Lisa di Quinzio

Left: Wool, Silk and Thread 2010, wool blankets, silk threads, nails, woven, 91 inches diameter
Right: Good Morning Midnight, 2010, burlap, dye, twine, nails, woven, 91 inches diameter

Installed together in the Quiet Zone exhibition, World of Threads festival, November 2012.

They are different from each other.
They are the same as each other.
They are opposite colours.
They are both neutrals..

detail of wool, silk and thread

"My work usually holds some element of gesture"

 detail of good morning midnight

"I think art should demonstrate the immediate on some level."

 Misty Shapes, burlap, dye, thread, glue, 45" diameter

" I am inspired by literature"

Lisa speaks of the clown as an underlying theme for much of her work.  She says that clowns are about our own self consciousness.  They are both foolish and wise,  aggressive and passive.

 Ruff, cotton, dirt, thread, 45" diameter

How does the repeated use of the circle in Lisa di Quinzio's textile work connect to her concerns about immediacy, gesture and the dualities personified in clowns?

 Pussy Willow, pussy willows, thread, pins 25" diameter

Jung  thought of the circle as an archetype of the psyche and  the square as an archetype of the body.

Pussy willow detail

Note that Lisa's circles are not set within squares but are pinned directly to the wall.  The unprotected and solitary large circles exude a kind of  strength.

Dummies, 67" h, cotton, foam and wire by Lisa di Quinzio

aggression and passivity 
wise and foolish
white and black
frayed
smudged
archetypal form
dualities in  life

Spill, jute with metal base, 1985 by Claire Zeisler, (1903 - 1981)

Lisa di Quinzio sites Claire Ziesler (above) as an  influence. More images of  Zeisler's are here.

All quotes and many of the images in this post are from the World of Threads interview with the artist.