Linda Kamille Schmidt: Fiber Space
Opening reception on June 27th from 6-8 pm. 547 West 27th Street, New York, NY.
June 27 – July 20, 2024
Linda Kamille Schmidt's abstract fiber art pieces are primarily framed, but occasionally, she crafts flowing, hanging works. All her pieces exude a playful spirit, characterized by vibrant and weightless colors that interweave and interact, giving rise to optical illusions within their layers. The intersections between the geometric fabric layers resemble the blending of pigments, evoking a painterly sense of movement and effortless fluidity.
Linda Kamille Schmidt received an MA in drawing and an MFA in painting from the University of Iowa. In 1989 she relocated to Brooklyn, NY and has lived and worked there since. Schmidt creates fabric pieces and installations by sewing together layers of colorful transparent panels. She is interested in the ways that fabric is used publicly (celebrations, marches, banners and fairs) and privately (quilts, clothing, home furnishing). In addition to these practical uses, she considers how fabric can also function as an incubator for thought and contemplation. Linda's sewing and design skills have been passed down through generations of women in her family.
Solo and Group shows have included AIR Gallery (New York, NY), Ann Street Gallery (Newburgh, NY), Art in Embassies (Kohor, Republic of Palau), Art Mora (Ridgefield Park, NJ; Seoul, South Korea; New York, NY), ArtPort Kingston (Kingston, NY), Carroll and Sons Gallery (Boston, MA), Chazou Gallery (British Columbia), Cheryl Hazen Gallery (New York, NY), Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center (New York, NY), Curious Matter (Jersey City, NJ), DeDee Shattuck Gallery (Westport, MA), Denise Bibro Fine Art (New York, NY), Main Window Dumbo (Brooklyn, NY), Port Washington Public Library (Port Washington, NY), Praxis Gallery (New York, NY), Readywipe Gallery (Holyoke, MA), Ridderhof Martin Gallery at the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksbur, VA), Robert W. Regier Art Gallery at Bethel College (N. Newton, KS), Saunders's Farm (Garrison, NY), State of the Arts Gallery (Hong Kong), Tilly Foster Farm Museum (Brewster, NY) and other venues.
Artist Statement
I am inspired by the colors and textures of transparent and opaque fabrics I collect and sew into layered, geometric collages. The construction of each piece is a journey. Through my stitching methods and varying degrees of fussiness, I explore and challenge expectations of perfection, the rigidity of traditional rules, and what has historically denoted success for women. Everyone has a relationship with fabric, so the colors, textures and types of fabric used in the work stir up personal memories of childhood, special events, personalities, life styles, ethics, privilege and wealth. My fabrics range in cost and quality from thrift store finds and bargain bin remnants to high end silks. The stitching is done both by machine and by hand, sometimes neat, sometimes unpredictable and haphazard. The fabrics are often frayed, ripped apart and reassembled, leaving holes that expose a trail of my process.
There is an architectural element to my work; I build each piece forward from my past. The bright colors are constructive and positive. The transparent and opaque layers overlap, causing the colors to glow from underneath. The two-sided hanging work invites the viewer to look for the places where they can see into the distance. Opaque fabrics create a visual block but the color and texture changes if something transparent is layered on top.
