Jo(anna) Ettorre has been exploring fiber art as a knitweaver for two decades, and fiber as an expressive medium for a lifetime. “It’s how I quiet a chatty mind, and practice listening and feeling for harmony.” Along with crochet, needle felting, and dyeing, knitweaving tapestries is the culmination of those years, coming full circle recently from her wearable art accessories.
A Cleveland native, Jo claims her favorite inspirations on Lake Erie, “anywhere I can see the water”, and Dawes Arboretum, a spectacular celebration of Nature in Licking County. “I imagine the world being created one thread at a time, and look to Nature for how it was done. Creating a base image with knitweaving at the loom, I can take the next stage out into Nature, and embellish a piece sitting among the trees or by the lake. Portable work has been invaluable during the years I was raising my son, and it became a favorite part of how I finish tapestries that are truly collaborations with the natural world.”
Originally trained in law, Jo is a self-educated artist, who acknowledges the gifts of a long list of teachers that deepened her skills over a lifetime. “I am grateful to Village Artisans for expanding my horizons when I was a co-op member in 2001-2, and I’m very excited to return to the gallery this year.
More images of her work can be seen at www.balancingpointstudio.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment