Eleven Fabric Art Pieces, March 2020
Artist Statement
I started this series in fabric to collaborate with my daughter Sundari Franklin who is a fashion designer. I made these beautiful flowy feminine pieces for her but then wasn't able to part with them. (Sundari understood). The sheets of fabric (I call them Skins) are very sexy. It wasn't a stretch to incorporate lingerie...recycled being even sexier (and cheaper!). The lingerie is great because not only is it gorgeous and inspiring, but the structure of the cups and stays are great for creating form.
I have always been interested in sculpture; there is nothing like being able to walk around a form and experience how it interacts with the space around it. I find fabric to be a manageable medium to sculpt with and it is a good spokes-person for feminine topics; with personal adornment seemingly part of our DNA.
Surface design is an important element in my work. Even when I paint, my work leans heavily on surface design. Whether I'm painting or working with fabric, I enjoy creating depth with layers of transparency. The shadows thrown on the wall as the light passes through the transparent fabric are also an important aspect of the design.
I love working in this medium because it gives me the opportunity to work with color and ideas and I get to sew; something I have done off and on my whole life. I also get to buy fabric (fabri-holics unite!) AND I get to thrift shop, two of my favorite activities.
My biggest art influence has been the installation work of Yayoi Kusama. My biggest life influences are all the goddesses I have known.
Thonneson was trained an illustrator at Art Center College of Design, Ca. and finished with a BFA at Jersey City University, majoring in Painting and Drawing.
She is the inventor and designer of TAG the Art Game an award winning, interactive and collaborative art game that is played in schools worldwide. TAG is available for purchase to the public on the TAG website at www.TAGtheArtGame.com
Thonneson owned and operated Joseph Franklin Interior Accessories along with her late husband, Joseph Franklin. Together they designed and manufactured lamps, mirrors and accent tables that featured copper patina and hand-painted relief tiles.
Thonneson currently works as an administer for a non-profit arts organization. She lives in Jersey City with her life partner, musician and painter Alan Walker, their child Troy Franklin, and three cats.
Mollie Thonneson is a multi media artist who over the last 45 years has been flitting back and forth between painting and fabric work. She is interested in making art that explores ideas and highlights current issues. Consumerism and the environment are reoccurring themes in her work.
