Kaile Ward
OCAD University
My textile-based work involves a close exploration of nature in my hometown, Hamilton Township, Ontario, through a microscope, the production of natural dyes, and eco printing. I explore themes of home, comfort, healing, meditation and the implications of materials and abstraction. I am interested in the familiarity, intimacy, connotations (home, comfort, protection) and metaphors (mending, repairing, and connecting) that thread and cloth hold. My studio turns into a laboratory were I examine various wild plants, leaves, and water, under a microscope. By interpreting microscope photographs in soft sculpture and embedding meaning into all my materials, I aim to reconnect and rebuild my relationship with my home. Textile materials and a series of slow, meditative, and repetitive processes create comfort for myself.
Kaile Ward, Maple Lead IV (Sumac, Goldenrod, Black-Eyed Susan), 2020, Canvas, Thread, Polyester Filling, and Natural Dye, 78x48 inches.
Kaile Ward, Maple Leaf III (Sumac), 2020, Canvas, Thread, Polyester Fill, and Natural Dye, 82x62 Inches.
Kaile Ward, Untitled, 2020, Cotton, Thread, Polyester Fill, and Natural Dye, 62x22 inches.
Kaile Ward, Untitled (Sumac, Goldenrod and Black-Eyed Susan), 2020, Canvas, Thread, Polyester Fill, and Natural Dye, 35x35 inches.
Kaile Ward, Maple Leaf II (Goldenrod and Black-Eyed Susan), 2019-2020, Canvas, Thread, Polyester Fill, and Natural Dyes, 21 inches.
