Hot Seller: Carol Lee Shanks

We love trends.  And from the look of our Gallery sales sheets, we're seeing a spring trend blossoming in Wearable Art.  Put into three words, one could simply call it Texture - Layers - Edge.

Or Carol - Lee - Shanks.

“I strive to make beautifully simple, unstructured garments that feel good on the body, function well and are easy to care for. Integral to these ideals is the element of surface texture which, as my work evolves, will continue to play an essential role in my process. I consider any unexpected results to be fascinating and welcome it…. The way we feel on the inside should be reflected by the layer we choose to wear on the outside."

Carol Lee Shanks designs and handcrafts clothing and textile art pieces. She has a great reverence for cloth, which is the foundation of her inspiration, and personally constructs each garment, one by one, building collections made from carefully selected fine materials. Her dressing concept encompasses coordinated silhouettes layered for style and comfort.  Whether worn on the body or suspended within a room, her work becomes moving sculpture.

Carol was taught to sew by her mother and her aunt at the age of ten. She attained a degree in Textile and Costume Design from the University of California at Davis in the mid-seventies, where she was fortunate to learn from many influential leaders in her chosen field. The artist attributes the expansion of her imagination to her studies at Davis, which gave her a broader picture of the world. Through the window of textiles, she was exposed to the vast world of global cultures, diverse people and places that continues to inform her art.

When first coming into contact with a piece of Carol’s work, it's best to take a close look: her designs are, we suggest, deceptively simple, with subtle detailing.  It’s easy to miss these unexpected elements, but they elevate each garment to the status of a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Carol accomplishes this in each piece as she manipulates the cloth, layering opaque and transparent elements, then stitching, piecing and wrapping them.  Thus, she is able to create greater surface interest and transform flat, linear shapes into dimensional silhouettes.  She might incorporate pieces of other fabrics that match in color though not in texture – seemingly mismatched, scraps saved, not discarded – that become details, perhaps, on a sleeve, a pocket, or on the back to create a patchwork of geometric or architectural elements or the appearance of free-form quilting. 

Trademark elements in her work, however, are selvage edges.  Selvages are the raw, imperfect edges produced on woven fabric during manufacturing which protect the fabric from unraveling on the bolt.
While most clothing makers cut their garment pieces specifically to exclude the selvage from the finished garment, Carol loves their happy irregularity and imperfection – certainly another take on the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi – and uses them to great effect.

Carol works and exhibits her clothing and textile art from her Berkeley, California studio. Her work is shown and sold in galleries throughout the United States and has been included in international shows and fiber art publications.

Seattle-based arts writer Robin Updike, quoted from her article “Carol Lee Shanks: Refining the Silhouette” in the July 2012 issue of Ornament magazine, comments on Carol’s work:

“Not only is Carol’s clothing singular in its architectonic-meets-romantic aesthetic, but there’s an impressive element of environmental awareness in her work. For instance, Carol tries to use up scraps of fabric each season, sometimes using tiny leftovers as ornament on other fabrics. Or she simply makes two-dimensional artworks - fabric collages really - to hang on the wall. Lots of style, not much waste. It’s impressive.”

Carol has designed an understated, timeless look meant to be collected piece by piece over many seasons.

Recent arrivals at the Gallery:

Thai Silk Stitch Resist Pieced Tunic, long

Thai Silk Stitch Resist Pieced Tunic

Watermelon Red Linen Pocket Tunic, long

These pieces are not yet viewable in the online shop but will be soon.

Details on Carol's most recent shows:

Our customers often request garments in special sizes.  While Carol can recreate a garment's design, one will often see slight changes from the original that render each garment essentially a one-of-a-kind item.

Catch a glimpse of Carol's clothing in the Gallery and the online shop, here.

(Photographs Courtesy of the Artist/E. Opalenik/S. Roth)