Artist’s Statement
In my work, the viewer first is confronted by colors and patterns which can push against or embrace each other. When there is confrontation, how can I cajole these elements into forming a sympathetic bond? We face this dilemma daily in our interactions both with people and with our surroundings. These works offer an abstract, visual commentary on the art of communication.
Fabric holds a history of the processes that have been worked upon it. Beginning as blank cloth, distinctive characteristics emerge through the manipulations of folding and drawing, dyeing and discharging. Each piece of fabric takes on its own personality—some seemingly rigid and others irregular or free-flowing. Cut and sewn together, these personalities may or may not easily co-exist within their shared space. Through both line and texture, quilting acts as a negotiator, transmitting sympathetic vibrations or echoing visual similarities. Thus there is dialogue, allowing the separateness and the banality of everyday interactions to resolve themselves into co-existence.
Bio
Leslie Carabas is a fabric and thread artist working in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. After 5 years of traditional quilts, Leslie began making art quilts in 1980. As a master craftsman, she continues to explore the areas of piecing, quilting, embroidery, free-form appliqué and collage. Her quilts have shown in Asia, in Europe and all over the United States and Canada, both in one-person and group shows. These include the American Folk Art Museum, the American Cultural Center in Taiwan, a Boston University show that traveled to twelve other countries, and Quilt National ’81 and ’87. Leslie has taught workshops over the past twenty years in which she emphasizes a spontaneous approach to quilt making and has lectured on her art and process. Her work is in many private and corporate collections.
Follow me on facebook at facebook.com/lesliecarabas