I have chosen the term "drawing with the sewing machine" because the technique is the same as the process of drawing. The "pencil", in this case the needle moving up and down in a straight line, remains stationary while the "paper", or the fabric, is moving under it. I do no preliminary drawing on the cloth but jump right in making lines or hatching with the machine. These drawings are spontaneous. I choose the colors as the work develops, layering colors to get the desired effect and moving around over the entire surface. I find delight in using simple sewing thread on linen to explore colors and to create a visual image.
Images are archivally framed. Prices begin at $90.
Tapestry commissions are accepted. Prices begin at $250 per square foot.
BIOGRAPHY
Martha Matthews graduated from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, with a BA in Art History and Painting, attended the Art Students League in New York City, and has been weaving for 27 years. Her realistic and figurative tapestries have been in invitational and juried exhibitions in the US, Canada and Kenya and have appeared in FIBERARTS, AMERICAN CRAFT, and SHUTTLE, SPINDLE & DYEPOT magazines, as well as several books on fiber art including The FIBERARTS Design Books One, Two, Three and Six. She has work in numerous private and corporate collections such as IBM Corporation, Steelcase Inc., Hospital Corporation of America, Wachovia Bank & Trust Co., and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design. She has been active in the visual arts community in North Carolina and presently serves as the North Carolina State Representative to the Southeast Region of the American Craft Council and is an exhibiting member and past board and executive committee member of Piedmont Craftsmen.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2001
- FANTASTIC FIBERS, Yelser Art Center, Paducah, KY
- ECLECTIC EXPRESSIONS: WORKS BY SOUTHEASTERN TEXTILE ARTISTS, Atlanta International Museum of Art and Design, Atlanta, GA
- SMALL EXPRESSIONS, HGA, Saint Louis Artists' Guild, Saint Louis, MO
2000
- DRAWING WITH THREAD: MARTHA MATTHEWS, Bayeux Gallery, Denver, CO
- THE SOUTHERN SCENE: CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPES, Blue Spiral I, Asheville, NC
1999
- THE WOVEN IMAGE: 20TH CENTURY TAPESTRY, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago, IL
- MARTHA MATTHEWS: FIBER IMAGES, Theatre Art Galleries, High Point, NC, Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, NC
1998
- MORE THAN A GLANCE, CONTEMPORARY PERCEPTIONS OF THE OBJECT AND ENVIRONMENT, Blue Spiral I, Asheville, NC
1997
- IN THE SPIRIT: RELIGION AND THE NEW JEWELRY AND TAPESTRIES BY MARTHA MATTHEWS, Aaron Faber Gallery, New York City
1996
- FIBER NOW 1996, Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA
