Peggotty Christensen

Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota my course as an artist became clear during college. I worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota’s weaving department and studied jewelry making with Christian Schmidt at the St. Paul Art Center. After completing a degree in Art Education in 1965, I worked as a metalsmith and jewelry designer for 30 years. Married in 1967, I raised two children and have been a resident of Arizona since 1976.

The shift from jewelry to textiles began in 1986 with a series of colorful suede belts, complimented by sterling silver buckles set with stones matching the colors of the belt. It was the first time I really got to experiment with color, and it was addictive. I began by working my designs on cotton and from there made the transition to silk. I find that I am incorporating many of the same design elements in my fabric that I used in my jewelry and that the layering of color on the silk can be likened to the layering of different metals to create my designs.

I create all of the fabric by hand painting, discharge, resists, and washes. Each piece of fabric is treated like a blank canvas on which my ideas and inspirations are portrayed. Painting each piece of fabric individually allows me to design not only a garment, but also a wearable work of art. All of my garments begin as solid white silk. I stretch the piece of fabric like a canvas and hand paint it using fiber reactive dyes. The fabric is steam set and washed. Then I cut and sew each piece of fabric into the garment or scarf in my home studio, I have no employees or assistants to do the work for me. This assures that every piece is truly one of a kind and created by my own hand. Painting on fabric has allowed me to transform the natural images and colors that I see around me into functional pieces of art.

Although the creation of my art is a driving force in my life, there is a reason in my choice for designing wearable art. For most of my life I have been fascinated and beguiled by clothing… the way it can change how a person is seen and also the way it can change a person’s perception of themselves. One of the most exciting aspects of my art is seeing what my garments do when people put them on.

Peggotty Christensen
peggottyartwear.com

Peggotty Christensen Gallery