About the Shadow Series

“In a dark time, the eye begins to see.” – Theodore Roethke

“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places” – Isaiah 45:3

The Shadow series is the confluence of the above two quotes. Through this series I map the spiritual, and psychological terrain of “difficulty” through a topography of fabric, dye, and thread. Those situations that challenge, disturb, that induce crisis, chaos, or change can be our greatest teachers. Difficulties disrupt our comfort zones and create openings for awareness, wisdom, and compassion to emerge and grow.

The Shadow textiles were born out of difficulty. Most of the materials started out as mistakes or failures: my own botched screenprints and dye jobs; quilt tops and even entire quilts whose colour combinations didn’t work. I took my “problem children” and transformed them with dye, thread, and other rescued materials. The end result is a series of textiles rich with history, meaning, and detail that invite you to contemplate their difficult beauty.

Karen Thiessen
March 4, 2008