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Mary Ellen Sinclair: Fabric Illusions
November 10, 2023 - January 21, 2024
Solo Exhibit by Mary Ellen Sinclair
Exhibit Dates: November 10, 2023 – January 21, 2024
Reception: November 11, 2023 3:00-5:00 PM
Exhibits and receptions are always free and open to the public!
Gallery Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday 12:00-5:00 PM
Artist Statement: My fabric art is not to fool the eye but to change a person’s perception. I simply ask the viewer to be aware and look closely at what they see. Art imitates life, and things aren’t always as they appear in life. When I begin a new work, like the portrait of a woman on the beach, I imagine it in fabric. I might use blue silk for the sky or white lace for puffy clouds. I love working with fabric because it is soft to the touch. I pick solid colors or materials with imprinted designs and cut them into shapes. Because cloth is made of woven threads, it flows easily into designs as I brush the cut shapes onto the canvas with glue. My mind is captivated by the process and images that happen whenever I experiment with textiles. I am so focused while working that making art is a form of meditation. My ideas and thoughts about a subject are also woven into the work. I never tire of looking over my canvas for that moment when energy flows luminously around the subject, and nothing interrupts my eye. That is when I know my work is complete.
Artist Bio: Mary Ellen Sinclair was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She has a BFA from Rhode Island College, where she experimented with weaving and fabric art. She moved to Brooklyn, New York, and obtained an MFA from Pratt Institute, combining photography and fiber into new art forms. Sinclair remained in New York City, working as an illustrator for Simplicity Pattern Company while maintaining an art studio in Chelsea as a working artist. Mary Ellen’s creations have been in solo shows extensively at NYC galleries such as OK Harris, Louis Meisel, Gallery Henoch, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Magazines such as Fiber Arts, Surface Design Journal, Threads, and the New York Times have published articles about her work. Many of her works are in private collections. After living and working in New York City for thirty years, she and her husband moved to the Hudson Valley twelve years ago. Sinclair continues experimenting and creating with fabric in her Milton, NY, studio.
