Jen Pack
pink sun
dimensions variable
silk chiffon/thread/wood
2004

Jen Pack
pink sun (detail)
dimensions variable
silk chiffon/thread/wood
2004

Sewing, using silk and thread as materials, is my primary mode of expression. The activity’s laborious and repetitive nature is born of the craft of sewing, but it also references painting and drawing. In investigating the potential of my materials and re-purposing them, stitching has become more than a necessary tool in binding and seaming the work; it has become a means of creating a graphic line or making a piece more sculptural and textured. I am interested in transforming space through the use of intense color and the creation of a physical presence beyond a flat 2-D surface. Thread is sewn onto the pieces, and often lifts or hangs off the surface or even jumps off the piece onto floor and wall space. Thread has taken over some of the works as the subject rather than merely being a necessary construction element. It is a process of accumulation and build up of mass through repetition, order and chronic technique.

While not a material part of the piece, light is critical to the works’ subtlety and impact on the viewer. The pieces are constructed to allow light to pass through them, and the ambient light of a space effects the translucent colors and their perceived saturation. I also use gradations (small steps between hues) and layering to create the perception of saturated color. Layering also creates an optical mixture of color, and juxtaposing a range of colors can create either harmony or visual vibrations, heightening the viewer’s sensory perception. Using commercially available rather than hand dyed silk, the works are actually collages arranged from available color. Certainly, investigating color theory and the interaction of color is the main function of the work, though I also draw inspiration from surrounding landscapes. Unlike the typical association of color theory being hard edged, the works are organic rather than clean lined - as are patterns and forms in nature. The work marries the imperfect quality of the handmade with the sameness and regularity of machine stitching. I strive to integrate hybrid ideas: straddling the fence between craft and art, color theory and the rawness of an emotional response to intense color, and reinterpreting formal minimalism in the context of a feminine convention.