FOLLOWING A THREAD
Form + Content Gallery is pleased to present Following a Thread, an exhibition of new works on paper by Gwen Partin. The artist explores textile-related forms through intaglio, monotype and collagraph prints, artists' books, drawings and collages. Remnants, a series of wall hangings, includes quilt-like constructions of paper and fabric scraps with hand embroidery. Portfolios of drawings and hand-bound artists' books can be viewed and handled with gloves. Prints and drawings accompany the wall hangings.
Artist’s Statement
These works represent my continuing inquiry into the effects of weaving, sewing and textile textures and patterns that I can simulate in printmaking and drawing. The work nods to domesticity, pattern and decoration in a quietly reverential way. Art on paper has a tactile quality and so the works are displayed open and raw (instead of under glass in frames) to accentuate their textures and sensory experience.
The Remnants series began as a tribute to my mother who is a quilt maker. In 2018 she made her last quilt. She lost her eyesight to macular degeneration and her hands became too arthritic to handle the detail of the work. She has an enormous collection of fabric and bins and bins of scraps too small to do much with. Unable to discard these scraps — maybe from nostalgia — she's more likely kept them as a result of her war era upbringing requiring everything be saved for potential use. It occurred to me I have done the same thing with paper. Several years ago, feeling burdened by my paper collection, I started a daily drawing ritual using that collection that I’m still working on. In 2019 I began the Remnants series — constructions with paper that’s unsuitable for drawing. Sometimes these remnants are from printmaking projects or drawings, and some are plain and decorative papers I’ve collected over the years.
My art practice involves a synergistic and systemic approach to forms, where one idea leads to and joins another in a non-sequential narrative of materiality. The process allows for intense connection with interactions of color, texture and space and evokes a meditative experience. The repetitive actions required in completing the artwork are integral to the experience that takes me to an intangible, emotional and sublime place. The work is an act of balancing control and serendipity.
Artist’s Biography
Gwen Partin received her MFA in printmaking from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, and her BA in studio art in printmaking and drawing from Sonoma State University. She is currently a member of Form + Content Gallery in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis and works from her studio in the Northrup King Building in NE Minneapolis. Her work has been in numerous one-person and group exhibitions including The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, St Catherine University; the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, University of Minnesota; and the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing at Abbott Northwestern Clinic. Her work is represented in both public and private collections. Prior to turning to a full time art practice, she was a graphic designer, illustrator and educator.
Press Images For high resolution images, please contact gwen.partin@gmail.com
All images © Gwen Partin
Exhibition Dates: April 29 - June 19, 2021
Open by appointment : Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 1:00 – 5:00 pm
To make an appointment, please email the gallery giving the date and time frame that you anticipate visiting the Gallery.
Your appointment will be confirmed via email: formandcontent@gmail
Virtual Artist’s Talk
Thursday, May 06, 2021, 7:00 CST To sign up for this Virtual Artist's Talk and receive an invitation link, please email formandcontent@gmail.com by 12 noon on May 06.
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