Constricted Form by Susan Hensel

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Susan Hensel

Constricted Form

digital embroidery

11.5 x 11.5 in (29.21 x 29.21 cm)

$300

The geometry of thread is compelling in both fact and metaphor. Sewn or embroidered thread is analogous to a line connecting two points in geometry. No matter how the eye sees a composition, each stitch is a straight line. This piece appears, at first, to be an evocation of a duality. But, really, it is an ambiguous form, three-dimensional in appearance, yet NOT! It's a puzzle for your brain.

The other puzzle, expressed in the geometric pieces, was,"Why am I making these things right now?" Most of the artwork in the Geometric series was made in 2016-17, when the underlying chaos in our country began bubbling up to the surface. I found myself confused and shaken by the changes, but utterly unable to make political art in response. I worked tirelessly on these artworks, almost compulsively. One day, in conversation, it occurred to me that they were about control and predictability. My studio and my artwork were the one instance where I could exert some control, in a quickly shifting landscape.