A HANDS-ON APPROACH
Taryn Plumb
We are looking out on craggy rocks and an ocean inlet: evergreens border a subdued surf, a mottled sky lazily settles into dusk. The scene has a familiar quality, classically Maine — but yet, there is an inherent whimsicality to it. The water, land and sky are uneven, as if different dimensions have attempted to meld and are now equally vying for the eye’s attention.
Such is the essence of Catherine Worthington’s work: The Brunswick textile artist crafts tranquil scenes of the natural world that she then cuts and pastes, allowing her to create a reality all her own.
“It is a combination of abstraction and representation,” said Worthington. “It gives you a feeling that you know what place that is, but not necessarily the exact place. People can relate to it.”
Viewers now have that opportunity to do just that with the exhibit “Textile Translations of Maine,” on display through the end of May at Monkitree gallery in Gardiner.
The show incorporates 21 pieces created by the artist over the past two years. Ranging in abstraction – some just slightly straying from reality and simple to interpret, others left wholly to the imaginations of the artist and the viewer — they feature mainly coastal scenes, although some otherworldly flowers are also dotted throughout.
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