Shannon Knowlton
My art is a celebration of women. Whether I am creating a mixed media piece about self-love, motherhood, or the ways in which women are marginalized, the common thread is that they are all female experiences. Additionally, I am interested in the mystical ties between women and nature, and you will see this inform my work. Inspired by the recent challenges that American women face, I channel my feelings of frustration and hope into my art using papers, beads, and thread.
I weave my background in textiles into my mixed media pieces with my use of embroidery. In centuries past, while men congregated to the parlor to discuss important matters, women were relegated to drawing rooms to perform “women’s work”. My art is a reclamation. I use the very medium historically used to exclude women to empower women.
I find beauty and hope in this latest wave of sisterhood. Art is a powerful route to illumination and growth, and I seek to enlighten others on the female experience. My wish is for observers of my art to connect with that hope and to feel seen.
