STATEMENT

PROCESS

In American society we are constantly bombarded with advertisements for new, mass-produced things. Technology enables us to have an inconceivably large amount of information and goods available to us in an extremely short period of time. We have computers, fax machines, cellular phones, and overnight delivery, all conveniences which allow us to get things done fast. But do these things improve the quality of our lives? To a great extent they simply enable us to work harder so we can make more money so we can buy more new, mass-produced things.

I am interested in things which cannot be mass produced or even made quickly, by man or nature. I find worn, weathered, mossy, natural and man-made surfaces to be fascinating and beautiful. Different processes like rain, wind, and plant growth create these altered surfaces of wood, rock, or metal. They are not planned or predictable, nor are they created quickly.

A Japanese bound resist dying technique called shibori allows me to interpret some of these surfaces by manipulating the color, texture, and shape of silk. There are many different types of shibori. I most often employ two of them: arashi shibori and itajime. I begin with a piece of flat, white silk which is first dyed by hand. For the arashi shibori method, the silk is wrapped diagonally around a pole, bound with thread, compressed, discharged (color is removed), and dyed. This creates a diagonal dyed pattern and, if desired, a "pleated" texture and change of overall shape of the silk. For the itajime ("clamp dyed") method, the fabric is folded and clamped between two shapes, discharged, and dyed again. This creates a repeat pattern of whatever shape was used. Sometimes I combine screen printing, block printing, and other types of shibori to create layered surfaces on silk. Dying the fabric is my favorite part of the process. I love color: odd colors, rich colors, subtle colors. I enjoy working within the constraints created by all of these techniques as well as relinquishing a certain amount of control to the processes.

I work in my home studio with some physical assistance and much encouragement from my husband, Allen Olson. We live in Olympia, WA with our two young sons where we enjoy our garden and a relatively slow-paced lifestyle. I have been showing my work in the U. S. since 1991 when I graduated from the University of Washington with a BFA in Fiber Art.