Reception: Friday, November 17, 6:00-9:00 PM /// Learn more.
Artist talk: Saturday, December 2 at 11:00 AM /// Learn more.
Parallel play is the developmental stage in which toddlers play side-by-side without interacting with each other. In Patrowicz's richly textured fiber works, the ancient techniques of wool felting and weaving are used to represent contemporary motherhood and the isolation of parenting small children during a pandemic.
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/// ABOUT THE ARTIST
Kara Patrowicz lives and works in Maynard, MA with her husband and two young children. She has exhibited throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the U.S. Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland, and a solo show at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA in the Wayside Gallery. She has been a Fulbright Grant recipient in Painting to Ireland, and a Finalist in Crafts for the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowships Program. She has taught art courses at the university level and served as an Artist-in-Residence at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her academic achievements include an M.F.A. (2-D Media) from MassArt, a Post-Baccalaureate (Studio Art) from Brandeis University, and a B.F.A. (Painting) from Boston University.
/// ARTIST STATEMENT
Parallel Play (def.): A stage of development where toddlers play side-by-side, before learning to engage in interactive activities with other children.
My son was 6 months old when the pandemic began, and my daughter was born two years later at the height of social distancing. The concept of parallel play resonates with my experience as an isolated “pandemic parent,” and also describes my life as an artist-mother of two young children. I am often observing and inspired by the explorative, sensory-based play of my children— in tandem and in tension with my own creative practice.
Wool felting has become my primary medium, after years of studying painting and mixed-media. It is the oldest form of textile production and has surprising links to motherhood. Ewes are sheared in the spring right before giving birth, and lanolin, an ointment used by nursing women, comes exclusively from sheep’s wool. I also incorporate domestic detritus such as dryer lint, hair clippings, and clothing scraps. Some pieces are felted in my washing machine, to acknowledge the “invisible” labor that accompanies my role as homemaker, and “make seen” the efforts of parents who are primary caregivers to young children.
I want to treat mothering as a serious subject for art-making, and expand the maternal lens beyond its carefully curated forms found on social media. Messy playpens, laundry mountains, and crawling babies fill my work. Through these everyday subjects and materials, my work hints at the intersection of ritual, play, monotony, and delight in fundamental human relationships.
/// FROM THE ARTIST: A BACKGROUND OF WOOL FELTING
Felting is a technique that blends animal fibers (typically sheep’s wool) into dense fabric or 3-D forms. The process involves barbed needles (“dry felting”) or hot water, soap and agitation of the fibers (“wet felting”). Classic examples include shrinking a sweater in the laundry, and crafting decorations with wool and needle tools.
Felting is the oldest method of creating textiles, with documented examples from 6500 B.C. Wool yurts have been used by nomadic tribes in Mongolia for thousands of years, and there are diverse narratives for the origins of felting. My favorite tale is that pilgrims discovered felting while walking through Europe. They stuffed their shoes with wool to soothe their aching feet, and the sweat and friction of walking felted it. This poetic connection between felting and pilgrimage, flesh and spirit, resonates with my faith as a Catholic. The nurturing aspects of wool, historically used for warm clothing and a source of breastfeeding ointments, also appeals to my work.
Supporting a sustainable fiber economy is important to my creative practice. My materials include fiber from the following local sheep farms and organizations:
Wild Air Farm, Bolton, MA
Western Mass Fibershed
Bloom Woolen Yarns, MA
Blue Heron Farm, VT
Iris Creek Farm, CT
/// EXPLORE Parallel Play
View works below. For sales inquiries, please contact the galleries at sue@artsworcester.org or call (508) 755-5142.
Laundry Mountain
felting with wool and dryer lint, embroidery, 16" x 18", 2023, $875
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Laundry Feltings: Tantrum (L), Self-portrait (R)
l: wool felting in washing machine and embroidery, r: wool felting in washing machine, L: 7" x 8" R: 7" x 7", 2023, $175 each
wool and yarn on wash cloths, felted in washing machine, vignettes: 8" x 8" each, Floor Jumble: 7" x 11", 2023, vignettes: $175 each, Floor Jumble: $225
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Playpen (In The Trenches)
felting with wool, dryer lint, yarn, fabric, socks, steel wool, mulberry silk, hair, and embroidery, 38" x 24", 2023, $2,000
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Learning Curves
tapestry weaving, embroidery, 16" x 16", 2023, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Hands and Feet
tapestry weaving, embroidery, felting in washing machine, 8" x 9", 2023, $280
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Lap
tapestry weaving, embroidery, felting in washing machine, 7" x 9", 2023, $250
Big Belly I
wool felting, 7" x 8", 2021, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Big Belly II
wool felting, 8" x 14", 2021, $400
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Self/Quarantine series
wool felting on velvet, 8" x 6.5", 2020, $125 each
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Womb Portrait
wool felting, 12" x 11", 2022, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
NICU (Cocoon)
wool felting, 18" x 22", 2022, Not For Sale
After her birth, my daughter spent a month in the NICU. The time of separation was very difficult, but she came home to us healthy and happy. These two works are based on my view through her NICU bassinet. Creating these pieces helped me to connect with my daughter, and process and heal. They are included in this exhibit to share a full spectrum of experiences that can be faced after childbirth.
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
NICU (Orange)
wool felting, 14" x 22", 2022, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Mother, Child, Mask
needle felting on velvet with wool, yarn, hair, dryer lint, steel wool, 15" x 10", 2023, $550
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Tilly Rose
wool felting, 10" x 11", 2022, $400
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Milk Coma
felting with wool, hair, and embroidery, 13" x 16", 2023, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Sabbath
felting with wool, steel wool, dryer lint, 22" x 28", 2023, $1,400
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Playtime (Foot)
wool felting, 2' x 4', 2021, $2,500
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Parallel Play (Nest)
needle felting on felted panel with wool, yarn, fabric, dryer lint, steel wool, 12" x 8.5", 2023, $550
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Seraph
wool felting, 16" x 17", 2022, $800
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Playroom
wool felting , 18" x 26", 2021, $1,000
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Off the Beaten Path
felting with wool and mulberry silk, 18" x 15", 2023, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Poppy (Fragment)
wool felting, 8" x 16", 2023, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Crouch
wool felting on vintage kerchief, 15" x 15", 2023, $400
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Playtime (Hand)
wool felting, 45" x 50", 2021, $5,000
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Playsilks series
wool felting, 2" x 4" to 8" x 8" each, 2023
Twilight purple: $200
Blue: Not For Sale
Yellow: Not For Sale
Fuschia: $90 (sold)
Blush pink: $80 (sold)
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Rearview Mirror
wool felting, 12.5" x 17", 2021, $700
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Mama's Lap
wool felting on velvet, 7" x 8", 2021, $250
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Playroom study
wool felting, 5" x 6.75", 2021, $120
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Lunchtime
wool felting, 20" x 28", 2021, $1,250
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Bucket Seat
wool felting, 12.5" x 13.5", 2021, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Bucket Seat study
wool felting, 7.5" x 7.5", 2021, $185
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Paulie Drawing
wool felting, 13" x 12", 2021, Not For Sale
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Building Blocks
wool felting, 9.5" x 9.5", 2021, $350
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Apology Eggs I
wool felting, 11" x 13", 2021, $500
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Apology Eggs II
wool felting, 13" x 20", 2021, $750
(Photo courtesy of Will Howcroft Photography)
Felting example
wool felting, 24" x 24", 2023, $950
Postpartum Sketchbook I
watercolor marker, pencil on paper, 8" x 8" (8" x 16" open), 2022, Not For Sale
Postpartum Sketchbook II
watercolor marker, pencil on paper, 8" x 8" (8" x 16" open), 2022, Not For Sale
For sales inquiries, please contact the galleries at sue@artsworcester.org or call (508) 755-5142.