Susan Ellen Jones
My artwork is made of layers of hand-dyed silk, linen and cotton. Shibori techniques create surface pattern, while machine quilting and cutting through to underlying layers make complex textures. Raw edges reveal the integrity of woven cloth and imply that these pieces are torn from the larger body of textile arts. Patches and mending stitches speak of thrift and nurturing.
Through my work, I explore the relationship of landscape and spirit. I use Shibori techniques that were developed in Japan to simulate patterns found in nature. By stitching and shaping the cloth before dyeing, the cloth takes on textures and patterns that reflect the mountain landscape in which I live. The process literally takes the cloth through similar changes of time and wind and weather that have shaped the earth around us. The process is chancy and surprising. Preparing the cloth is intensive, but Shibori always gives me more than I have planned for.