kay sekimachi – texture and textiles

black twinelines (close up)

Last Thursday, some lady friends and I headed to the Fuller Craft Museum to catch an exhibit of Kay Sekimachi, a renown fiber artist. I confess I knew nothing of her work beforehand, and when I heard “fiber artist,” I naturally assumed, fabric. What I found, was not what I expected. Clearly Sekimachi’s years of experience have led her to think outside the box. In her collection, any fiber – synthetic or natural – was game. Thus the results were as varied as the materials themselves. Nature was clearly her muse, each form practically bloomed with organic life. Her work was absolutely “alive” and totally thrilling.

leaf bowls

Sekimachi’s diverse work is the perfect segue for talking about varied, tactile elements in decor. As you may have ascertained, texture is a big theme with me. When people want to add a little pop to a room, they often think of color. But color alone is one dimensional – it engages just one of the sensory organs, the eyes. The appeal of texture is that it stimulates not only the sense of sight, but also touch.

Like Sekimachi, I have always been a big nature buff, so natural elements have also been one of my greatest sources of inspiration. I love finding things on strolls and trying to figure out some way to creatively incorporate them in my home. But practiced though I am, Sekimachi’s use of material has challenged me to think even more abstractly about how to weave natural forms and texture in the home. She is therefore the perfect artist to kick off texture week on designskool. Stay tuned…

woven basket with sphere

woven flower

katsura

Here’s how Sekimachi uses texture in her own studio.

photo by (the extremely talented) Leslie Williamson (Do check out her site!)

photo by Leslie Williamson

Two of Sekimachi’s wall hangings, Homage to A.M. (Agnes Martin) and Homage to P.K. (Paul Klee) hang above pieces made from found objects, such as Spine Forest (left) and Driftwood Angel (right). photo by Leslie Williamson