Contemporary textile artist Alexandra Kingswell creates stunning fiber art influenced by stained glass and based on mathematics. See more of her work by visiting her website.
“Pi:1” Textile, 23” x 23”
I love Europe’s Medieval cathedrals. Sunlight pouring through stained glass, the majesty of scale, the timelessness of stone, an anthem floating high in the chancel. A sacred moment when senses are stirred and souls sing. Stained glass is the inspiration for many of my pieces, I think, because it is often so colourful.
“Magnificat: Song of Mary” Textile, 29.5” x 54”
Although created from cotton fabric, my work challenges the boundaries between fibre art, painting and stained glass. I seek to intrigue and inspire, to allow passion and vitality to surface.
Some of the vibrant textiles used by the artist
During my busy career as a graphic designer, I was looking for relaxation. I was taken to a fabric warehouse where what happened can only be described as an epiphany. Confronted by row upon row of dense, plain, vibrant, cotton fabric, I was speechless! I left with arms full of glorious colours.
“Let the Waters Teem 1” Textile, 32” x 32”
I knew my life had changed direction. I sought to spend more time creating beautiful things out of colourful fabrics, things that are so much more than the sum of their parts.
“Let the Waters Teem 2” Textile, 32” x 32”
Colour can sing and shout and stir the emotions. I love it when it enters the soul, stirs up memories and awakens longings. Or, when it simply makes me want to smile. Some of my pieces are flexible, but most are stretched over canvas stretchers to give rigidity.
“Let the Rainforest Sing” Textile, 33” x 33”
Most of my work is constructed around Fibonacci mathematical sequences. These occur throughout the universe in objects as diverse as snail shells, sunflowers, pine cones, hurricanes and spiral galaxies billions of light years across. Used by architects and designers, these numbers produce shapes and patterns that human beings find innately satisfying. I trust Fibonacci to produce work which is beautiful and intriguing.
“Hope” Textile, 53” x 74”
Hope conveys the idea of hope clinging on despite everything, refusing to let go, whatever life throws at us.
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
“Galaxy” Textile, 35” x 35”
As schoolchildren, we fill our minds with mathematical and scientific knowledge. But art can take us beyond head-knowledge into the essence of things. We know our Milky Way is 100,000 light years across and contains over 100 billion stars. I only “knew” this when I gazed out at the Milky Way for the first time. Then I understood the numbers more profoundly.
“Pi:4” Textile, 35” x 35”
In the same way, we all learn about the number Pi in school. I have created a series of works to investigate Pi visually. This enables me to appreciate this incredibly powerful number in new ways; its patterns, repetitions, apparent randomness and seeming chaos. (The black circles you can see represent decimal points!)
Artist Alexandra Kingswell with “Let Birds Take Flight” Textile, 33” x 33”
Humble cotton fabric, which once lived and breathed as we do, is cut, pierced, and stretched. It is forced into a relationship with other pieces, producing vibrant clashes and harmonies. My pieces come about through teamwork; the colours, the numbers and me.
Artist Alexandra Kingswell invites you to follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
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