I am showing new work this month at Vischer Ferry General Store,
Reception Friday January 17, 2020 5p-7p
For years I have taken photographs along the bank of the Mohawk River, downstream of the former textile mills which reside below the Cohoes Falls. My fascination was captured by tangles of fabric scraps that have tumbled and weathered here over many decades .
Seasonally the character of the site changes as plants, bugs, old and new trash, etc, interact with these webs. Last fall , as river levels dropped and the bank became wider, I took leave of the tangles to observe the wet fallen foliage arranged in a border at the river’s former edge.
In the past I have added my own mark to such images by layering on texture and color through printmaking techniques. This time, with two of the leaf images I amplified the color and detail digitally, set up a pattern of mirror repeats, and had the results commercially printed on fabric. The larger images here are framed chiffon fabric, the smaller images are printed on paper.
This loops me back to my love of textiles . I have studied many fiberarts, including weaving in college. When I stand below the Harmony Mills I think of the history and millworkers that toiled in this industry. I myself have been part of this industry, my job at a large retailer being to unload and merchandise rods and rods of fashionable clothing created by modern day millworkers around the world.
