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Indra's Net

July 6th - July 29th, 2018

i.e. is pleased to present Indra’s Net, featuring the water color paintings of Deborah Walker and the textile-based sculpture of Clarissa Callesen. This latest show takes its name from a Buddhist metaphor that illustrates “the interconnectedness of all things in the universe,” and one that applies equally to the work of both artists.
 

Clarissa Callesen, Counting Snarled Joy (detail), textile waste, found metal grid, string, and wire. 63 x 28 x 7 in, 2018

Clarissa Callesen

Teeming with color, shape, and texture, the sculptures of Ferndale artist Clarissa Callesen are constructed entirely of recycled materials. Working mostly with discarded objects and used textiles, she uses natural dyes, embroidery, and other embellishments to create elaborate pieces that elevate the often overlooked detritus of human life. “We all interact with hundreds of objects and materials everyday, whether they are adored treasures or complete throwaways.  Our lives are interconnected with this commonplace matter.”
 

 

(L) Tide Marks, ecodyed recycled textiles, silk, polyfil, and thread, 48 x 9 x 5 in  

(R) Tender Shelter, recycled textiles, found tarp remnants, found wood discs, wire, and thread, 62 x 18 x 10 in, 2018

Though industrial in origin, these materials twist and weave around swelling biological forms, giving the sense that they have been coughed up from the sea or uncovered in a fungus-strewn forest. “The compost of life creates new growth, whether that is the literal forest floor feeding new life or the wounds and scars of human life that bring forth strength and change.”This will be Callessen's second exhibit with i.e. and she will be teaching an ecodyeing workshop in conjunction with the exhibit. See below for more detail.

Deborah Walker, Threshold, watercolor on paper, 25.5 x 31.25 in, 2018

Deborah Walker

The same deserts that captivated artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe serve as the inspiration for the latest work by Deborah Walker. Living in Seattle, Walker found herself influenced by regular travels to the American Southwest. “There in the high desert, the earth is sculpted by wind and rain, each evolutionary layer visible. The bones of the earth are laid bare in the vivid colors of the rock walls.”

Deborah Walker, A Break in the Path, watercolor on Paper, 22 x 30 in, 2017   

Warm and atmospheric, these watercolor paintings would never be mistaken for ordinary landscapes. Soft organic forms rise and fall, suggesting layers of sediment, stone, sky, and water. In one painting, a patchwork of vivid color gives way to subtle petroglyphs; in another, a luminous orb traverses an otherwise placid landscape. The shapes that permeate these pieces evoke the undulating rhythm of hills as much as they do the curvature of human bodies, producing an effect both expansive and intimate. “When my mind grows quiet, I find myself listening to the primal voice of the natural world. In my studio I search for a visual language that connects to emotion and feeling. The voice I try to bring to a painting is about how the land has intersected with my being, creating well worn paths, becoming a part of me.”

Deborah Walker, Echo, Watercolor on Paper, 17 x 23 in, 2017

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