Rhiannon Griego Handwoven Weaving In Frame

My objective with through textile art is to touch the world through my gift of tactility. The art of cloth making is intrinsic to human dna & memory: I aspire to invoke a connection to the natural world of fiber for both the observer and collector. Our modern society is a complex tapestry of past, present and the future of where we are going into the unknown. Textiles are amongst the oldest art forms that permitted our evolution, our survival in harsh climates while also telling the story of the myriad cultures developing simultaneously. I’ve aspired to continue this ancient tradition, rooted in my bloodlines, and revitalize its presence it’s a beautiful, slow made object of art capacity at a time when society demands cheaper and faster for mass consumption. In the most revarant way for my life and the harmony of living with nature, I’m aspiring to create beauty on all facets with my life as an honoring of the gifts that have been given. Weavers have always been revered within all cultures and the textiles generated by their hands were deeply treasured. I’m hoping that through both my practice as a fine artist and functional artist, I can rekindle that awe that will connect the observer to the spiritual nature of our interwoven existence with Earth. The philosophy of Saori, a wabi-sabi approach to permitting my loom to guide me rather than guiding it, has provided me a freeing lense to see beauty everywhere. I do not seek my art practice solely as something separate that I do, but rather the full embodiment of who I am on this planet. Art is not what I seek to create, it is who I am. Weavers, with their varying mystical myths across the globe, do not just generate cloth, we weave beauty into the lives we are born into and however I can continue to emanate this in my life, I am a vessel. In creating wearable artwork, I want the collector to become a collaborator as everyday artwork in wearing something that mimics the land, reflects a time and place and evokes the innate beauty within them so they too, become living art each day. As someone who has never blended in, as much as I’ve tried, I conceptualized weaving highly dimensional & textural pieces that would bring out the individually of the collectors as they walk in the world. Many of my collections come directly from the landscapes I spend much time on, and they provide a memory of joy for collectors to cloak themselves when I share the story behind each one. My work is for non-conformists, creatives, storytellers, those in pursuit of adornment with a deeper meaning that will last forever as a part of their life, rather than a single season. My fine artwork is intended for collectors to never lose the awareness of the outside world while bringing in sculptural works woven with natural materials into the home. I am not interested in political statements with my artwork, I would rather approach the presence of these objects of art as spiritual testaments to our ability to live in harmony with nature and never forget that our mortality will return us back to the land. Everything arises from nature and to it returns with the small window of life we are given to do what we want with. Rhiannon Griego