ANNE ABENDROTH
STONE MOUNTAIN STUDIO
1611 Onyx Street, NW         
Salem, Oregon 97304
   anne-abendroth@hotmail.com           
www.stonemountainstudio.com 
Studio: 503-588-7051; Cell: 503-428-4081

ARTIST’S STATEMENT:

Costumes, Clothing, Coverings: worn to hide, protect, warm, and to decorate our bodies. They have kept us safe from the world, yet have brought beauty and comfort to our lives, from the very beginning of mankind.

My “costumes” are inspired by historical or fantasy garments, as well as a color, a line in a book, a museum postcard. I make my own interpretations, using old weaving techniques and structures, with variations, and the help of two looms. The strength, courage, bravery, and aesthetics of ancient peoples are portrayed.

This is a new approach to weaving along with contemporary acrylic painting, and has a wide spread appeal to the general public as Mixed Media.

The costumes on canvas are sewn onto canvas on stretcher bars, and are painted: both on the background canvas, and sometimes directly onto the woven surface. After spending several months weaving, hitting the garment with paint can be a scary experience! Using acrylic paint protects the fabrics as oil paints would not. Varnish is the final coat.

The soft costumes are hung, kimono style, on a rod. They can be viewed from both sides, and can be hung against the wall, or away from a wall, creating shadows.

Beads and other found treasures are included in these works. The fiber materials might be silk, cotton, wool, rayon, and various synthetics. It is called “whatever works”, for the effect that I am seeking.

Current projects include a series of "Oregon Territory" costumes on canvas, including "The Mountain Man", "Kwakiutl Cedar Bark Cape", and "Columbia River Boatman". Soft costumes are "Sparkling Rivers" and "Thundering Earth". Furture projects include more northwest coast Native American and Oregon Territory costumes, and maybe even some abstract paintings. The road ahead is filled with promise and excitement and who knows what else!

BIOGRAPHY

I had been doing lots of off-loom commission work, but thirty years ago when I took my first floor loom class, I was hooked. I loved the complexity of planning, threading, and weaving on the "machine". And I have never looked back.

The non-wearable "costumes" began about 10 years ago. Never interested in actual clothing that would fit a human being, I preferred to imagine what people might have worn in the past. Adding my input to these garments was fascinating to me.

My work has been shown around the country: Connecticut, New Mexico, Michigan, Colorado, Florida, Calfornia and Oregon/Washington.