Overcast Cityscape upcycled textile art

Cloudy, foggy days in Chicago when the low-hanging clouds obscure parts of some buildings inspired my Overcast Cityscape upcycled textile art.  I always find the interplay between rigid manmade structures and the softness of nature to be visually interesting.

In this piece, my handmade paper reflects the randomness of organic elements like clouds and fog. A single piece of my handwoven fabric provides the more rectilinear form of our buildings.

My textile art addresses issues close to my heart. I use my artistic voice as a platform for speaking to the current times while creating beautiful art. My original handwoven fabrics become metaphors that address the environmental damage from the textile and fashion industries. The fashion industry is a well-documented menace to our environment in terms of air and water pollution.  And it is a major contributor to landfills.

I handweave all my fabrics from sustainable and environmentally friendly alpaca, bamboo and silk yarns.  Then I upcycle my swatches and samples, repurposing them within my artwork. To reduce waste, I make handmade paper from my remnant warp yarns to use in my collages.

I used these elements to create Overcast Cityscape:

• upcycled handwoven and commercial fabric swatches
• handmade paper from upcycled warp yarn
• glass beads

Finally, I finished the piece with hand and machine stitching.

I also see Overcast Cityscape as a reminder that as we leave our mark on this planet, it is important to build in harmony with nature.