Chellis Baird

Between
fabric, encaustic, mono print, wood, wire
30 x 24 x 10.5 in.

Color is a constant source of inspiration for mixed media artist Chellis Baird. The artist was raised in a mill town from South Carolina, holds a BFA in textiles from Rhode Island School of Design, and studied at the Art Students League in New York City. The color looming in Baird’s vision acts as a catalyst for each handwoven canvas that is a response to experience. Her work blends elements of both sculpture and painting by using painted materials that become the canvas. The twisted, knotted, pressed and stuffed ropes highlight the tension between the brush stroke and the manufactured surface, at times violating the canvas and bubbling over the two-dimensional surface. The woven structure is her base to launch tangled compositions and emotional explorations of color and form. Ranging from the organic and sinister, the cold and prickly, to the sublime and beautiful— Baird’s intricate works release the viewer to enter and untangle her universe.

© Chellis Baird