DAMARISCOTTA — River Arts is pleased to announce Phyllis Harper Loney’s upcoming solo show “Painting Silk” in the River Room. This colorful show runs Thursday, June 20 through Wednesday, July 10. An opening reception will take place on Friday, June 21 from 2-4 p.m.
Born in Philadelphia, Phyllis Harper Loney earned a BFA in textile design from Moore College of Art. Harper Loney also studied at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Loney Harper lives in Round Pond village.
Loney Harper previously worked as a commercial artist doing illustration, graphic design, and surface design for wall coverings and other products. Beginning in the mid-80s, she focused her work on hand painting with dyes on natural fiber textiles, creating lengths of art cloth, quilts, wall-hangings, scarves, shawls, and painted silk collages on canvas.
Harper Loney explains her process, “I paint on textiles with fiber-reactive dyes, directly applied with a brush to natural fiber fabrics. Working mostly in silk in recent years because of its luster, the delicious way that it takes the dyes, and the many finishes and weaves silk can have. A big part of the appeal for me, as with all natural fabrics, is that these dyes form a chemical bond with the fibers so that the color becomes an integral part of the cloth. I play with patterns and forms in brilliant, rich colors to make various items using surface design. Many things inspire me: patterns in the natural and the built environment, stylized images of all forms of life, the mystery of symbols: ancient, modern, and seemingly eternal. Sometimes I simply follow where the brush wants to go or what the painted silk wants to be.”
River Arts is located at 36 Elm Street in Damariscotta. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 207-563-6868 or visit the website at riverartsme.org.
