Christa Hirneisen
Gallery
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Artist Statement
After graduating with a textile major from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, I worked in the print design field for nineteen years. Most of those years were spent working for Jackie Peters Design Studio in New York City. I painted print designs on silk which were then sold to various women’s wear manufacturers including Oscar de la Renta and Liz Claiborne. Back then we were one of the first studios to offer print designs on silk instead of paper. Experimenting with many different methods and techniques was the key. Sometimes we used gutta or wax as a resist and we also painted directly on the silk fabric with brushes or stamps with dyes. Of course each pattern was one-of-a-kind.
In 1995 I took a break to raise my two children. I have taken some of my old silk patterns from my collection and recycled them into purses, bags, totes, pillows, sashes, and scarves. It’s a joy to rediscover these patterns from my past and work them into new items of “wearable art”.
In addition to working with my silk designs I have also been knitting now for quite a few years. Please check out all the Happy Hats for little girls in the shop. Each hat is one of a kind. I never knit two hats alike. That is part of the fun-mixing in all the different colors and textures to create an original work of art. I also have hats for teens and adults and large and small purses with unusual buttons and lots of texture.
Please also notice my watercolor paintings and pastels and now acrylics, too. Occasionally I do collage and mixed media pieces, both large and small, framed or unframed. All my work is greatly influenced by years of painting textile designs. I try to keep adding new things to the shop. Just ask if you would like something special. Enjoy!
