“It is not a fault in the iron, but a virtue, to be so fond of getting rusted…” John Ruskin

I am interested in discovering inherent properties of the materials I work with and highlighting these qualities through unexpected combinations and interactions. A background in traditional craft media has instilled in me a certain desire for lasting “heirloom” quality pieces, yet interests in science and nature has taught me that nothing lasts, nothing is permanent. This is made especially clear through working in textiles, which by their nature are intricate, additive constructions that are time consuming to produce yet highly susceptible to decay.

Using of a variety of traditional woven structures and hand manipulated techniques I create textiles with different levels of interaction between steel wire and a fibers, which provides a blueprint for decomposition. As rust appears on the surface of the cloth and eventually falls away in a fine dust, the sense of nature’s power to overcome and degrade is made tangible. Through oxidization steel loses its traditional connotations of strength, durability, and functionality, becoming ephemeral and unpredictable. The underlying structure of the weaving remains in place, and combining this corrosion with natural fibers allows the rust to leave its mark: the stain becomes a permanent indication of a transitory process.