ARTIST STATEMENT

By combining scraps of wood, fabric, and other found materials, I construct abstract paintings that have a ‘rough around the edges’ quality. I embrace the inherent imperfections of my reclaimed materials to emphasize the works’ off-kilter geometries and irregular symmetries. The painted constructions are modest in scale but occupy a space beyond their physical dimensions. I play with architecture to create unconventional installations that require the viewer to actively look in order to discover the works. Through both my intuitive process and the viewers’ encounters with the finished works, I explore modes of perception and sensation.

On off-kilter, a recent solo exhibition

Clippinger’s colorful work engenders a space where art, design, functionalism, and formalism meet a bit off the beaten path. Undefined by the arguably arbitrary fine art versus craft divide, and unrestricted to a singular medium, the artist’s brightly hued works let us loosen up. From Clippinger’s childhood in Georgia to a longtime adoration of Bauhaus fiber artist Anni Albers to a pivotal collaboration with weavers in Oaxaca, Mexico to a recent residency in ceramics at Kohler, she creates a conversation of culture through the universal dialogue of color and form. Improvisation guides all of the work in which repeated elements flip, turn, and shuffle in their rhythmic compositions.  As art critic Chris Vitiello recently wrote, “whether you look at Clippinger’s work effortlessly or with analytical rigor, you feel drawn in. This is a space where everything different from everything else coexists and makes sense.” For Clippinger, a little off-kilter is just right.

CV // Martha Clippinger