Mylène Boisvert @ Fibreworks 2014

Mylène Boisvert, Linen Field #1 and Linen Field #2; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

At the most recent Fibreworks 2014, Mylène Boisvert's Linen Field #1 and Linen Field #2 were of the first artworks that greeted viewers as they entered the gallery: They demanded a closer look. From a distance they appeared to be giant tactile spirographs. The linen paper artworks appear to be made using a lace-making or flat crochet technique. (As an artist who ships work, I wonder if the works demand that they be kept flat, or if they can be rolled into a shipping tube.) 

Both textiles were acquired by the Cambridge Galleries for their collection and I believe they won an award. To learn more about Mylène Boisvert's work read her interview, in both French and English at this Collectif Textile website.

Mylène Boisvert, Linen Field #2 detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Mylène Boisvert, Linen Field #1 2012 Watercolour on linen paper and Linen Field #2 2013 linen paper

Mylène Boisvert, Linen Field #1 detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Artist Statement: "I have been working with linen paper for the past three years refining its expressive potential. My interest in this medium is rooted in my family background. At the beginning of the last century, my maternal great grandmother grew linen as a crop which she spun and weaved into fabric for her family. I am inspired by this tradition of skilled artisanship and many of the pieces that I grew up with. The paper work I make is a continuation and evolution of this heritage."

BFA Concordia 1997 (Montréal); has exhibited in Canada and Europe; 2011 invited to exhibit in the International Linen Biennial of Portneuf (Québec)