she said she would marry one of her suitors once she had finished weaving the death shroud. However, remaining true to Odysseus, she unraveled her work at night. By weaving during the day and unweaving at night, she misleads the suitors yet persuades them to wait. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Philomela weaves a story of her rape, and Arachne challenges Minerva to a weaving contest. In Plato’s Republic, the three Fates—Lachesis, Clothos and Atropos—are responsible for weaving one’s birth, life and death. Weaving grants agency to mythological women by giving them a voice through their weaving practices. Most of these myths depict the suffering of women and how they use weaving to overcome their melancholy or oppression. These mythological narratives inspire my practice and tie together my interest in women and weaving, in particular that weaving has been a shared practice among women since ancient times.

I am also influenced by archaeology and how it is often used as a metaphor for “digging up” the depths of the human mind. It is this psychological unearthing that I am searching for in my work. I have been contemplating and comparing my woven structures to that of the human body, and imagining that through constructing the “body” of the weaving, I am uncovering ancient remains as well as fragments of memories and traumas. I become the excavator through the act of physically unraveling the threads of the woven surface and then the analyst by uncovering psychical information from what the woven form is visually communicating. For instance, when I unravel a few threads, cut into or scratch the surface of the work, it often starts to resemble a certain bodily gesture or affect. These gestures could be somatic responses, such as heavily slumping downward or aggressively being pulled in one direction—gestures which may be perceived as melancholy or confrontational. I believe that intuition is the artist’s most valuable tool – so this process of “excavating” and then “analyzing” the finished work becomes an invaluable part of my practice.

 

Of Becoming Gallery Shot, 2014, Special Projects Gallery: York University, Toronto, ON. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

The Installation, For Lethe, takes on a different form each time it is installed. Tell us about that:

I’ve shown For Lethe in “progress” during December 2013 for my MFA Graduate thesis committee (which is displayed on my website in the 2013 folder). It was hung in two panels from the gallery ceiling. I felt that the overall effect of the work wasn’t completed, so I wove one more panel. The completed installation consisted of a series of three woven panels hung together from the ceiling in a semicircle, and the viewer experiences the work by walking inside and around it. By suspending the work from the ceiling, it delineates space—from inside to outside—creating boundaries that define the environment. The inside of the empty space is filled by means of the imagination, where the body’s spatiality interacts with the material surroundings. Architectural yet bodily, the monumental size of this work demands one’s attention. The title, For Lethe, refers to the river of forgetfulness in the underworld, and the weaving itself is like a ruin that has been pulled up from the depths and unconcealed (as told in Virgil’s Aeneid before those in the underworld can reincarnate).

 

Shrouds, 2014, 8’H x 4 ½’W x 3’D, hand-dyed linen, horsehair & bleach. Technique: Hand-woven and hand-dyed tapestries using plain weave. Warp is linen, weft is linen &horsehair. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Shrouds, detail, 2014, 8’H x 4 ½’W x 3’D, hand-dyed linen, horsehair, bleach. Technique: Hand-woven, hand-dyed tapestries using plain weave. Warp is linen, weft is linen & horsehair. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

What was the motivation behind the 2012 project, Lest She is Forgotten?

Lest She is Forgotten was motivated by my interest in ruins and the idea of an “affective” space that holds bygone emotions. When I was living in San Francisco in 2011, I would ride my scooter everyday past this old burnt-out Victorian house. I was attracted to its destruction and decay, and then began to associate imaginary narratives with it. The ambiguity of not knowing what exactly happened to this building drew me into the mysteriousness of it. This real emotional residue from the building propelled me to construct a three-dimensional sculpture that translated these ideas and feelings I had felt. I wanted to capitalize on the mystery of this building by creating a structure that didn’t really exist in our world. Some viewers mentioned it reminded them of a shipwreck while others said it could be a destroyed piece of furniture. I really thought of it as a structure that I could literally “dig” into and cut out emotions as if they were tangible. I felt as though I was acting as some sort of archeologist: digging out the psychological residue of old spaces.

 

What Remains of the Ephemeral?, 2014, Hand-dyed sisal, cotton, wool, 15’W x 6’H. Outdoor installation in the back courtyard at PM Gallery in Toronto, ON. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain weave. Photo: Peter Legris.

What Remains of the Ephemeral?, detail, 2014, Hand-dyed sisal, cotton, wool, 15’W x 6’H. Outdoor installation in the back courtyard at PM Gallery in Toronto, ON. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain weave. Photo: Peter Legris.

 

Enveloped, and to a lesser extent Of Synchronicity, are somewhat minimalist when compared with some of your other works. Talk to us about that:

Enveloped and Of Synchronicity were site-specific projects reacting to the gallery space through a rope warp that wound around half of the room. These works were about movement and energy as the ropes were all interconnected. I wanted the work to be simplistic so the viewer could interact with the work—to walk around, inside and under the ropes. Of Synchronicity was about capturing energy though the plaster and wax cast hands that emerged from the top to the bottom of the work.

 

Remains of the Ephemeral I, II, III, IV, 2014. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

How does your early work (e.g. Vortex) differ from what you’re doing now?

My early work was an extension of what was going on in my personal life back in 2008. It was my last semester at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and I had just found out that my mother was put into a coma for septic shock. My family is located in Southern California so it was difficult for me to be so far away from my mother while she was going through all of this in addition to getting through my BFA exhibition work. One day in the studio I was frustrated with the inability to see my mother and the sadness of what she was going through, so I tore directly into the wall with my scissors. Dismantling the wall seemed like a way to reveal repressed emotions that were buried inside me, and a physical way to cope with the frustration. From that point on I created works (In the Vortex, Excavated Memories, etc.) that expanded upon this idea.

When I entered graduate school at York University in the Fall of 2012, my work began to grow into a wider scope of ideas combining my interest in ruins, mythology and affect (emotion). I moved away from working directly on the wall to creating three-dimensional structures. I used to work with crude materials such as plaster, chicken wire and upholstery fabric, whereas now I am working more intimately on my weaving loom using natural fibres and dyes.

 

Remains of the Ephemeral I, 2014, 24”H x 6”W, hand-dyed cheesecloth, sisal, coyote fur, rubber latex. Technique: Handmade small-scale weaving loom. Warp is hand-dyed sisal, weft is coyote fur, cheesecloth & hand-dyed sisal. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

You say that you: aim to create a space of awe and wonder where viewers discover an imaginary time, experience affects and contemplate their humanity. Please explain what you mean?

I think that sentence has been the continuing thread in my work since the beginning. It is wonder that drives my practice, and I feel as if I want the viewer to share these imaginary spaces with me. One could say that my woven installations are haunted with emotional manifestations. What makes the work haunted is the mystery and emotional atmosphere that seems to linger. My installations blur the distinction between being and not being, as they exist as traces of imaginary ruins in a state of partial or complete disrepair. I entertain the idea that an “aura” of emotional residue encircles my work. It can be said that an aura, or a distinct atmosphere, emanates from certain objects and spaces with a nonmaterial presence or emotional residue. It is the residue that prefigures thoughts and feelings that is generated from the aura and transmitted from object to viewer. It is not visible, but it is felt.

In regards to contemplating our humanity, a good example would be the work, For Lethe. In the woven structure of the work, there are imbedded and hidden sounds of a cello and of rocks dragging on the ground. The viewer enters the half-circular structure and can hear two different sounds coming from separate sides of the woven “walls”. From one wall, the sound of a cello, from the other, the sound of rocks. The sounds are not attempting to harmonize with one another, yet they both evoke a melancholic atmosphere. They are pure, raw and have not been edited. The bodily presence and ruinous quality of the work are congruous with the sounds emitted from it; the sounds are fragmented and fleeting. These permeable auditory elements bring to mind traces of the past: the rocks invoke rubble from ruins and the cello is haunting. One might feel their own humanness when confronting the work and react with wonder when surrounded by the physical materiality and auditory elements.

 

Remains of the Ephemeral II, 2014, 30”H x 5”W, horsehair, hand-dyed cheesecloth, rubber latex. Technique: Hand-woven sculpture. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

Coffee: you list this as one of the materials you used. I’m interested to know what role ‘coffee’ played in Excavated Memories.

Yes, my addiction to coffee translated into my work! Coffee was a material I used for a period of time as a dye for the fabrics I was working with. I tend to work with urgency, so as I was drinking my coffee one day in the studio, I decided to pour it over some of the torn fabric to create a yellowed “old” appearance. It ended up working well, so I used it until my knowledge of other natural dyes widened.

 

Remains of the Ephemeral IV, 2014, 32”H x 6”W, horsehair, hand-dyed raw silk, cotton, rubber latex, rusted steel. Technique: Hand-woven sculpture. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

Remains of the Ephemeral IV, detail, 2014, 32”H x 6”W, horsehair, hand-dyed raw silk, cotton, rubber latex, rusted steel. Technique: Hand-woven sculpture. Photo: Thomas Blanchard.

 

What brought you (as you put it) to the COLD WHITE NORTH to pursue your graduate studies?

As the romantic I am, I moved to Canada to be with my partner, David. We were in a long-distance relationship for one year and I decided to apply for my MFA at York University in Toronto so we could be together. I got into a few of my dream MFA programs in the U.S. (SAIC, CCA, Cranbrook Academy of Art), but York University had accepted me with a gracious scholarship and I couldn’t pass that up.

 

For Lethe, 2014, 8’H x 2’D x 4’W, hand-dyed sisal rope, rusted steel. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. Photo: Miles Collyer.

 

What were the main challenges (apart from the cold!) that you encountered during your studies in Canada, and how did you overcome them?

Some challenges I encountered were the struggles and general exhaustion of graduate school. I feel that Toronto has been a very welcoming city and a great place to be an emerging artist. Also, being out of my comfort zone was a good struggle—especially for my art practice—and now I’m able to immerse myself in a new culture that I’m starting to feel very comfortable with. Moving to Canada has also made me reflect and appreciate where I’m from (the U.S.). Even though we are neighbouring countries, there are a lot of little differences that I began to notice. Certain dialects/speech patterns, foods and ways of life are a little different from what I’m used to. There are so many amazing Canadian artists that I’ve been discovering and connecting with—so I’ve been fortunate to have this experience.

 

For Lethe, 2014, 8’H x 2’D x 4’W, hand-dyed sisal rope, rusted steel. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. Photo: Miles Collyer.

 

How did this experience change you as a person?

I think anyone moving to a different country widens their view of the world. It makes one appreciate and become nostalgic of the word “home”. I feel very fortunate to have been able to study in Canada and experience another culture firsthand.

 

For Lethe, 2014, detail, 8’H x 2’D x 4’W, hand-dyed sisal rope, rusted steel. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain & soumak weaves. Photo: Miles Collyer.

 

Has your art been influenced in any way by being exposed to a different culture?

The best example of how my work has been influenced would have to be when I installed an outdoor weaving during the dead of winter (January/February) at a group show at PM Gallery, Toronto. My woven installation, What Remains of the Ephemeral? was installed outdoors during the winter, allowing the elements to affect the work. The snow slowly built up, devouring the bottom of the woven structure, and also settled on top of the chain that held the weaving up. The chain began to rust and the dye began to run as the weather warmed up and the rain fell. The work demonstrated how nature and time transform the physical. Also, the need to install my work amidst uncontrollable conditions such as weather is a way for my work to incorporate the chances of nature. This type of work was site-specific to Toronto and an experience that I felt very unique to my move to Canada.

 

The Origin of All Things is Chaos, 2013, 8’H x 5’W, hand-dyed cotton, sisal rope, nails. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain weaves &knots. Photo: Mary Grisey.

The Origin of All Things is Chaos, detail, 2013, 8’H x 5’W, hand-dyed cotton, sisal rope, nails. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom tapestry using plain weaves & knots. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

What specific historic artists have influenced your work?

Although I appreciate historic artists like Leonardo Da Vinci for his devotion and obsession to his work, I refer more to ancient ruins, mythology, mysticism and architecture.

Ancient ruins – In particular, right now I’m interested in Delphi and the Delphic Oracle, Pythia, who was a chosen prophetic priestess established during 8th century BC. Although I have personally never visited the ruins, the energies surrounding this area are what fascinate me.

Ancient mythology – Myths have a way of tapping into the imagination. I feel as though my work is inspired by the imagination, and connecting with ancient mythology is how I turn ideas into the physical.

Mysticism – Lately I’ve been intrigued with the divination use of Runes, which are a set of hand-scribed, prophetic stones. These stones date back to the Viking age and are cast as a means of communication with the knowledge of our subconscious minds.

Architecture – I am fascinated by spaces that were used for spiritual practices. In particular, Gothic cathedrals. They no longer served as purely functional architectural spaces, but were beautiful and held aesthetic value. These spaces transmit emotion and intriguing mystery—perhaps based on their awe-inducing height and history.

 

Enveloped, 2013, 10’H x 6’D x 43’W, Sisal, hand-dyed cotton rope, wood, nails, found pulleys. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom using only a warp. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Enveloped, 2013, 10’H x 6’D x 43’W, Sisal, hand-dyed cotton rope, wood, nails, found pulleys. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom using only a warp. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

What specific contemporary artists have influenced your work?

Louise Bourgeois – For her fierce loyalty to her art practice and ability to create work in almost every medium. She is an artist I will always refer back to when I’m lost.

Berlinde de Bruyckere (Ghent, Belgium) – Her work haunts me more than anything. The wax bodies she creates are full of honesty and vulnerability.

Diana Al-Hadid (Brooklyn, NY) – The affective presence of her sculptures boggle my mind. She has a way of creating beautiful structures with simple, everyday materials.

Sheila Hicks – Hicks is truly a pioneer weaver in the sense that she uses fibre as her medium without feeling the need to decide between fibre as a craft or fine art. She is constantly inventing new forms and structures.

 

Of Synchronicity, detail, 2013, 9’H x 2’D x 5’W, plaster, wax, muslin, rubber latex, sisal, hand-dyed cotton rope, wood, pulley, dirt. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom using only a warp, plaster-cast hands, hand-sewn muslin. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Of Synchronicity, 2013, 9’H x 2’D x 5’W, plaster, wax, muslin, rubber latex, sisal, hand-dyed cotton rope, wood, pulley, dirt. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom using only a warp, plaster-cast hands, hand-sewn muslin. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Of Synchronicity, detail, 2013, 9’H x 2’D x 5’W, plaster, wax, muslin, rubber latex, sisal, hand-dyed cotton rope, wood, pulley, dirt. Technique: Handmade, hand-dyed large-scale weaving loom using only a warp, plaster-cast hands, hand-sewn muslin. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

Are there any particular art related books that you refer to on a regular basis or from which you draw inspiration?

“Beyond Craft: The Art Fabric” – A constant source of inspiration for me. It was my go-to book during my MFA.

“Louise Bourgeois: Destruction of the Father Reconstruction of the Father” – This is a book of writings and interviews by Louise Bourgeois during 1923-1997. It is incredibly honest and really dives into the head of the artist.

“Ruins – Documents of Contemporary Art” – An anthology by artists and theorists discussing ruin from the Enlightenment to the present. It made me understand more fully why ruins are so attractive to me and why they have always had appeal to later civilizations.

“Sheila Hicks: Weaving as a Metaphor” – This gorgeous book examines Hick’s small weavings in the context of philosophy and contemporary art & design. It’s the most stunning book I have ever owned.

“Agnes Martin: Writings” – There is something so powerful yet quiet about Agnes Martin’s work. An essential book for me when I’m searching for answers.

 

Lest She is Forgotten, 2012, 2’H x 6’W, plaster, chicken wire, upholstery fabric, foam, wood, charcoal, house paint, sisal. Technique: Wood, plaster & chicken wire armature with ripped layers of upholstery fabric. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Lest She is Forgotten, detail, 2012, 2’H x 6’W, plaster, chicken wire, upholstery fabric, foam, wood, charcoal, house paint, sisal. Technique: Wood, plaster & chicken wire armature with ripped layers of upholstery fabric. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

What interests you about the World of Threads Festival?

I love that World of Threads highlights artists who work with fibre as their medium so that we can build a supportive community that will inspire one another.

 

Into the Cut, 2011, 8’H x 15’W, plaster, chicken wire, alpaca wool, gesso, ink, rubber latex. Technique: Cutting directly into the gallery wall, then filling the cracks with plaster & alpaca wool, then creating a 3D armature with chicken wire & plaster. Photo: Josh Band.

Into the Cut, detail, 2011, 8’H x 15’W, plaster, chicken wire, alpaca wool, gesso, ink, rubber latex. Technique: Cutting directly into the gallery wall, then filling the cracks with plaster & alpaca wool, then creating a three-dimensional armature with chicken wire & plaster. Photo: Josh Band.

She Speaks Softly, 2010, 10’H x 18’W, alpaca wool, chicken wire, lace, upholstery fabric, plaster, spackle, charcoal, human hair, pastel, gesso, rubber latex. Technique: Layering materials on top of wall and then dismantling them. Photo: Mary Grisey.

She Speaks Softly, detail, 2010, 10’H x 18’W, alpaca wool, chicken wire, lace, upholstery fabric, plaster, spackle, charcoal, human hair, pastel, gesso, rubber latex. Technique: Layering materials on top of wall and then dismantling them. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

Is there something else you would like us to know about you or your work?

I will be one of the artists featured in the next issue of Drain Magazine (an online journal) called "Ruin"

 

She Speaks Softly, detail, 2010, 10’H x 18’W, alpaca wool, chicken wire, lace, upholstery fabric, plaster, spackle, charcoal, human hair, pastel, gesso, rubber latex. Technique: Layering materials on top of gallery wall and then dismantling them. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Excavated Memories, 2008, 9’H x 10’W, plaster, upholstery fabric, cardboard, paint, coffee, cheesecloth, spackle. Technique: Layering materials on top of the gallery wall, then dismantling them. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Excavated Memories, 2008, 9’H x 10’W, plaster, upholstery fabric, cardboard, paint, coffee, cheesecloth, spackle. Technique: Layering materials on top of the gallery wall, then dismantling them. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

Do you have any upcoming shows?

Currently I have a solo exhibition at The Art Gallery of Mississauga that will be up till January 1, 2016. I also have work in an upcoming group show in January, 2016 at Artscape Youngplace's "Typology" curated by Noa Bronstein and a solo exhibition at Xpace in Toronto from March 18-April 30, 2016.

Silence is White, 2008, 8’H x 6’W, cardboard, plaster, cheesecloth, upholstery fabric, ink, coffee, paint. Technique: Layering materials on top of the gallery wall, then dismantling them. Photo: Mary Grisey.

Silence is White, 2008, 8’H x 6’W, cardboard, plaster, cheesecloth, upholstery fabric, ink, coffee, paint. Technique: Layering materials on top of the gallery wall, then dismantling them. Photo: Mary Grisey.

 

 

 

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