Joy Herhold – Sewn Mono-Prints and Paper
Art is capable of being multifunctional, multidimensional, as well as being beautiful on a wall. These sewn mono-prints and paper, are made from the living fibers of paper and threads. Thus, each one contains a unique and alive voice. It can raise the vibration of a space as well as enhancing the decor. Good art does both.
This work is pieced together paper with my mono-types that are then sewn with machine stitching and stabilized with a good backing. The compressed satin stitches become the brushwork that develops this art. My mission is to have an unlimited creative voice with fibers and paper. I also am passionate about sharing the love for using the sewing machine as an art tool.
I was a weaver of fibers from 1979-2000 in Tucson and at one point had 5 looms. I wove a spectrum of handwovens and I crafted my ability to compose on the loom with the work I’ve done in tapestries. I enjoyed doing a pictorial rug making technique called; Shaft-switching. It was like a dance and I could compose on the loom as much as one can compose a dance on the dance floor. This ability to compose on the loom is what I draw on now for my work.
I moved to Prescott in 2000 and began seeking a more fluid expression in ink and paper. In 2003 I took a Yavapai College printmaking class and was fascinated with working on the press making mono-types on beautiful paper. Steve Mason, head of the art printmaking of the college, encouraged me to explore sewing on the prints I had made in his class. I had also previously enjoyed printmaking at the U of Oregon where in 1978 I got my teaching certification for teaching art in secondary school. I took several classes from Lavern Krause, who was an amazing artist in charge of the printmaking department 1975-78. Threads, paper, and ink, are all natural together. The textures of the inks, in boundaries of the stencils, have their own expressions. Then, with sewing, each stitch can have a strong expression in itself. And, stepping back, they all join for a song of their own; harmonizing.
