Featured Artist Michele Hardy

Fiber artist Michele Hardy creates colorful and energetic abstract art using fabric, dye, paint and lots and lots of thread! Please enjoy more of her wonderful work by visiting her website.

 

 

I love color. And lines. And shapes. And fabric. And paint and dye. And thread. Lots of thread. And how these all come together to make a whole.

 

 

Layered materials and images are a primary characteristic of my work, along with contrast, texture, and vibrant color. Choosing color is an important energy for me and how I approach the world. I am drawn to, and inspired by, the natural world, particularly geological features and concepts.

 

 

Originally from New England, I have lived in California, Texas, Louisiana, and now call Colorado my permanent home. My background in geology and geophysics, an active outdoor lifestyle in the mountains of central Colorado, and travels primarily in the west, are sources of constant inspiration.

 

 

While hiking and biking, I enjoy the beauty of wildflowers and mountain streams, rocky outcrops and geologic formations, mountains and deserts. These provide endless inspiration, ideas, and color palettes.

 

 

My works are primarily in mixed media/fiber art constructions, incorporating surface design, monotype and screen printing, fiber collage, and freeform machine stitching.

 

 

I use a variety of dyed and painted fabrics, many of which are transformed by extensive printing and/or stitching prior to construction. My personalized approach to images in textile assemblage involves constructing a background, arranging and layering images in paint and thread, then adding additional machine stitching to complete the piece.

 

 

I love combining features at several scales, both macro and micro, overlaying and overlapping, to create a new world of abstract forms.

 

 

I often portray very definite divisions of what is below or above, upon or within, with clear lines that define the boundaries between them.

 

 

Structured grids combined with organic and flowing lines hint at landscapes, cross-sections, aerial views, and maps.

 

 

I work in several series simultaneously, and strive to bring new ideas to each piece in the series. Currently I am exploring ways to challenge the boundaries of what is considered fine craft and fine art and to bridge that gap by incorporating more familiar and accepted fine arts materials and techniques into my fiber pieces.