Caroline Owens

Caroline Owens

Caroline Owens at Gallery 444 PTown

“Too Wet to Plow” © Caroline Owens. Select image to view larger.

I became a weaver at age five, when Sarah Oberholtzer’s mother presented her with a potholder loom that let me– Sara was never interested– transform floppy cotton loops into dense, strong squares. Somehow, that repetitive over and under motion created a structure with dimensional cells, each with a visible surface, edges, and a hidden second layer. I spent years experimenting with materials (newspapers, spun fibers, wire, plastic, painted paper), weave structures (plain, twill, tapestry, overshot), and presentation (garments, containers, hanging panels) through traditional crafts. My current work, woven tapestries of paper that has been stained, painted and sanded, continues this exploration of surface and structure.

New works often begin with a strong emotional response to a visual image encountered in my daily life.  Others arise from a lifelong curiosity about geology, landforms and forests. Whatever subject I have chosen, I then use photographs, sketches and draft paintings to explore its structure, looking for a resonant visual composition with energy that can be expressed through interlaced strips of paper. The final composition is reproduced at least twice with acrylic inks and paints, building complexity by sanding back to reveal underlying layers. Each painting is then cut into sections and strips for weaving.

“Bend” © Caroline Owens. Select image to view larger.

“Farm Morning” © Caroline Owens. Select image to view larger.

© Caroline Owens. Select image to view larger.

“Remembering Billy Collins” © Caroline Owens. Select image to view larger.

http://wovenimages.com

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Also in Provincetown this week: May 26-29 Memorial Day Weekend