The Creative Free Form Textile Art of Lisa Chipetine

Illustration: Lisa Chipetine. Waves of Emotion: Relief, 2008.

Illustration: Lisa Chipetine. Waves of Emotion: Relief (detail), 2008.

The textile artist Lisa Chipetine is a woman who sees no merit in creative boundaries, frameworks and conventions. Her work is expressed by her belief in the limitless horizons of both self-expression and self-exploration. Of all her work, it seems only fitting to use some of the examples of her highly evocative emotions series as an illustration for this article.

It is always refreshing to find a creative artist that is constantly striving to explore sources of creative freedom well outside the box of conventional rules, regulations and formulas. The imagery that Chipetine portrays in this particular set of work is one that hints at the realms of freedom, not only of creative expression, but also of the inner emotions. Using a title such as emotions is bound to produce many personal interpretations, as it should do. Creative work is subjective at the best of times. It feeds on the instinctive and the intuitive, very much aspects of the unconscious. The artist is actively encouraging us to explore realms outside of the norm, leaving the conventional far behind us. She leads us on a creative dance, which is her purpose.

Illustration: Lisa Chipetine. A Moment of Joy, 2008.

Illustration: Lisa Chipetine. A Moment of Joy (detail), 2008.

All the pieces illustrated here have various shades and tones of red as their main base. Many are purposely shot through with white, giving the appearance of a surging ocean or a maelstrom that once activated cannot be contained. It is interesting that the feeling of spontaneity is carried to the very edge of the work and fully gives the impression that it could go much further. In fact, it feels as if the composition has been cut out of a much larger and unfocused composition, as if this were only a small convergence, a segment or pinpoint element if you will, of the true emotional and creative freedom that Chipetine is offering.

The artists work is a salutary lesson in how far we can and should push the creative and emotional element of fine art textiles. There are at times, it seems, far too many unwritten rules concerning the acceptable parameters of textile art in both subject matter and techniques. If more artists can push the boundaries, even a little, then the genre takes on a much more confident and mature role.

Free form creative exploration is not necessarily an easy option as far as textile art is concerned. However, it is an exciting and rewarding interpretation of a genre that is open to many levels of understanding and presentation. It is the endless possibilities that textile art holds in store for the creative individual that is surely a large part of its attraction.

Illustration: Lisa Chipetine. Waves of Emotion, 2008.

Illustration: Lisa Chipetine. Waves of Emotion (detail), 2008.

Lisa Chipetine has exhibited widely in North America as well as Europe. She runs a selection of creative workshops as well as finding time to act as president of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates). Her comprehensive website contains many more aspects of her work. Both a link to SAQA and Chipetine's website, are as always, listed below in the Reference links section.

Reference links:
Lisa Chipetine Official website
SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates)