Artists & Galleries / Textile Art
ART ASSEMBLING THE LOCAL AESTHETIC
Toying with Textiles
TWO LOCALS BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO AN AGE-OLD PRACTICE , CREATING ART OUT OF FABRIC .
By JENNIFER PAPPAS YENNIE
Textile artist Candice Brokenshire
Some of Candice Brokenshire ’ s wool creations at Sawdust Art Festival
The Storyteller
I t starts with a sheep — and , if you ’ re Candice Brokenshire , that sheep most likely has an adorable name , like Doolittle or Pancake . Humbly indebted to the “ amazing ecosystem ” that enables her to create sustainable art and clothing , Brokenshire is adept at evoking rich narratives of the natural world . Take the piece “ With Wild Abandon ” for example : rich , gorgeous color with lush tufts of wool — tendrils askew , reaching , unrestrained , as if the fabric still teemed with life .
Hailing from London , Brokenshire got her start in theater before transitioning into experiential design work , largely in the automotive industry — a job that transplanted her from Detroit to New York and , in 2001 , to Laguna Beach . After leaving this agency in 2007 , Brokenshire did her homework , studying organizational systems at CRR Global ( then called the Center for Right Relationship ) and museum design , sustainability and color theory at Interior Designers Institute .
She discovered her current artistic style a few years later , following a transformative trip to the Netherlands to work with fiber artist Claudy Jongstra . Drawn by the promise of wool from Jongstra ’ s personal flock of sheep , she also learned how to dye . By the time Brokenshire left , she was hooked . “ There is something really quite amazing about coaxing color out of plants ,” she says . Regardless of the gig , storytelling has always been central to Brokenshire . “ I ’ m not somebody who leaves it all up to someone to interpret something ,” she says . “ At the end of the day , I ’ m all about the story and the education ; that ’ s what keeps me going .”
Sawdust Art Festival is optimal for this particular brand of interactive storytelling . “ Many people come along and think wool is all the same ,” she explains . “ So , for me to say , ‘ Well , no , this is my favorite wool — look at this gorgeous lock of curly wool from Harley or Addie versus this very hairy wool from Moses ,’ … people are astounded by that .” Brokenshire ’ s commitment to storytelling is also why many of the sheep ’ s names make their way into the artwork ’ s title . “ I want people to make a connection that this is an animal that ’ s still living ,” she explains .
Brokenshire ’ s process is a staggering marriage of patience , gratitude and technique . As previously mentioned , it starts with a sheep . Next , comes the washing and dyeing of the wool , a process that can take anywhere from a couple days to a full week . This is followed by creating the composition , a lot of which depends on the texture of the fleece and the dye used . After that , she felts the wool , a technical term for wetting it and rubbing it for hours , sometimes days , so the wool can entangle itself . Additional skills , such as spinning and crocheting , come in as needed .
And though every piece is born from a specific idea , because the process is so laborintensive and the natural materials so keen to express their personality , Brokenshire must work with a certain degree of surrender . “ The materials and dyeing process have a complete mind of their own ,” she says . “ The wind shifts and orange changes to red , for example . And I let that happen , because if I try to control every single element , I would go bonkers .” Brokenshire is currently showing at Sawdust Winter Fantasy as well as in the midst of working on a collaborative commissioned piece with mixed media artist Isaac Anderson based on equinoxes . Her most current solo series , “ Love , Hope & Entanglement ,” is about relationships and how we show up in the world .
CANDICE BROKENSHIRE : 949-412-4274 ; FELTANDNATURALDYE . COM
LEFT : CANDICE BROKENSHIRE
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