Why???

Gabrielle queried:

why are you working in fiber? What drives you to create....to make art...to show your inner self or just play?

I've been thinking about this for almost a full day now... not enough to give a complete and reasoned answered, but enough to come up with something.

Why work with fiber? First, it's the tactile nature of the medium. The slide of silk, the crispness of a great cotton... and sometimes trying to determine fiber content from touch alone ... (oh wait, this is why I shop at thrift stores!! well, same thing...).

but it's also a medium with specific demands. Knowing about weft and warp and bias, then determining how to manipulate these elements to my advantage. (or atleast keep things from being screwed up by these).

And it's about texture. The illusion of texture in hand painted fabric that dries with a crinkled appearance... the actual texture of the stitching...

Why do I create art?

It's about using color to convey meaning. (like Noise), or create a sense of place (Eucalyptus).

It's taking real world objects and simplifying them. Then combining them to make something new.

It's seeing the world my unique way.. and sharing that with the world.