Daily Artsy Sculpture

Threaded Fabrications: Jen Pack

When I was taking painting courses in college, we were required to stretch our own canvases.  At first, I was pretty horrible at canvas stretching.. as in there were about a gazillion staples in each side of the canvas!  But eventually, I got my hands on a decent staple gun and came to appreciate the act of stretching a canvas as part of the creative process.  The stretching of textile collages over deep, geometric-shaped frames transforms stitched fabric and threads into strong and delicate sculptures for Colorado artist Jen Pack.

I am a Cube by Jen Pack

I am a Cube!, chiffon, thread, and wood, 58.5×58.5×3.5

Some of Pack’s work, such as I am a Cube! ( above ) have a seemingly hard-edged sleekness to them, yet upon closer inspection, we see soft lines and gradations in the colored fabrics, giving the work a painterly feel.

Domesticated Thread by Jen Pack

Domesticated Thread, thread, chiffon, and wood, 59.5×35.5×3.5

Scrap 1 by Jen Pack

Scrap 1, chiffon, thread, and wood, 31.25x10x3.5

Then in other pieces, Pack’s purpose seems to be one  of deconstruction, as in Domesticated Thread ( above ) and Purple, Yellow, and Green Toadstools ( below ).  Here, what we are met with seems to be an unraveling of the more “finished” and “structured” pieces. It’s almost as if someone pulled a loose thread, which caused the slow unraveling of each piece.

Purple, Green, and Yellow Toadstools by Jen Pack

Purple, Green, and Yellow Toadstools, thread, moshi fabric, cardboard tubes or pvc pipe, dimensions vary

To see more of Jen Pack’s work, please visit her website.  If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can see her solo show, UnQuiet Chroma at Taylor De Cordoba Gallery until December 15th!  Oh how I wish I was going to be able to get myself to L.A. this weekend!

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