Heather Allen-Swarttouw
MFA, Artisanry, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
BFA, Painting and Sculpture, University of New Hampshire

I am a collector and a firm believer in recycling, often combining wonderful old antique textile fragments with new fabrics. My work begins as white or light colored cotton, linen, silk and recycled antique fabrics. The work can take many forms, sometimes the fabrics are pieced or woven into a rag rug "canvas", and then the image is painted with thickened dye. Other pieces begin with hand dyed cloth, in both cases I enjoy layering numerous surface design techniques using dyes and textile inks to build up layers of vibrant color and pattern. The construction of the piece can include a combination of hand and machine sewing, collage, embroidery, and hand or machine quilting. The physical layering of the processes and stitching reinforce the visual sense of architectural space.

I draw my inspiration from my travels and the environment around me, the surfaces and architecture of the buildings in North Carolina and the surrounding natural beauty of Western North Carolina. The staircases, hallways and doorways I sketch in my journals become the inspiration for the narrative spaces in my work. They become metaphors for expressing various journeys, transitions, and thresholds within life's experiences. My work draws on the viewer's intimate involvement with steps and portals to elicit feelings and personal interpretations.