Textile Artist Barbara James &
Photographer Dennis McDonnell 

Barbara James

Fabric is endlessly fascinating.  It excites our senses as it moves and pushes the artist, and the collector, to fully embrace the sight, sound, touch and even smell of the cloth; it is not passive.

Intuitive dyeing and printing guides Barbara James through the layers of multiple colors and designs to create each work. It starts when yards of pure white silk, arrive at her studio.  She custom mixes colors to create dye baths. She clamps, stitches or folds the fabric to create a resist and   immerses the cloth, multiple times, in the different baths to create depth and mystery. Then using any combinations of personally designed silk screens, rubber stamps, stencils, brushes, paint rollers – or found objects like bubble wrap, leaves, bark, tires or grids – she presses, paints or rolls color onto the fabric adding multiple patterns of interest. The result is a vivid original piece of art that combines both representational and abstract imagery.

Barbara’s current work is inspired by the lush and exotic landscapes of her new home on the Sea Islands of South Carolina.  The tide, moon, marshes grass, and black-water rivers wrap around you like the soft silk of her art.

Barbara James holds a BS from Baldwin-Wallace College and MA from Kent State University.  Both degrees are in textiles.  Barbara is a Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University.  She has shown in numerous shows in Ohio and South Carolina and is represented by the Bay Street Gallery in Beaufort, SC.    

Dennis McDonnell

Dennis was born and raised, and spent most of his life in, Euclid, Ohio.  He was educated at Holy Cross Elementary, St. Joseph H.S., Borromeo Seminary, Cleveland State University (BA, Philosophy), The University of Chicago, and Bowling Green State University (MFA Creative Writing).  He has worked for thirty plus years as a tilesetter on his own and with Tile Layers Local 36 in Cleveland.  His fine art interests include poetry and photography and it is by virtue of the latter that he joined Euclid Art circa 2005.  He is married with three daughters and two grandchildren.

Dennis has been doing photography, actually, since about the age of ten—more seriously since the mid 1980’s. His work is primarily cityscape, landscape, plant and animal, and has won several competitions locally.  He has exhibited continuously at Tommy’s Restaurant in Cleveland Hts. on Coventry Rd. since 1996.  Prints may be purchased there or by contacting Dennis directly:
Tileman533@sbcglobal.net

Dennis’ on-line galleries can be seen  at:

 pbase.com/tileman533 

Dennis is also available for wedding, portrait, pet, or event photography of any kind.