'Loom & Lathe'

Industrial Art in Contemporary Form, a collection of works by Jess Ritter and Jo Murto

‘Loom,’ by Jess Ritter:

This collection of tapestries is about balance and patience. This balance may be within the color palette, between geometric patterns, or in the feelings evoked. Each piece is woven by hand on a large frame loom with a variety of fibers, and finished with meticulous detail. My design process is slow and meditative, allowing natural elements of the materials to influence the final outcome of every tapestry.

Weaving has an ancient history, as both a necessary craft and an artistic medium. Exploring this type of craft in contemporary art makes me feel connected with the humanity of self expression; there is an innate draw to create and uncover beauty in everything we do.

‘Lathe,’ by Jo Murto:

The wood used in this exhibit represents a steep learning curve for me.  All the material used was discarded in some way: trees that had died or fallen, scraps from other projects.  In order to give the discarded wood a second life on my lathe, I first had to learn to operate and maintain a band saw, planer, jointer, table saw, chain saw and dust collector. Pieces of rough sawn wood had to be milled in order to create dimensional lumber for straight balanced pieces, thus making this exhibit truly industrial art in contemporary form.