in studio
craft + fine art
Faith Wilson’s painted floorcloths explore the boundaries of a traditional craft
REACHING OUT PORTRAIT: LANI SEIKALY
Text by TINA COPLAN
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In her Chestertown studio, Wilson (top) renders delightful creations layered with color and personal meaning. Above, left to right: Requiem to Dawn and Daydream Chair feature birds and chairs, representing transitions in the artist’s world view.
n artist Faith Wilson’s enchanting cosmos, chairs wander aloft in space. Silhouetted blackbirds stand solo or in rows, sometimes upside down. It is a world in flux and a heartening one, where bright stars hover and uplifting words glide by—love, joy, be alive. It might be a metaphor for our own topsy-turvy times. In fact, Wilson has been arranging such elements in painted floorcloths for more than two decades. “My work has always been intimate, expressing my own life experiences or my thoughts,” says the artist, who has spent most of her years in or near Chestertown, Maryland. “I have a romantic vision of the past and the lives we have led. Certain leitmotifs have carried through.” In her personal lexicon, a simple chair becomes a comforting place to eat, work, talk to others or daydream. Common blackbirds take their cue from Maryland poet Susan Argo, who called them the punks of the bird world. “Having grown HOMEANDDESIGN.COM may/jun 2021 ■
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