At the Kenai Art Center this month is a display of tactile artistry — works created of fabric and metal by Chelline Larsen and Adam Hoyt in a show called “Stitch, Paint, Fabricate.”
Textile art, Larsen said on Thursday, has been her primary pursuit for over three decades. Each piece of art is composed of fabric, the designs drawn and painted by hand.
“Fine art on fabric is an exploding art form,” she said. “I’m not sure that textile art gets the recognition and the respect that it deserves.”
Larsen said she likes to explore ways of embellishing the art beyond the colors and the fabrics, by embedding metal, beadwork or embroidery to create texture. She said she’s always looking to create something more interesting or unexpected.
Many of the textile works on display in the center’s gallery this month depict trees and branches. Larsen said nature is a key inspiration for her art, but she’s also interested in the organisms that live within the forests. Other works depict dragonflies, aquatic life and ravens.
Putting her fabrics alongside Hoyt’s metals makes for a juxtaposition, Larsen said, but there’s also a cohesive visual identity because they do a lot of design work together.
After design, Hoyt cuts sheets of metal into the shapes and motifs that he wants before getting into “the dirty work” of grinding, welding and sandblasting.
“He really loves the technical end of that,” Larsen said.
“Stitch, Paint, Fabricate,” featuring the works of Larsen and Hoyt, will be available for viewing in the Kenai Art Center’s Main Gallery during gallery hours, noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday until May 31.
Also available for viewing at the center this month is a show in the rear gallery by Charles Atkins, titled “Faces of Our Land.” The show features digital artwork of a variety of Alaska wildlife.
An opening reception for both shows will be held Friday, May 3, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with refreshments and live music by Sue Biggs and Jack Will.
For more information about the Kenai Art Center, including upcoming exhibitions and programming, find “Kenai Art Center” on Facebook or visit kenaiartcenter.org.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Art by Chelline Larsen and Adam Hoyt, for “Stitch, Paint, Fabricate,” fills the walls of the Kenai Art Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Art by Charles Atkins fills the walls of the Kenai Art Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
