Magic in Numbers
A new body of work emerges
The past year has been one of huge transition in my creative path. Along with my departure from my long time home of Costa Rica it was time for a break and a re-evaluation of my artistic practice. Around the same time, I became very interested in Islamic geometric art and took a fascinating side journey away from weaving to explore the process of drawing complex geometric designs with only a pencil, compass, and straight edge. I even had the amazing fortune to attend a week long artistic workshop in Istanbul, Turkey, where I was able to take a deep dive into studying geometric designs while being immersed in the incredible Islamic architecture and art of Istanbul.
Experiencing the stunning array of Islamic art and architecture has been a highlight of the last year for me.
When I returned to Mexico, I spent a few months feeling quite unsure of how to move forward with my love for weaving and my new interest in geometric design. While it is possible to weave complex geometric forms on a loom, that process either requires an expensive type of loom that I don’t currently own OR a style of weaving that I’m not super crazy about. I spent a few months experimenting with some different techniques. As with any period of experimentation, I had some failures and also some promising directions. And so I’ve been following the threads of inspiration toward the emergence of a new body of work.
What has emerged is a in-depth study of the numbers one through ten through the geometric form. This has largely been inspired by a book which has been influential in my process. This book, written in ________ is called “A Beginners Guide to Constructing the Universe”, and goes into fascinating detail about each number and how they are reflected in geometric shapes. I am diving into an exploration of each number while incorporating the new techniques I have been adding into my artistic repertoire.
One of the things that has evolved out of this process is weaving my own canvas to paint on. The weaving becomes both canvas and part of the artwork in a way that feels very genuine to my longstanding love of handpainting yarn. It allows the weaving to shine as a delightful color element while giving me a canvas to put my geometric designs on.
I’m really excited about this new body of work and am really looking forward to sharing the whole collection with you. Stay tuned for an exhibit of the entire collection sometime later in 2024 or early 2025! Pieces of the collection will be availble for sale at that time so check back and don’t miss it!
