Artist's Statement
This embroidery work evolved from doodles on magazine pictures. In the 90's I moved to Toronto and was heavily inspired and influenced by the downtown graffiti. I photographed the scene for 10+ years and had my own creative explorations with stencils, stickers and flyers which led to the face doodles. In 2010, I took the face pictures and put them on fabric so I could embroider the designs on. In the last 7 years I've taken this work from the streets into the home by combining textiles with photography and giving these unique pieces a modern twist using a traditional craft.
I love colours and patterns, but more than decoration there seems to be meaning infused in the lines, shapes and elements adorning these portraits, like secrets hidden in plain sight. Sometimes I recognize the things from my own life and experience woven in but I try to let the lines and shapes of the faces become what they will. The slowness of the stitches and the subconscious imagery triggers a deeper memory of our ancient nature while being inspired by graffiti, pop art and modern design. My jenr8 tag can be found incorporated into each piece since 2015.
This embroidery work evolved from doodles on magazine pictures. In the 90's I moved to Toronto and was heavily inspired and influenced by the downtown graffiti. I photographed the scene for 10+ years and had my own creative explorations with stencils, stickers and flyers which led to the face doodles. In 2010, I took the face pictures and put them on fabric so I could embroider the designs on. In the last 7 years I've taken this work from the streets into the home by combining textiles with photography and giving these unique pieces a modern twist using a traditional craft.
I love colours and patterns, but more than decoration there seems to be meaning infused in the lines, shapes and elements adorning these portraits, like secrets hidden in plain sight. Sometimes I recognize the things from my own life and experience woven in but I try to let the lines and shapes of the faces become what they will. The slowness of the stitches and the subconscious imagery triggers a deeper memory of our ancient nature while being inspired by graffiti, pop art and modern design. My jenr8 tag can be found incorporated into each piece since 2015.
