Project Description
Patty White
As an experimental photographer exhibiting internationally some years ago, I photographed sheer and translucent fabric in a body of camera images that spanned the better part of a decade. I embraced a fluid darkroom process and paint on the finished print that resulted in ethereal images with a life of their own. My first day felting engaged me in the same way. I took to the pure physicality of making felt and to the always evolving surface changes from design idea to layout to a finished product sometimes half its original size. The wet, soapy activity that is feltmaking laminates unspun fibers onto sheer fabric, delivering cloth full of textural beauty, metaphoric reference, and surprise.
I see my work as fiber paintings to be worn on the body, like a long, flowing scarf that wraps, turns, covers, and reveals its design with the active participation of the wearer. I am drawn to both the functional and the adventurous, aiming for colorful, versatile pieces to enliven everyday life
Artist #15