Canadian artist Colleen Heslin creates abstract colour compositions that are simultaneously engaging and soothing. While they appear to be paintings on first glance, they are actually made from only fabric!
Heslin's media of choice is dyed cotton and linen that she intricately quilts together before mounting on a stretcher. They blur the line between the traditions of textiles and paintings, embodying pleasurable qualities of each. However, her fluidity and loose handed assembling fight against the rigidity of traditional quilt patterns. The dyes Heslin uses are muted yet result in an impressively variant colour palette, that, when paired with her unusual compositions speak to Matisse's paper cuts and Rothko's colour fields.
We imagine Colleen Heslin's process of dying, composing, stitching, and stretching the fabrics as a romantic and enviable one. The resulting pieces are noteworthy in their innovative use of common materials.
