About the Artist
Chicago textile artist, Laura Foster Nicholson has had a long and illustrious career in her chosen medium and is represented in many major international collections.
Using designs, which are both rational and emotional, Laura’s rich, expressive brocade tapestries serve as representation of formal gardens from around the world. Her inspiration to map gardens in weaving, stems from the idea that architectural & garden plans are built on a grid, like the warp and weft of a loom.
Her largest collection of work captures the restored gardens of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.
About the Work
Laura uses a three-harness twill, the simplest one possible and wool yarns that have an aggressive texture. Her brocade threads are silk, rayon or cotton floss and these smooth fibers contrast with the fuzzy wool and “sit” emphatically on the surface.
Most of her pieces use alternating stripes to stress the warp and weft. These patterns structure and support the brocaded images which Laura weaves on top.
Selected Exhibitions
2004 “Panelled Discussions,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2001 “Brocaded Tapestries,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1999 “FiberArt International ’99,” Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA
- Russell Hill Rodgers Gallery, SW School of Art & Craft, San Antonio, TX
- Kansas City Art Institute Alumni Gallery, Kansas City, MO
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
Collections
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
The Minneapolis Institute of the Arts
Archives of the Venice Biennale
Commissions
2007 Crate and Barrel, a line of ribbons that will be embroidered/printed/woven/decalled onto any number of C&B products.
