Dark Blue Days: Finding Meaning During Times of Change
New works in indigo by Wendy Kowynia
March 12–April 15, 2021
Space Gallery, Denver
Wendy Kowynia spent the long snowy winter of 2020 weaving warps of indigo. She was finishing up the fifth and final warp of the series when COVID-19 hit.
“What happened out in the world, while I was quietly sequestered in my studio, growing new works into being? A disease. Travel shutting down. Empty grocery shelves. Nowhere to go. The world around me transformed as I was busy creating a world in blue.” Now, nine months later, these works will debut at Space Gallery in Denver.
Why blue? “I think my fascination with the color blue is that blue is the color of water. Why does water fascinate us? Water is fluid like memory, like the unconscious. When weaving I strive to capture a moment, as elusive as the lifespan of a wave, so that I can return to it, make it abide for a while, in order to feel its grace.”
Kowynia’s work explores ideas through the making of textile-based forms. Her work uses specialized yarns produced in small quantities, mostly from Japan. They are made of linen, paper, and silk, and are uniquely light and strong. In fall 2019, Kowynia worked with master dyer Rowland Ricketts to dye this body of work in natural indigo. Kowynia also uses earth-based pigments to color her textiles: sumi ink, walnut ink, and red oxide. These pigments have an ancient history. You can feel that in the work.
“I believe that the iterative nature of time and existence becomes apparent to anyone who works on a loom, where one naturally witnesses the accretion of moment upon moment, the laying in of thread upon thread. The act of weaving opens the weaver to a state of timeless consciousness. Therein lies the technology’s power, its magic.”
sponsored by
Founded in 2001, Space Gallery has been representing and supporting mid-career and established local and national artists through curated programming and art consulting. The gallery’s program focuses primarily on abstraction with an emphasis on new and innovative media. The purpose-built gallery is an architectural treat providing an ideal modern backdrop for the artwork it houses. Space Gallery offers art consulting services for those looking to purchase a single work or to establish a more in-depth collection.
Works from Dark Blue Days are now available through the Space Gallery website.
wed-fri 11 am-5 pm / sat 10 am-3 pm
400 Santa Fe Drive, Denver
303-993-3321
spacegallery.org
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