Alder & Alder
About The Artist
Elaine Alder • Ringgold, GA
Fiber and Textiles - Homegoods • CUSTOM COMMISSIONS
I am a textile artist specializing in weaving, hand knitting, machine knitting, embroidery, felting, and fiber sculpture. I am also a quilter and garment designer. I am the Marine Debris Artist-in-Residence at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (Sept 2023-Sept 2024), but am continuing my weaving and machine knitting explorations concurrently. My weaving is geometric, emphasizing the qualities of natural fibers, while my knitting, felting, and embroidery depict organic or figurative forms that evoke the natural world, such as the shapes of animals, plants, fungi, or the movements of water. I hope that people who view and interact with my work will find a mirror through which they will experience deep empathy. I hope that we can change the culture and value systems around us through our aesthetic choices, adorning our homes, bodies, and public spaces with beautiful, ecologically responsible art.
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Q&A with the ArtistTell us how your work is made.I put a lot of research and effort into selecting appropriate fibers for specific works. I use second-hand fibers much of the time, but when I use new fibers I'm very selective and often source raw wool fleeces, which I wash, spin, and botanically dye. The works in the submitted samples are woven, hand-knit, and machine-knit. I weave on a four shaft floor loom, and knit by hand or on a double bed Passap knitting machine, using hand-manipulation techniques. I chart out a lot of my designs using grids on a computer, and enjoy using repeating motifs. |