textile art

I noticed recently that I have been pinning a lot of textile art to my "Art" pinboard (I am never very creative with my titles). But I guess it is not so suprising considering I have always been attracted to the art form, but have not thought about the reason why much until now. I remember when I first learned about Sonia Delaunay's amazing baby blanket in my "Women of the Avant-garde" class it was a bit of a revelation. The pattern and textures were so beautiful and complex, and the colors were so vibrant and had such intense energy. While I had of course seen a ton of abstract art in my life, there was something about the sheen of the silks, the complete irregularity in shapes, and the slight tug of the thread at the corners of each of the shapes that really enthralled me (and still does). While I find some textile art to look a bit dated & muted (mainly some of the stuff by feminist artists in the '70s) I am still often drawn to this handmade art because of its humanity, skill, and ability to utilize such a vast array of textures.

Here are three pieces that I recently pinned, there is so much more to discover though within this medium. I even feel a bit inspired to create something myself, I might just have to break out the old needle & thread.