About

Created with thousands of short, straight lines of thread, the gestures in these works explore the tension between fragility and strength.

I use an industrial sewing machine to draw with thread on paper. As thread accrues, tension begins to overwhelm the paper, warping its surface into furrows and waves that result in an undulating, topographical surface. Wild bursts of color penetrate the stillness of the paper. The movement of the threaded lines counters the quiet of the surface which bends with the tension of the thread’s marks. Colors serve as the base of different emotional states of mind: pensive, passionate, furtive, troubled -trying to be noticed, and sometimes trying to be hidden. 

Deeply personal, these works are about the complexity of interior worlds; the quietness of inner thoughts and feelings layered over or interwoven with the tempest beneath. The thread is so thin and humble, but surprisingly strong when the strands build up together. The accumulation becomes an act of putting on armor, building up strength. Paradoxically, if the sewing builds up too much, the paper will tear apart. As I make these, I think about separation, the distance in understanding, and our striving for cohesion and connection.

jessie@jessiehenson.com