Artist Statement
My work draws on
the metaphors shared by language and textiles. Like
language, textiles are created by a finite number of
essential units that yield infinite creative possibilities.
Many of the processes I use in my work are based on
elements that, through repetition, layering, and
transformation, generate a structure. I am engaged by the
concept of a universal grammar shared by all people,
regardless of their native language. The elegance of this
theory has led me to consider the poetic qualities of
grammar and has suggested visual possibilities that I
explore through the materiality of ink, paint, paper, and
thread.
Thread is a
central element in my work, giving it both physical and
metaphorical structure. In making this work, I also
consider the associations provided by commonplace items
such as marking tags and map pins. In recent pieces, I have
created a "chalkboard" of panel, paper tags or hand-woven
cloth to use as the site for my investigations, allowing me
a space in which to literally work out my ideas.
Handwritten words, tags, threads and pins allow me to
explore ways of marking aspects of language
structure.
Marking Language, 2002
Photo Credit: Karen Mauch
Photography
For more
information, contact Leslie at
leslie.atik@verizon.net