spring 2014
spring 2014
The colors in spring 2014 capture the sunlit landscape and inky night sky of Joshua Tree National Park. I have visited this geological wonderland some 20 or 30 times since my first trip in 1996, and it still continues to inspire. Despite its harsh landscape, Joshua Tree is welcoming, communal, and open. Alone or with some friends, I’ll pack a lunch, jump in the car, and drive a few hours on the long highway just to sit on the mammoth granite rocks, shadow gazing the quirky Joshua trees. I celebrate this place and its sustaining influence with a bit of humor and love.
Enlarged maps from the park visitor pamphlet become an engineered textile print. Joshua tree silhouettes are created in appliqué, developed with our friend and textile designer, Karen Spurgin. Natural dyes provide color, like mimosa tree bark and cochineal for ‘dune’. Iron, weld, and cochineal create the color ‘joshua’. “Supercheck” fabric made by WomenWeave Charitable Trust combines their own leftover dyed yarns and my color pairings - uniquely Indian hues presented in a dosa palette. I allow these unexpected elements to infuse the collection with a sense of play.