Elizabeth Downing

Elizabeth

Downing

Tulsa, OK

Fiber Art

Through photographs, text, and fiber-based installations, my work explores how surfaces tell stories of what lies physically and temporally beneath.

Artist Statement

Through photographs, text, and fiber-based installations, my work explores how surfaces tell stories of what lies physically and temporally beneath.

Change is embodied in gradual color gradients and the primary subject tends towards natural elements. Installations of hundreds of fabric leaves dangling on delicate threads swaying gently with air currents. Wall hangings layer color, thread, and text to investigate connections between our environment and ourselves.

A surface can both hide what’s underneath and magnify it; serves as a mirror and a dampener. Invisible elements are made manifest in places like the surface of water and patterns of clouds. Constant changes are occurring in macro-and micro-levels in the world around us and in these works. So what happens to us amidst change? Do we absorb or amplify? This work asks deeper questions about surfaces, the underneath, and how those changes resonate with us.

Artist Bio

Elizabeth Downing is a photography and fiber-based installation artist from Tulsa. Her work explores how surfaces tell stories of what lies physically and temporally beneath. Changes occur on macro-and micro-levels, so what happens to us amidst change? Do we absorb or amplify? This work asks questions about surfaces, the underneath, and how those changes resonate.