Tarja Cockell: Emerging Layers
Featuring woven textures and mixed fiber media

Tarja Cockell explores traditional textile techniques with a contemporary twist, creating layered wall art pieces. The process begins by painting and weaving transparent linen for the top layer. Then she builds up the under layer with different textile media, transforming the final emerging image. The use of dyed and painted fabrics and stitching creates unique color and pattern combinations in her work. In this series she is also experimenting with three-dimensional weaving and the interplay of light and shadow. The motifs vary from abstract to representational. Her images are suggestive which allow the viewer to form their own ideas.

A native of Finland, Tarja Cockell, received her degree in textile and design, majoring in weaving. She has her own workspace at Western Avenue Studios, in Lowell, with a large vibrant community of artists.