Carmella Karijo Rother

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Artist Statement

When I first started working with textiles I made traditional quilts. The serendipitous discovery of an art quilt book opened the door to contemporary textile art, and with it, amazing possibilities for design, imagery and technique.

My botanical images, rather than being rooted in the earth, are free to dance across a fabric canvas. I use solid-coloured cotton fabrics because they do not attract undue attention to themselves; instead, their graphic shapes are designed for simplicity and impact. I machine stitch with threads of various colours and weights that circle and embellish the shapes, providing definition and creating contours.

My abstract pieces are made with Dupioni silk, a luxurious material with subtle textures whose chameleon characteristics suit my interest in ephemeral states. Manipulating the silk’s reflective surfaces creates different appearances in varying light conditions. I build multiple textural components, exposing raw edges of the fabric and leaving loose threads unfettered. Machine stitching covers the entire surface with parallel and undulating lines that bind the assemblage, create an additional layer of texture, and rhythmically contain the energy and movement underneath.

With the abstract work I am exploring balances between concepts such as spareness and complexity, reflection and absorption, light and dark, order and chaos. I set the stage for my art to be ambiguously simple and intricate, favouring a minimal approach while searching for an emotionally and intellectually stimulating conversation with the viewer.

My non-representational pieces appears to be quite different from the organic pieces, however they grew out of the same appreciation for spare images and the impact of colour. I am always looking to create movement in my work, whether the images are easily recognized or left to one’s imagination.

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