May 14, 2008
Two of the world’s oldest mediums — poetry and fiber — come together in a vivid and exquisite way within Leilani Pierson’s artwork. Her eclectic style weaves stories out of objects you might have gathered in a drawer: buttons, bits of ribbons, typed words, thread and swatches of cloth. She exposes bits of broken words and images to create meditations on the details of life.
“I like to make a variety of things but mainly with fabric and fibers. I have a short-attention span, thus the name Studio Gypsy,” Pierson explained, referring to her website www.studiogypsy.com. “I am always looking to create something new. Though, fiber is my main staple.”
Her Storyboxes are exactly that: vignettes captured within old altoid tins or other candy boxes. Each one is unique — both on the outside and the inside — transforming an object from something that was once ordinary and came off an assembly line into a personal, one-of-a-kind item. Pierson explains that while “altered tins are nothing new in the mixed-media field” it was her idea to focus on a story-theme.
“I love to discover a bit of poetry in the process, then flesh it out. I hope others will grasp it as well and be moved. The little things in life have great meaning in my work. I am inspired by so many things,” Pierson said, adding that she has been affected by such artists as “Dr. Seuss, Jackson Pollack, Georgia O‘Keefe, E.E. Cummings...and of course, the Great Creator Himself — God.”
In other works, such as Death of a Tree, Pierson has glued pieces of text onto the material. Organic shapes retain a lucid flow within the abstract “tree branches.” Strips of cloth remain buckled from the surface, creating a three-dimensional texture.
In Invisible Qualities, embroidered patterns are contrasted subtly on the surface and almost missed by the eye. Every detail, including the color of thread, is aply chosen for the right effect. The overall shape of the piece is that of one, distinct leaf — plucked from it’s tree.
Pierson does not limit herself as to what she can do with her chosen materials. Some of Pierson’s pieces are small sculptures created out of cloth, like Oasis.
Leilani Pierson currently ponders in Chicago with her husband, and three children (with a fourth on the way). She has been featured in Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine, the International Quilt Festival in Houston Texas and The Columbus Center for the Paper and Book Arts in Columbus, Ohio, as well as exhibits in the Chicago area.
To view other works by Pierson,visit her website www.studiogypsy.com