Mary Kester's Statement

My tapestries are abstract forms, not framed windows of a scene. Each is an object which refers to landscape or stone megaliths. My colors enhance the shapes and illusion of depth beyond the physical layering and substance of the fiber medium. For the past seven years I have been consumed with depicting stone portals and standing stones which I have visited in Ireland and France. I first made drawings, then tapestries, from these enigmatic stone portals, so long in the landscape-- pulled from it, erected by human hands, but weathered by natural forces. My tapestries do not picture specific, intact stone formations, but are derived abstractions, the result of visits to neolithic sites and studies of various megaliths. The dense substance of tapestry fabric allows me to create both layers and detailed image, necessary for creating the depth illusion I seek. I admit to a love for the tactile process and solitude of tapestry work. I find the contradiction of depth illusion and fiber substance intriguing, and hope the viewer does also.

Mary Kester's Biography

Mary Kester grew up in Iowa but now lives in upstate New York. She earned an MFA from Syracuse University in 1981, where she taught until 1984, when she resumed full time studio work. She exhibits mainly through juried shows and regional galleries, and welcomes commissions from residential and commercial patrons. Her work can be seen at her web site at www.marykester.com.