Mixed media artist, Merill Comeau, is drawn to the discarded: anything from secondhand clothes from friends and relatives to paper ephemera and vintage linens. Those form the basis of her artwork – a creative process that relies on deconstruction. Using and altering clothes and linens, she turns these discarded pieces into complex pieces of art.
“I employ traditional methods of sewing construction in a contemporary way probing the tension between old and new and art and craft,” Comeau explains on her website. Her methods of alteration include rusting and composting. She then embellishes the altered material with block printing, thermo-fax, embroidery, and paint.
“Textiles are an essential element of our daily lives: we are swaddled when born, we sleep in linens, we clothe our bodies each day, and we mark life’s passages with special garments and fabrics,” said Comeau in an interview with Textile Artist. “Each piece carries stories of countless human beings: who created, wore, gifted, graced their table with, or found comfort in it.”
Take a look at some of her installations, murals, and altered garments:
