Artist Statement - Margaret Jo Feldman

My work explores content without context and the manner in which current and historical events are recounted with a focus on examining issues of gun violence, the Bill of Rights, and the world refugee crisis. I examine these topics through the deconstructing and manipulating of found images and language. Without context, an image is open to new interpretations and abstracted from its original meaning. I am interested in removing the details of faces, rearranging language and transforming images into a visual experience.

My background has been primarily in painting and drawing up until five years ago when I turned my focus on working with thread to create both hand and machine embroidery pieces. My interest in sewing began with my desire to experiment with transforming my drawings, paintings, family photographs and found images into sewn pieces reinterpreting the imagery and content. What started out as an experiment quickly turned into a passion. I discovered the free-motion embroidery method, which uses a special foot on a sewing machine that allows the fabric to be moved in any direction, and began painting and drawing exclusively with thread. I enjoy the labor-intensive method, as the time spent on each piece becomes in itself an act of intimacy with the subject matter and the materials.

I don’t think of myself as a traditional political artist, although I am drawn to creating work about political issues. My work is modest in size and intimate in nature. I am driven to create work about events that move me, frustrate and sadden me. It is through my work that I can feel a sense of hope and honor those whose stories I choose to tell.