Rose Wharton
Little Lamb
As an interdisciplinary artist, my main focus is to constantly push my creative limits by way of experimentation and material exploration. I have found that putting myself in unfamiliar settings has led me to my most conceptual ideas and works. My work spans from drawing, painting, zines and printmaking all the way to wearable art, fiber work and carpentry. I have recently been falling deeper in love with sculpture and its endless possibilities. My root passion and connection is in collage-making, and although recently I have moved away from this medium, I use the methods and process of collage-making as a guiding force for my work. The labor of love that is slowly and meticulously piecing together a collage is at the forefront of my decision making process when creating new works.
I use the collaging process of collecting and piecing together my ideas, elements, and materials with the intention of unifying the work as a whole. As sustainability is an important practice in my life and work, I often use found objects and materials I have collected over time before I search for something new; additionally, this process reinforces some of the themes I am conveying. I tend to gravitate towards calming elements: monochrome and complementary color palettes, repetitive patterns, and cohesive materials. I build these elements in layers, adding an amalgamation of details until my works feel balanced.
My body of work is an expression of the continuous source of comfort, tenderness, vulnerability, and sorrow I experience from the banal and nuanced details of my daily existence. Through my work, I am reflecting on my family history, childhood, the South, and what “home” means to me. I am exploring my connection to nature, and the ways in which it reflects me as an ever changing person. I am investigating my personal identity, and how my androgyny exists within the context of both traditionally feminine work (craft art) and masculine skills (manual labor). I am embracing the impact and effects that relationships and love have in my life.
This piece, Little Lamb, is an investigation of the instinctual contentment I find within domesticity and devotion. It is an idealized depiction of the love, safety, purity, and comfort I find within a home and secure relationships. This work is hand and machine-sewn using repurposed, second hand materials from my personal collection; as well as keepsake objects passed down from my grandmothers. The materials in this piece relate to elegance as a status symbol, pride in tradition, aesthetic inheritance, and performed femininity. My fiber works are in conversation with my personal and artistic history, the importance of women’s labor, and the women who passed down their knowledge and taught me how to work with these materials.