Irene C Reed

b. 1946, New Britain, Connecticut

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2004 61st Annual Connecticut Artists Exhibition, Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich, CT
Hot Tea!, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2002-04 The Artful Teapot: 20th Century Expressions from the Kamm Collection,
Copia, The American Center for Wine, Food and Arts, Napa, CA
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Canada
2003 On the Green, "Best in Show" Award, Glastonbury Art Guild, Glastonbury, CT
2002 The Fab Show, Artwell, Torrington, CT
Two Person Exhibition, Manchester Community College, Manchester, CT
2001 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield, CT
Telling Tales, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
2000 Wearable Art, Greenwich Library, Greenwich, CT

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I work primarily in crochet, but it's not what most people expect to see. I invented my own technique for working with this medium by crocheting on top of trapunto quilting. I start out with an idea and just make a beginning by translating that idea into a two-dimensional quilted piece. Then I fill in each section by crocheting with various colors of pearl cotton and metallic threads. Usually, I back the pieces with lining and then construct the three-dimensional object by crocheting the sections together. I make each and every piece, and every part thereof, by myself. Often I use some interesting found objects in the construction.

My work is an ongoing process of thought and a diligent work schedule. I am so connected to the piece that I happen to be working on, that it is almost like I am a continuation of that piece. I am intensely interested in the technical construction of any of my works. I find myself always discovering new techniques, even though I have been crocheting since I was five years old.

I am drawn to imagery that is at the same time playful and secretly serious. For it is serious business trying to make a living by making art. I am one with my work. It flows from an inner drive to make tangible the innermost imaginings of my mind. Since I allow each piece to progress in the way it wants, it's as much a surprise to me what the final product will look like. I think that's what keeps it very exciting for me.

SELECTED AWARDS & HONORS

2002 "Individual Artist Fellowship Grant", Greater Hartford Arts Council,
Hartford, CT
1986 "Master Craftsman", Society of Connecticut Craftsmen Grant,
Connecticut Commission on the Arts