As I’m sure you know by now, I am a lover of process. The process behind any product is always fascinating to me, but perhaps nowhere more keenly than in the world of art. The opportunity to enter into the creativity and imaginative, patient workings of an artist’s process truly fascinates me.

That love of process explains in part my love for the work of Dionne Simpson. Using an ancient African technique, Simpson begins each of her works by pulling threads from her canvas to create lace-like patterns over which she then paints. I imagine this first step in her process to be like “reverse weaving,” perhaps similar to the process of a sculptor, revealing the pattern {or the figure} through the process of subtraction rather than addition.

Simpson’s “reverse weaving” may be an ancient technique, but the result is entirely modern and edgy, almost pixelating the images and layering together concepts and statements through her subtle yet surprising manipulation of the canvas.

The canvas – an intentional metaphor for the fabric of society – is then carefully built upon with graphic and detailed painted landscapes and figures, layered on top of the now delicate and sometimes transparent foundation Simpson has very thoughtfully created.

I find Simpson’s perspective on the world of architecture and humanity truly fascinating and would love to sit down over a cup of coffee sometime to discuss her thoughts on life, art and society as a whole. I hope her art has inspired you to think beneath the surface – or perhaps to consider the surface {or medium} itself as an opportunity for innovation.

Happy Monday!

xo
s.