Carmen Grier

For as long as I can remember, I have been captivated by the mysteries of the organic world. As a child, I was aware of its power and beauty. In my small Iowa hometown, I would wander among the trees and grasses of our yard, discovering and examining fascinating treasures of texture and color. Even then, my artistic sense was to gather and store. I secretly buried my favored discoveries in glass jars, in the corner of my backyard.

In late summer, at dusk, my mother and father would take us driving on the dusty farm roads, accompanied by the glowing purple-red sky and the musty smell of impending rain. The world became a rhythmic, subtly changing succession of pattern from my back-seat window view from our big white Plymouth. I was mesmerized. Broad areas of chartreuse, deep green, ochre and pale golden-yellow were punctuated by dark rows of rich black soil. Gray weathered farm fence meandered casually in contrast to the ordered rows of ripening tasseled corn. The vast fields and shapes of color would shift and blend in the speed of my view as the occasional white farmhouse, red barn, or blue silo would dot the horizon. The infinite quality of these pastoral scenes provided comfort to me yet evoked a palpable loneliness.

These childhood moments were the seminal imprint of my emotional relationship to the organic world. This complexity of feeling encouraged me to keep looking out, to sense and to appreciate the abstract.

Although I no longer live in the Midwest, the memories are forever a part of me. The earlier references are counterbalanced now by the dense and enveloping lush forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. The eccentric forms, rich surfaces and luscious layering of hues influence my work, both formally and conceptually.

A consistent thread throughout my twenty years as an artist is the psychological and emotional reference. This interest fed my past work in sculptural wall reliefs and mixed media constructions, and it continues to form my current two-dimensional explorations

My portfolio represents recent multi-dyed, pieced work from "The Relationship Series" and the current dyed and machine-embroidered cloth series, "The Mysteries".

Relationship is integral to the human experience; we are intricately connected to everything else in this world. The slightest infusions, movements and shifts hold the power to dramatically alter this delicate balance.

In "The Relationship Series," I begin with white cloth, which I initially dye or pattern. From this point on, I am in a state of dialogue with the fabric, giving and receiving, listening and responding as each layer of subsequent color and pattern alters and transforms. Intellect and intuition work in concert determining the next step in this evolving process. When the fabric has reached a resonating level of saturation, it is ready to be pieced and juxtaposed. With a repertoire of fabrics, I again listen and intuit, shift and change arrangements until a balance, even if quirky, is achieved.

In "The Mysteries," with searching marks of thread, I build layer upon layer, to create a textural membrane, a sonorous tonality comprised of many hues. Forms mysteriously take shape and then dissolve. a metaphor for the experience of living. Experiences which occur in a seemingly linear fashion meld into one another and create, not only the history of memory, but our present "selves". Even experiences that are seemingly pedestrian powerfully influence subsequent actions and significantly shape our personal evolution

All of the work grows out of my obsessive interaction, manipulation and transformation of materials. The process is a symbiotic, ever-evolving union between idea and substance. My work is always an exploration into the unknown. It is always worth the risk.

Click on a hanging below to see a larger image.