Jessica
I chose the first piece of Jessica’s series. She painted a zigzag, diagonal design onto a white piece of paper with green paint. She then added woven, cream colored strings together to create a design that she overlaid on top of the painted paper. It looks like she then wove sticks or grass in between the strings. I am unsure of how she connected the string and grass onto the paper but the piece looks very delicate. The fringe and end pieces of grass exceed the parameters of the piece of paper. I enjoy the fact that for this piece and others in the series she combined thread and paper to create 3D affects.
- What is the object Jessica chose to base this series off of?
I had no idea what she based this series off of before I read her artist statement. Each piece in the series is very different and I honestly couldn’t distinguish the relationships between each piece. I think overall the pieces work well with each other because they are all the same size and essentially share a muted color palette.
2. What is she trying to tell the viewer with this piece?
After reading the artists statement, I concluded that she’s trying to explain the importance and evolution of string in human society.
3. What can you learn about Jessica from this piece?
She respects the origins and uses of string and is concerned about the objects that seem trivial but that which play a large role in our society.
4. What is the significance of the grass/sticks?
I’m assuming their significance is to reflect that string can be made with different natural materials. We often see it made from cotton but it could potentially be made from other grasses or weeds.
5. How does this compare to the other pieces in her series?
All the pieces have a texture to them and four out of the five combine string and paper. She kept the colors, for the most part, pretty natural with earthy tones.
This series represented string and it’s importance and it reminded me of how fabric is made and formed. It can be created from synthetic materials but also natural ones like cotton or wool. Although we can use natural resources to create thread, string, and fabric, the way in which we treat them can have harmful effects on the earth. This piece reminded me of my plans for the future. I want to harvest different types of grains and materials that will then be processed into fabric and clothing. My intent is to create the smallest carbon footprint possible by keeping the whole process to one location and allow for a transparent process from growing seeds, to producing a shirt. These pieces radiate a state of calm and definitely reflect the naturalness of her object. However, it is definitely representational. I strongly feel that these pieces need to be accompanied by some writing so that the viewer can understand what the message of these pieces are instead of simply admiring them for their construction and unity. I really liked how Jessica used string in almost all of her pieces and connected all five pieces with a piece of string. This is a really interesting website that explores a farm company that harvests the food they eat and seeds and cotton to make into clothing.
http://www.jmorganpuett.com/mildreds-lane/
