Digital Fabrication Residency Easton, MD

Saturday, May 28, 2016

We have a perception of our surroundings and ourselves. What happens when these perceptions are challenged or change? While at Digital Fabrication Residency, I worked on a series of drawings, digital embroidery, and sculptures dealing with these ideas.

Currently in my art practice I’ve been using and re-working images that I’ve found from mass media, personal photos, and art history. From these photographs, I made small drawings and paintings on handmade paper. Selecting a specific shape from the photograph and bringing it to its most minimal form. The more abstract and less representational the shape the more interesting it is to me. These images have been made in to sculpture and I have been doing large graphite drawings on Mylar of the sculpture. The form is repeated in multiple mediums constantly changing and evolving through repetition.

During my residency I was interested in taking these iterations and using technology to evolve new forms and continue the progression of change by scanning images and letting technology inform the progression while being able to manipulate images using Modo, 3D printing, 3D scanning, CNC routing and digital embroidery.

I had the pleasure of working one on one with Kari Britta Lorenson, Founder, & Director and Erik S. Guzman. Kari specializes in digital embroidery, textile design, and utilizes digital technology for fiber, textile and sculptural applications. Eric is an accomplished artist, educator, and digital fabrication consultant with over 20 years of experience in CNC technologies, and decades of traditional sculptural experience.

The images that follow are some examples of my exploration a Digital Fabrication Residency.

For more information about the residency: www.digitalfabricationresidency.com

I spent a few weeks in my studio in Brooklyn learning Modo 3D modeling taught by Eric before I arrived in Easton. We were able to take those models and cut them using the CNC router and print them using the 3D printer.

I’ve been making paper for many years. For the last 12 years I’ve been working on a series of drawings and paintings on handmade paper. These works are built up using translucent layers of gouache or graphite. Using the Ploter I was able to draw over the gouache creating a new layer based on the existing image. I was able to combine handmade paper and technology while letting the machine do the drawing.

Kari spent a lot of time teaching me how to use the Brother PR1000e and PE770 digital embroider. The machine could stitch up to 14” X 14” hoop. I came prepared with my industrial fabric cut to size. There was a vast selection of colored threads. I haven’t used color in my work for some time, It’s an exciting departure. All the patterns and colors are laid out on the computer. The machine is threaded and prepared to embroider. Below is a picture I took in the studio of a few of the pieces I worked on.