March 7 – April 20, 2024
Joan Wortis’ creative journey has been shaped by a lifetime of global exploration and an enduring fascination with how line, shape, and form become imbued with meaning. Found Forms presents works created over the course of more than three decades with monotype collages on panel and Plexiglas alongside elegantly folded textile wall-sculptures.
Originally from New York City, Wortis’ extensive career in the arts has spanned modern dance, hand-weaving, commercial textile design, printmaking, and collage. Wortis has spent a lifetime exploring visual aesthetics across various creative disciplines, influenced by decades of global travel.
“The life I’ve lived, the passions and directions I’ve followed have shaped what I do now,” the artist writes. “From my dance background I bring forms moving in space, often rounded and lyrical. My work in textiles gives me a strong relationship to texture.”
Throughout her career, Wortis has drawn inspiration from found materials, finding beauty in the elegant lines of calligraphy in antique books or the unique texture of textile remnants. With a keen eye for design and a playful spirit, Wortis transforms these ‘found forms’ into visual artworks through a diverse array of techniques. Continuously pushing the boundaries of her craft, she experiments with new mediums and processes, such as using open-weave fabrics to create textured monotypes and blending delicate rice papers with clear Plexiglass to highlight captivating interplays of light and shadow.
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