Clamp Resist Collections

My signature “Clamp Resist” technique is an adaptation of an ancient Japanese technique called itajime, or board clamp resist. 

I create wood shapes in pairs from photographs and drawings.  These are clamped onto the cloth and then boiled in a dye pot. Often there are many different dye baths for each section.

Once the dyed sections are completed, I hand stitch them together.  This is a fluid process — often I move back and forth from the stitch to the pot.

All the collections below feature my Clamp Resist technique!

Endangered Species

This group of work is inspired by the flotsam and jetsam that floats on and beneath the surface of the ocean off the Maine coast.

Bits of rope, plastic, cups, plates, lobster pot bits, buoys and uncountable other things float in the ocean.

The colors are beautiful and contrast with the seaweed.

This work speaks to the effect that human-made clutter has overall on the life of the ocean.

The colors, while beautiful, evokes what happens to plant and microscopic life when they are poisoned.

I talk about uncomfortable subjects that draw people in, and then they want to stay long enough to think about it.

The idea is I want to get people thinking about it and get them to do something about it.

I want to make my art beautiful because art

be beautiful

*the energy of ugly art, art can be evocative

*Instead of making a statement with disturbing images, I create beauty out of ….

I believe that beauty engages the viewer.

I want people to be drawn in by the beautiful color, but stay looking at it long enough to think about these environmental effects.

Acid Rain

Acid rain has an affect of creating beautiful colors in the leaves it kills. In this collection I’m using beauty to raise the awareness of the viewer.

These ferns grow in the white mountains of New Hampshire. Pollutants and the acidic quality of the rain has the effect of creating these browns even in the middle of the summer.

These are images of plants floating in Squam Lake.  The blues are the beautiful water and the sky.  The greens are the natural color of the lily pads under water and the mosses under water.  The red comes when acidic PH affects the water.

Water

Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.

Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.

Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.

Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.

River

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Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.

Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.

Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.

Seasons

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Stay tuned for a captivating description of this artwork, unveiling its intricate beauty and profound meaning.