In these gloomy, dismal times, we could all use a bit of color. Incidentally, color is also what textile artist, Alexandra Kingswell, has to offer – and bucketfuls of it. “Color!” reads her cheerful bio, “I love it when it creates drama and impact; when it dances before your eyes; when it stirs the soul and fires the imagination.”
Using solid color fabrics in bright and saturated hues, Kingswell quilt-like textile art might remind of stained glass, her patchwork very precisely sewn with no embellishments. Starting with a harmonious color-scheme, sometimes inspired by a poem or a special number, she then imposes a mathematical sequence, cut, rearrange according to the sequence.
“I get pleasure from creating things,” she writes, “things that are so much more than the sum of their parts – finding new patterns by exploring the beauty of color, number, sequence, and proportion through the medium of fabric.” Depending on the work, Kingswell might stretch the finished design over a canvas stretcher or leave it flexible.
“I want my work to lift spirits and make people smile!” says Kingswell, “And also intrigue them a little.” The finished result is indeed a recipe for smiles. Something you might want to add to your Instagram feed.
