I usually try to find lesser known artists to feature here but with just finding out that I have missed the most recent solo show 0f artist Jessica Rankin I must celebrate her, her work, and her career in an attempt to make up for the fact that I missed her show.

Jessica as been a major figure in the art scene for a while having a number of solo shows as well as a museum show at PS1.  Her work is intricate and layered embroideries of mapping structures, diaristic language, and memory.  Unfortunately because of both her use of organdy as her canvas and the large scale size but small scale detail  the work does not translate well in photographs.  In images of her work you truly miss out on the scale, layering, detail, and skill of the overall work.  So if you have the chance to ever see it in person, do!

For her newest show at The project, which closes this Friday, the press release states:

Meandering between diaristic excerpts, poetic interludes and philosophical proposals,
Rankin’s meticulously stitched textual patterns produce a field of non-linear associations
reflecting the fragmentation and cross-referencing of lived experience in memory.  With
a visual vocabulary that relies heavily on the topographical and celestial—
constellations, planets and river deltas, among others—Rankin integrates text and
image to construct what she refers to as “brainscapes,” which function as abstract
portraits of journeys, both physical and mental.  In reference to past work, this new
series of embroidery works were completed with a looser, more painterly approach with
threads hanging from the organdy canvas.  Delicately pinned an inch away from the
wall, the translucent sheets of organdy allow Rankin’s handiwork to cast shadows,
thereby adding a further level of depth and definition.

Jessica’s work and success as an artist is very inspiring.  It is interesting to see how she came to this work out of being a more traditional painter.  In her words “traumatized by grad school” she eventually turned toward embroidery and cloth to explore themes of intimacy, sensuality, and immediacy.  And we are glad she did.

To see a great online studio visit with Jessica click here.