Liz Collins: Rays 1ST SITE

Liz Collins developed her “Rays” series (2015) during her 2015 residency in the Museum of Arts and Design’s Artist Studios program. Originally composed as drawings on black craft paper, “Rays” was manufactured as the wallpaper panels Feria 1, 2, and 3 (2017) by the textile company 4Spaces. The original drawings and wallpaper were acquired by the Museum for its permanent collection in 2017. 

Working across the spectrum of textile media, Collins plays with material and phenomenological dualities like dark vs. light or tight vs. loose, pushing the limits of her materials and process in unexpected ways. Her artworks, incorporating vivid colors and dynamic patterns and emphasizing textures and inventive structures, surround the viewer in vibrating color fields to investigate the boundaries between painting, fiber arts, and installation. 

Collins’ background in fashion and textile design is evident in her treatment of the black craft paper as fabric yardage to explore the layering of line and color, working to see how many lines can converge at a single point. The final drawings illuminate the dark background like a laser light show or the aurora borealis. 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.