4 Fabric Collections Reimagined By Artists Around The Country

“It’s like a bouquet of flowers,” says Atlanta-based Jamele Wright Sr. of his colorful creation drifting, 01. The piece was made with Pierre Frey’s newest performance lines—Outdoor Prints, Guethary and Enchantee—as well as objets trouvés like copper wire, broaches and driftwood from nearby Lake Lanier. “I’m always bringing found materials into fine art,” says the multidisciplinary artist. Wright’s hanging pouches are reminiscent of gris-gris bags carried by African Americans during the 20th century’s Great Migration from southern states to northern and western cities (Wright’s own grandparents were among the millions who uprooted, moving from Alabama to Ohio). The pouches held good luck charms and tokens for those in search of a better quality of life.

You Belong Among the Wildflowers by Maggie Dillon. Photographed by Frank Frances.

Blossoming Textile Beauty

Textile artist Maggie Dillon specializes in portraiture, and while her color palette is usually more subdued, the saturated hues and bold prints of Sunbrella’s new Perspectives collection led her to compose the stunning portrait, You Belong Among the Wildflowers. “I seek a feeling of calm in my work, and the title felt like a deep breath of fresh air,” says the Sarasota resident. The collection’s orangey red fabrics inspired the striking scene featuring a woman surrounded by poppies (a fitting choice as the flower blossoms in springtime). “I toyed with the idea of a woman smelling the flower,” says Dillon, “but came up with a more playful version with her hiding behind the bloom.”

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Front Lawn by Dana De Ano. Photographed by Frank Frances.

A Light Textural Touch

Dana De Ano starts each piece with an examination of the materials. “I hear what they have to say,” says the Chicago-based visual artist. “We have a conversation and then I play.” In this case, De Ano listened to the colors and textures of Donghia’s Lake Hill Performance/Outdoor collection from Kravet. She was particularly drawn to the neutral colors and textural feel of its rich boucle and chenille designs. For Front Lawn, the artist was inspired by Chicagoan’s determination to regrow their surrounding landscapes after the long winter months. An alumna of the Art Institute of Chicago, she categorizes the piece—and her work as a whole— as drawings that use untraditional materials, whether that be paint, fabrics or found objects.

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Blue Window by Liz Collins. Photographed by Frank Frances.

Experimental Blue Period

“I love working with textiles because there is such a wide range of possibility and freedom to experiment,” says Liz Collins, a Brooklyn artist and designer who conceived Blue Window. No stranger to performance fabrics, Collins recently launched a capsule collection with Pollack which she used here alongside standouts from the brand’s latest line, Art School. Collins relied on her years of textile experience to create this graphic arrangement featuring layers of rectangular cuttings in an echo chamber-like framework that successfully aligns with her self-described “vibrant, electric, textured and contrasting” style. When it came to color, Dynamic Expansion on the outer frame (a personal favorite) guided her selection of blue patterns that followed.