Box, Hand-woven fabric, embroidery, packaging tape, 2008

Artist Frances Trombly recreates everyday mundane objects through the  labor-intensive practices of weaving, embroidery, cross stitch, and crochet. In recreating a simple ordinary object through these processes and presenting them in the pristine white box of the gallery and museum she forces the viewer to question the value, we as a culture, put on “labor, history, feminism, class, and the American way of life.”

Garden Hose, Hand-woven fabric, embroidery, packaging tape, 2007

In the end asking us how do we create value?

JO-ANNE, Hand-embroidery on fabric, 2007

Her incredible technical skills juxtaposed with the what seems to be a very ordinary object at first glance- confronts the viewer and asks what do we really see? What do we take the time to notice?

The one that got away, Hand-crocheted cotton, 2005

I really love the fact that a lazy art viewer would miss all the pleasure of the work.  One would need to notice,  go up close, and take the opportunity to slow down and pay attention in order to see the wonder in the art of Frances Trombly.