Artist: Jodi Colella, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA.
Interview 47: Jodi exhibited in the 2009 World of Threads Festival exhibition De rerum natura (On The Nature of Things) at Joshua Creek Heritage Arts Centre in Oakville, and in the exhibition ThreadSPACE: Threading the 3rd Dimension at Canadian Sculpture Centre in Toronto.
Subscribe to Artist Interviews here...
Interviews published by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.
Biography
Jodi Colella is a mixed media sculptor from Somerville MA. Her childhood was spent in an urban neighbourhood brimming with kids, imaginative play and making art with found materials and traditional handwork techniques.
She received a BA from Boston University and studied at Massachusetts College of Art and School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She teaches fibre workshops at The De Cordova Museum School in Lincoln MA, at Surface Design Association National Conferences and at several private venues.
Her award-winning work is in many private collections and has been included in national exhibitions including The Textile Museum Washington D.C.; The Textile Center Minneapolis, MN; Eastern Michigan University, Ipsilanti MI; New Art Center, Newton MA; Cambridge Artists Association, Cambridge MA; Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA; New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester NH; De Cordova Museum, Lincoln MA; and the Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA. She has been featured in several magazine articles, and her Seeds are included in 500 Felt Objects by Lark Publications.
Her passion is to work with people in their fulfillment of art and process. Engaging the community in her materializations has been a dream come true. Jodi's Website
 |
Artist Jodi Colella |
Tell us about your work?
I create 3D abstractions of natural forms. My organic objects reflect on life and its systems. I explore the characteristics of material and transform it into unexpected biomorphic shapes that both attract and repel. My approach often begins with traditional handwork techniques that I adapt to fit the medium and expression.
 |
Diana – 7 x 9.5 x 6 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist. |
From where do you get your inspiration?
For me it all starts with playing. A material will catch my attention and I'll fiddle around to learn about it. I often discover a quality that is interesting enough to keep working. Eventually it becomes apparent to me what needs to be expressed, although sometimes it doesn't! It's all about experimentation and letting go.
Science informs my designs. The organic forms reference both the macro and microscopic - exaggerated cellular forms that act as metaphors for the human condition in its most primitive state. I'm entranced with the patterns of everything from capillaries to bacteria to tree trunks, etc. I'm in awe of the elegance of the mechanisms of life and the efficiency of biological systems. The act of making is time consuming and repetitive, giving me the time to become totally engaged in the process.
 |
Diana (detail)– 7 x 9.5 x 6 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist. |
 |
Colony – 4 x 6 x 4 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist. |
What other mediums do you work in, and how does this inform your work?
I work with anything I can hold, touch and/or manipulate. As mentioned earlier, it can start with material manipulation. Sometimes it starts more quietly and it's the meaning behind a material that acts as my muse. Usually it's a combination of the two.
Photography is another interest of mine. I use the act of photographing as another set of eyes. It's part of my process to document the state of my work at the end of every studio day. I then study the images until my next session. Looking through the lens helps me to see that which I can be blind to otherwise. The act of framing, focusing and playing with the depth of field informs me of the space the project exists in. If I am not able to create something visually interesting, then the object is falling short and needs more work. It's exciting to be able to transfer the materiality of my sculptures into a 2-dimensional format like digital photography and I'm interested in a collaboration of the two media in the future.
 |
In the Beginning – 6 x 20 x 6 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist. |
What bridges the works that you have created in differing media?
I created a movie from individual still photos as part of a project I completed at a high school residency. I spent a month with students working on a room-sized scaffold weave (20ft wide x 8ft tall) inspired by the practice of nomadic Peruvian herdsmen. The theme was 'Material Matters' and the movie documents the process of about 30 students collaborating over the course of the project, stringing together hundreds of still photos to animate the progression of their actions in time. The finished product is a work unto itself, portraying the students hard at work using material, while documenting the process.
In terms of my individual pieces, I have many in several different kinds of materials. Undercurrent is aluminum screen, One Day is made from the plastic sleeves of newspapers and the Marrow series consists of found wood and felted wool. I work under the impression that each is it's own approach. However, when I step back and look collectively, there is a string of familiarity that runs through them having to do with design, mood and esthetic. They are very tactile and play with scale where the microscopic is exaggerated out of context, while conceptually embodying the themes of life.
 |
Marrow (detail) – 8 x 22 x 6 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist |
 |
Mushroomed detail. – approx.. 60 x 42 x 96 in., nylon, fiberfill, wool, paint, wire; felted soft sculpture. Photos by artist |
What specific historic artists have influenced your work?
When I was in high school I became obsessed with Pablo Picasso. His different periods and styles combined with fearless experimentation intrigued me. I loved his ability to deconstruct into the simplest and most essential elements for his compositions. His strong expression seemed totally uninhibited and free. The colour, active brush strokes, expressive gestures and sculptural materials helped me to define how I wanted to behave when I work. From him, I decided that being an artist was the closest we could become to behaving like an animal with only our instincts as a guide.
 |
Mushroomed detail. – approx.. 60 x 42 x 96 in., nylon, fiberfill, wool, paint, wire; felted soft sculpture. Photos by artist |
 |
Mushroomed front – approx.. 60 x 42 x 96 in., nylon, fiberfill, wool, paint, wire; felted soft sculpture. Photos by artist |
 |
Mushroomed outside. – approx.. 60 x 42 x 96 in., nylon, fiberfill, wool, paint, wire; felted soft sculpture. Photos by artist |
 |
Mushroomed back. – approx.. 60 x 42 x 96 in., nylon, fiberfill, wool, paint, wire; felted soft sculpture. Photos by artist |
 |
Mushroomed detail. – approx.. 60 x 42 x 96 in., nylon, fiberfill, wool, paint, wire; felted soft sculpture. Photos by artist |
What specific contemporary artists have influenced your work?
The sculptures of Magdalena Abakanowicz, particularly 'Embryology', take my breath away with their power of presence and steadfastness of spirit. She does this with the simplest of materials: woven burlap, cotton gauze and hemp rope. Her tumultuous personal history growing up in Poland, feeds her sensibility of despair, isolation and being cast into 'the countless' - where there are so many it's impossible to number. I don't even feel qualified to put into words how much of an impression her work makes on me when I'm searching for my own truths.
Tara Donovan, who works and lives in Brooklyn NY, is a 'Genius of Little Things'. She transforms huge volumes of everyday items like paper cups, scotch tape and common pins into biomorphic works of phenomenal impact. Simply by layering, piling, or clustering with an almost viral repetition, she assumes forms of biological systems and seems to defy the laws of nature. I'm inspired by her practice. How she finds meaning in common materials and how her wholes are formed by the collection of many smaller units.
Petah Coyne's, work inspires me by how she blends her own personal symbolism with an innovative use of materials including black sand, car parts, wax, satin ribbons, trees, silk flowers and taxidermy. The accumulation of materials in her works creates an impressive presence that is full of feeling. Here is a quote by her talking about the process…
"So that's what I'm trying to do with the white wax pieces I'm doing now - they're about those times that are almost perfect but not quite. You go searching to meet them again, and you're all excited, and it's never quite the same - but you always have the memory. So it's not just about people passing, it's more about friendships that have gone awry or people who have strayed. Just basically, humanity! That's what all these pieces are about."
 |
Mushroomed detail. – approx.. 60 x 42 x 96 in., nylon, fiberfill, wool, paint, wire; felted soft sculpture. Photos by artist |
What other fibre artists are you interested in and why?
Sheila Hicks is a master of pushing the limits of her material. I love how she works with a range of sizes, from miniature weaves to very large installations. I'm influenced by her use of colour, technique and scale. It was her large pieces that inspired me to increase my scale. Her inventiveness with material in order to achieve the desired end result is ingenious and breaks out from the limitations of traditional craft practice.
Anne Wilson interests me with how she investigates multiple disciplines through weave, stitch, crochet, knot, net, animation and sound. In 'Topologies' she creates a horizontal work from partly deconstructed and partly remade lace fragments in a way that simultaneously relates traditional textiles to Internet networks, to microscopic images of biology. I like how she abstracts fibre forms to get her message across. Her questions about living systems and the interdependent processes of expansion and growth resonate for me in my own studies of the dynamics of life's systems.
 |
Nuclei I - 15 x 14 x 13 in., needlefelted wool. Photo by artist |
 |
Nuclei II - 15 x 13 x 13 in., needlefelted wool. Photo by artist |
 |
Nuclei III – 7 x 7 x 6 in., needlefelted wool. Photo by artist |
What role do you think fibre art plays in contemporary art?
Fibre arts provide respite from the impersonal and detached environments of contemporary society. Our need to stay connected with the use of email, instant messaging etc. is the exact thing that keeps us isolated and alone. Fibre arts are tactile and engage our senses in an active way inviting viewers to feel. I watch people just melt when they're in front of one of my felted seeds for instance. And I'm constantly being asked if they're allowed to touch.
 |
Red Seed – 2.5 x 2 x 1.5 in., needlefelted wool. Photo by artist |
 |
Red Seed – 2.5 x 2 x 1.5 in., needlefelted wool. Photo by artist |
Can you talk a bit about the commercial viability of fibre art?
I believe that fibre art has so much to offer to both individual and corporate collectors. It provides humanity to any space it inhabits. It engages the viewer and connects to the history and context of the maker in a very visceral way. The saturation of the digital demands a more direct connection with materiality and the sensorial experience.
 |
What Looks Like an Elephant – 20 x 27 x 18 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist |
Do you find it more difficult to show and sell your work than non-fibre artists?
A year ago I may have answered that it was easier to show fibre work and more difficult to sell it. However I've recently experienced excitement and interest in both the showing and selling of my work and of others I know who work in fibre.
Economically, this is a difficult time for most people, so we all are seeking new ways to share our work by reaching out to community projects, public art venues and education.
 |
One Day – 48 x 43 x 12 in., Repurposed plastic sleeves from delivered newspapers, handspun and crocheted. Photo by artist |
Tell us about your studio and how you work:
I have a studio in a converted industrial building which houses 60 artists using a wide range of media. I teach part-time and spend 3-4 days per week in the studio. I run it like a laboratory with a different experiment in every nook and on every surface. I collect materials everywhere I go and bring them all back here… can you sense the chaos yet?
My best days are spent solving questions and collaborating with others in the building. Once launched on a project, I give it my total focus until almost complete. I say 'almost' because I need to stop and live with something awhile before deciding that I'm done with it. My processes are borderline obsessive, time consuming and involve the accumulation of multiple repeats to comprise a whole.
|
Receptor detail– 36 x 52 x 28 in., mixed fibers, paint, wire; Irish crochet. Photo by artist |
 |
Receptor detail– 36 x 52 x 28 in., mixed fibers, paint, wire; Irish crochet. Photo by artist |
 |
Receptor detail– 36 x 52 x 28 in., mixed fibers, paint, wire; Irish crochet. Photo by artist |
 |
Receptor – 36 x 52 x 28 in., mixed fibers, paint, wire; Irish crochet. Photo by artist |
What project has given you the most satisfaction and why?
They all are special moments but there is one that stands out and that's 'One Day', mostly because of the direction it took once it opened up to my community. It started with a fondness for what I could do with the plastic, the changes in colour as it was twisted, the malleability, the specks of black from the type etc. But as the project grew in size I needed help collecting the sleeves. Friends and family first helped me, and then it spread to other people's blogs and their readers. I would receive installments daily from everyone I knew and anonymous deposits in my mailbox and on my front porch from people I didn't know. These collectors kindled their own interests in the material and this prompted many discussions on the virtues of looking and reinventing the every day.
In 18 months I had forged new friendships, awakened others to my process and received more encouragement than anyone could ask for. It was touching to know that each time the newspaper was delivered there were people thinking of me as they neatly put aside that day's bag until the next time we would meet. One Day is about all those days collectively over the course of 18 months and the many friends, family and acquaintances who supported me.
 |
Artist in studio I - Artist holding samples of studies of irish crochet to be used for a large sculpture. Photo by Melody Komyerov. |
When you did you first discover your creative talents?
I was a freshman in high school when I realized the nature of my talent. I attended a small private school with a great art department. The teacher was constantly encouraging me in my efforts and would privately give me books to read and special projects to do. I didn't have a budget for expensive art supplies and would always sheepishly hand in assignments using what I could scavenge from my environment, worried that they wouldn't meet the task. I was always surprised by her positive reactions to my creations, she validated my approach and I've been thankful to her ever since.
|
Artist – Outside by sign of opening exhibit 'SCALE' at the Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro MA; April 2011 |
Where did you train? How did your training influence you?
I have a BA in biology from Boston University, and attended the Certificate program for Graphic Design at Mass. College of Art and Design. I studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Mass. College of Art and Design, and Art Institute of Boston. I've worked as a research technician at Dana Farber Cancer Institute; was a founder of Colella Graphic Design; and teach fibre arts and materials workshops and classes both locally and nationally. My professional affiliations include being a board member for Cambridge Art Association (2010-11), Faculty of DeCordova Museum, and a member of Surface Design Association, N.E. Sculpture Association and the Craft Council.
|
What Looks Like an Elephant – 20 x 27 x 18 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist |
|
What Looks Like an Elephant –detail 20 x 27 x 18 in., wool and found driftwood; needlefelting. Photo by artist |
When you were starting out, did you have a mentor?
I've never had one individual who I could identify as a mentor. Instead in my many different situations and careers I've been fortunate to have someone who cared about my work and me. People who shared insights and advice in ways that I hope to do for others.
The one constant has been my husband. He is a staunch believer in my work, always encouraging the positive, and urging me to plough ahead even when it's not to his advantage. Others include family, teachers, close friends and members of my artist communities.
 |
GREEN – Exhibit photos of One Day at the Textile Museum, Washington D.C., April-Sept. 2011 |
 |
GREEN – Exhibit photos of One Day at the Textile Museum, Washington D.C., April-Sept. 2011 |
Where do you imagine your work in five years?
I'm interested in larger works, installations, and trying to push the limits of both scale and concept with my current techniques.
I'm exploring materials constantly and take workshops as often as I can. I'm fortunate to live in a densely populated artist community with lots of opportunity for collaboration. Recently I've learned to weld steel, to cast and mold multiples and to electroform with copper. The possibilities are endless and its difficult to project where this is going but I'm looking forward to it.
 |
Insatiable – 28 x 12 x 2.5 in., polyester, floral wire and paint. Photo by artist |
 |
Lichen, 6.5 x 6 x 5 in., found fishing rope and copper wire |
 |
Lichen detail, 6.5 x 6 x 5 in., found fishing rope and copper wire |
Is there any other information you would like us to know about you or your work that we have not covered so far?
Check out the new book by Lark Publishing '500 Felt Objects'. A collection of my Seeds are featured on page 263.
 |
Material Matters Movie – mp4 of Material Matters residency with students, final piece 22 x 18 ft, mixed and found materials; Peruvian scaffold weave. Movie by artist. |
 |
Material Matters Movie – mp4 of Material Matters residency with students, final piece 22 x 18 ft, mixed and found materials; Peruvian scaffold weave. Movie by artist. |
 |
One Day – 48 x 43 x 12 in., Repurposed plastic sleeves from delivered newspapers, handspun and crocheted. Photo by artist |
 |
One Day – 48 x 43 x 12 in., Repurposed plastic sleeves from delivered newspapers, handspun and crocheted. Photo by artist |
If you'd like to make a donation to help support our
"Weekly Fibre Artist Interviews" series, you can do so here.
Subscribe To Artist Interviews here...
Interviews published by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.
 |
One Day – 48 x 43 x 12 in., Repurposed plastic sleeves from delivered newspapers, handspun and crocheted. Photo by artist |