ARTIST STATEMENT
In recent years my work has focused on book arts, natural dye on cotton for fiber arts and quilt making; sometimes my work includes my explorations into tessellation pleating and surface designs from my Quilterscomfort’s Spoonflower shop. I am exploring shibori, especially nui shibori, a stitch resist technique and learning how indigo was connected to the lives of my ancestors.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
In recent years, my works has focused on book arts, natural dyes on cotton for use in fiber arts and quilt making; sometimes my work explores pleated tessellations and I create surface designs available in my Spoonflower shop.
I have been exploring the use of Midwestern green persimmons to make persimmon astringent dye known as Kakishibu, and I have now branched out to using the persimmon leaves as a dye source. Indigo dye has me developing skills with shibori, especially with nui shibori, a stitch resist technique, and learning how indigo was connected to my ancestors.
I want my work to cause the viewer to think, and also to be uplifted in some way through their interaction with my art work. I focus energetically on the energies of peacemaking and emotional uplift to encourage vibrational well being, hopeful that the viewers energy moves toward a deeper connection and inner joy.
I have been involved with organically growing foods off and on since the late 1970’s. My interest in food has expanded from learning to use what was in my garden, mostly grown from heirloom seeds, to growing African foods like Bambara Beans, a variety of Cow Peas/Field Peas, Peanuts and Sokoyokoto, Nigerian Spinach. Some of my seed collection can be found at Stone Seed Preservation – https://stoneseed.blogspot.com. I began the Stone Seed project with the hope of preserving seeds and sharing them with interested relatives, and the larger community.
Woven through my life has also been an interest and focus on vibrational energies and in seeking ways to include vibrational energy intention into my work. Somehow this interest connects to my tessellating designs, in paper and now fabrics.
Much of my early art has been with either water media, printmaking, book arts, figurative sculpture, and occassionally clay tiles. My current work has been using natural dyes on cotton fabrics, and exploring bast fibers from garden plants like Hibiscus Sabdariffa, and a rough use of a neighbors Indiana Cane (America’s Native bamboo) in basket making.
Past works have included numerous abstracts, “63 Suffragist of Color”, “Peace Pie series, “Angels of Five Important Things” series, animal masks, percussive gourd instruments and frame drums.
I have a great interest in foods, health and wellness, and for more than a year now have been making my own baek (white) kimchi on a regular basis.
I say yes to creative ideas, organic foods, and readily welcome most of them into my life.
© Patricia C. Coleman