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Abstract, but not random
How do we read an abstract piece like Midge? We can appreciate
the forms, colors, and materials, but we may not immediately grasp the
major themes here. There is no story line running through it that we
can unravel. But take a closer look at the repeating colorful shapes
in Midge, and they begin to seem familiar.
Echoes of a bygone era
These echoing shapes may remind us of forms we've seen and appreciated
in folk art, industrial design and architecture — especially the
handcrafted kitchen utensils and quilts of a bygone era. Even the title
of the work seems appropriately anachronistic: Midge was once a common
woman's name, but it has long since lost its currency. Like a
quilt, Midge is abstract and evokes a certain nostalgia. Susan
Dory's work is a kind of homage to an earlier sensibility, a
commitment to craft and beauty in the everyday.
Art of the everyday
In her artist's profile, Dory explains that her work explores
"the patterns of the domestic, the banal, the household ritual."
Her forms bring to mind household artifacts like quilts and hand-carved
utensils. Like these domestic artifacts, Midge was painstakingly
crafted using a time-consuming process. Dory uses a wax-based technique
called encaustic, which allows her to build up layers of shapes that
seem to blend into the background. Here, Dory's technique informs our
reading of the piece: her seamless craftsmanship continues a legacy of
the art of the everyday, handed down through generations of women.
Next: Rational &
Emotional — Why does an artist choose to work in a particular
style?
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| Susan Dory |
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Abstract, but not random
How do we read an abstract piece like Midge? We can appreciate the forms, colors, and
materials, but we may not immediately grasp the major themes here. There is no story
line running through it that we can unravel. But take a closer look at the repeating
colorful shapes in Midge, and they begin to seem familiar.
Echoes of a bygone era
These echoing shapes may remind us of forms we've seen and appreciated in folk art,
industrial design and architecture — especially the handcrafted kitchen utensils and
quilts of a bygone era. Even the title of the work seems appropriately anachronistic:
Midge was once a common woman's name, but it has long since lost its currency. Like a
quilt, Midge is abstract and evokes a certain nostalgia. Susan Dory's work is a kind
of homage to an earlier sensibility, a commitment to craft and beauty in the everyday.
Art of the everyday
In her artist's profile, Dory explains that her work explores "the patterns of the
domestic, the banal, the household ritual." Her forms bring to mind household
artifacts like quilts and hand-carved utensils. Like these domestic artifacts,
Midge was painstakingly crafted using a time-consuming process. Dory uses
a wax-based technique called encaustic, which allows her to build up layers of
shapes that seem to blend into the background. Here, Dory's technique informs our
reading of the piece: her seamless craftsmanship continues a legacy of the art of
the everyday, handed down through generations of women.
Next: Rational & Emotional — Why does an artist choose to work
in a particular style?
