Francelise Art Studios
“Collages, whether made of words, paper, objects or cloth, have always been my means of expression. In 1988, I first coined the term ‘Silkollages’ to introduce my meditative concept in textile collages to interior designs. Then in 1992, I added ‘Ethnikollages’ to re-activate cultural interests. My collages are either embroidered into miniature quilts, or framed into window boxes. When large and three-dimensional, they become hanging art quilts or soft installation pieces. Abstract or representational life forms as dancing shapes seem to multiply in my work. I draw them out of colorful cloth from Asia, Africa and Europe to visually create a blurring of boundaries between such cultures. As a collage maze is formed, the viewers are invited to enter it. If my playing on fabric brings the viewers to rethink the multiplicity expressed, an expansion of their own true awareness might occur. What I seek is an element of uncensored, emotional surprise, beyond multicultural reality. I am on a spiritual exploration, deepening my sense of what it really means to belong to the human race. It is about exploring that sense of oneness, born out of welcoming the difference we are.”