HAND SEWN MASKS by Kathrine Page

Thorstensen’s exhibition “In Between There” at The Delaware Contemporary in 2018-19 showcased her knack to transcend all assumptions about printmaking. Mastering all the laborious techniques of printmaking, Thorstensen captures subtle and overt tonal gradations to visually express the fluidity of human consciousness and memory. As a result, layers and layers of imagery and textures flood the surface of the print. But it’s the spaces “In Between There” that serve as the framework unifying abstraction with the permanence of materiality. In this mask, I recreated Thorstensen’s tonal gradation and layers of patterning in the various fabrics. The design is unified by the familiar shape of the fan, the linear patterns so emblematic of Thorstensen’s etching stylus, and subtle modulation of monochromatic hues.

100% Cotton, Pellon interfacing, polyester ribbon.

https://www.decontemporary.org/shelley-thorstensen