Arts & Culture Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 40) pi di en er S Written by Alison Abbey :: Photos by Salvatore Brancifort Joan McGee uses color and texture to weave a story on fabric Joan McGee has had a fascination with cloth since her childhood in Seattle, when she began knitting and sewing her own fabrics. She has been sewing and designing her own clothing since seventh grade, so that, as she puts it, “I could have exactly what I wanted with the best cloth available.” Twelve years ago, the designer moved to Sarasota to get away from the harsh Seattle climate. Here, she and her husband launched Serendipity Gallery, a working studio where they design and make their own cloth to ship all over the world. The gallery also serves as a showroom for her fashion collection, which has met with national and international success. “I show my collection in New York twice a year and have great fun designing new things for each show,” says the designer, who counts her bold color choices as her strongest asset. “The inspiration for my designs comes from many sources,” she says, “Nature, what I see in fashion, maybe what just comes into my head.” And that inspiration takes on many forms. “I started weaving 30 years ago to really create my own cloth,” explains McGee. “I started with rugs and tapestries to get the feel of how color and texture go together.” She furthered her artistic education with workshops in weaving and surface design in Italy and Japan. These international teachings play an important role in her work. “I started my quest in shibori (a Japanese dyeing procedure) after visiting the Fortuni Museum in Venice, Italy,” she says. Since sparking that interest, McGee has become an expert at the craft. Her work is in the museum collections at the University of Kyoto and in Korea. Her methods are even included in one of the university’s textbooks. And while her use of color and texture in fabric are her legacy, McGee hopes to further her artistic endeavors: “This past summer I returned to painting using a combination of acrylic paint and cloth. I hope to design pictures, wall hangings and fabric for drapes for interior design.” 40 : : arts and culture magazine joanmcgee.com www.artsandculturemag.com http://www.artsandculturemag.com http://joanmcgee.com
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