Low Down Articles
Artist Profiles - Carmella Karijo Rother
Article 59 of 73
From the book Artists of the Gatineau Hill by Catherine Joyce. This article first appeared in the "Artist Profiles" column in the February 22, 2006 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
o o o
Exploring Parallel Lines, Parallel Lives
Carmella Karijo Rother works as an artist in textiles, exploring an ancient tradition in which threads weave together our lives. Colour, design, imagery, the effects of layering and turning material to catch the light, the simplicity of parallel lines flowing like water across silk - each one of her pieces becomes a window, a vista on the world. Viewers stand before her work and see landscapes, sun, moon, the inevitable passage of time.
"As I age I see the similarity, the commonality in people's lives. We all go through our seasons. We all experience joys and sorrows. Life is a struggle and we need to find the beauty. My work keeps becoming more elemental, more abstract to express this open-ended perception."
Textile art has long been equated with quilting, especially in Canada where the tradition of wall art has not been as well known as it has been in Britain and the States. Carmella initially began with quilting, creating five or six before she became tired of the repetitive blocks and longed for a more free-flowing expression.
In 2000 she found a book that inspired her to experiment with her own designs, using more organic, graphic shapes. To build complexity she began overlapping images, noting how they referenced one another to dramatic effect. Over time she has taught herself the technical possibilities of wall art.
"I am constantly trying new technical aspects that best express the essence of each piece. I keep pushing my boundaries, even with my spare pieces. Although many quilters prefer to focus on technique, I find that I am as interested in imagery as technique - what I am trying to say is as important to me as how.
"Recently I went through a transition into a new way of working. For six months I felt cut loose from my moorings, unsure of where I would go next. Gradually I came to realize that it is colour that compels me - that longing to capture a mood or a feeling through colour.
"I have moved away from cotton to working with Dupioni silk. Each day I begin with a large rectangle of colour. I let it speak to me and I respond intuitively. Rather than looking for perfection, I allow the threads to go off on tangents or the fabric to pull in different directions. Life is like that - it is chaotic. I try both to contain the chaos within the lines, and yet to release it."
What is intriguing with these loose threads is that Carmella has intuitively happened upon what traditional native textile artists often do - leaving a small thread loose at the bottom so the soul can move on.
Carmella has come to her art through an equally organic process. Her mother sewed and did exquisite embroidery "There is a history of women working with textiles. It's like mother love - that gift of creating warmth, comfort, beauty, of weaving back the broken threads, of stitching the world together."
With a Masters in Environmental Studies and a deep passion for animals and nature, Carmella senses an interconnectedness between her work and the world around her. "I want to simplify - to create minimalist abstract pieces that are so spare and yet still resonate with meaning. I want to create a zen garden of lines on fabric without imposing a narrative, so that others may see themselves and find their lives revealed."