Lorie McCown holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art, from California State University, Long Beach, and attended San Diego State University’s Graduate Art program. She was formally trained in drawing, painting, and art history. She has made art all her life, mainly in the fields of drawing, painting, paper, yarn and fiber.
My art quilts take a closer look into the extra ordinary in the ordinary. In my work, I use the everyday landscapes, scenes, elements, that we all see, pass by and witness as a base for eliciting a sense of the infinite and the beautiful. I am amazed and inspired by things as simple as stones, leaves and water. The everyday color and mood of these seemingly small scenes influences my work both in the concept and completion of pieces which invoke feelings, and elemental responses to it.
I chose fiber as a means to convey the tactile quality in a piece as well as the symbology of the fibers which create it. Fiber is such an elemental, base material; it lends itself to infinite possibilities of expression. Ancient civilizations’ production of fiber and both its cultural uses and its everyday workings are always in my mind when producing the work. I dye my own fabrics as well as use commercial fabric for the work.
Each project often consists of multiple works, often in a range of different fiber, grouped around specific themes and meanings. During research and production, new areas of interest arise and lead to the next body of work. The idea of capturing the beauty in the overlooked landscape is a driving force to many of my pieces. There is feeling of reminiscence and familiarity to my quilts because they are of subjects that everyone has seen or driven past, or seen before.
Website
http://www.LorieMcCown.com
