Fiber artist Amy Parker blends traditional sewing techniques with her own unique vision. We spoke with her about her portfolio and style.
ABI: What is your background, and how did you become fascinated with fabric collage?
AP: My formal education is a BFA in graphic design and I’ve had my own design business for the past eight years. I have always had a love of textiles, learning to sew and quilt from my mother, but never liked using sewing or quilting patterns. When I took a fiber art class at the University of Washington several years ago I started seeing myself as a designer and an artist.
I rediscovered collage as a tactile medium that lent itself to my graphic aesthetic. I began making portraits where I could hide meaningful details in the layers and go crazy with shapes and colors. Then I moved on to other subjects stemming from nature and my own observations. Since then I have continued to experiment with materials, textures, thickness and sculptural forms, like the bowls.
ABI: You describe your work as “expressionistic.” Could you explain that, and your technique?
AP: I use the word expressionistic loosely to explain that my compositions are done to provoke emotions or moods. As a graphic designer, I am very precise in my message and voice, but as an artist, I can be non-precise, distorting a concept, exaggerating colors and having a vague purpose–which is very freeing. When my quilter mother showed me a quilt technique taking small pieces of material, sandwiching them between stabilizers and stitching them into a fabric, I latched onto it. This came at the time I was doing paper collages and the quilting technique seemed to create never-ending possibilities with materials.
I still use small amounts of recycled printed paper as well as recycled clothing, felt, kimono scraps, yarn, upholstery and anything with texture. Mixing contrasting textures makes something unique; silk against tweed, or thread across paper. The machine embroidery is an added dimension to the piece and I use it to add detail or contrast as well to hold all the materials together.
ABI: Tell us about your biology-themed collages and the concept behind them.
AP: My biology triptych is titled “Fertile Means” and includes a heart, a pair of lungs and a brain all in different agricultural settings. The organs are shown as living and growing outside the body in nature, like a piece of fruit on a tree; symbols for growth and pulsing life. The collages depict subjects that are normally gruesome when taken out of context of the human body and show concepts of growth and cultivation; extensions of my personal aspirations. My goal was to turn what has a strong “ick” factor into something beautiful and warm that looks like it belongs in an unnatural setting. The layers of these collages are dense and built up, creating a rich, surreal image.
