Artichokes in August: An Edible Thistle

“Artichokes in August: An Edible Thistle” 2018

It's August and that means it's time for another woven image series! This year I have continued to create portraits of produce. This year I had my friend Sue Davis select a vegetable to feature on Patterns and Tones. As owner of Counter Culture, the finest vegan comfort food restaurant in Austin, TX, Sue is more than familiar with this edible thistle.

During my summer break from the computer in July, I spent the time weaving these paper thistles into portraits that explored their form and fascinating structure. To me, artichokes have always been the Queen of the vegetable kingdom. Mysterious and singular, this bud takes some experience to get to the heart of her blossom. The fuzzy center of her choke is erotic and surrounded by petals with tiny thorns that remind us that she is indeed a flowering thistle.

While constructing these portraits, I found the intersections of paper strips mesmerizing. There was a lot going on in the subtle shift of the image as it was woven together. The spacing of each individual strip causes the image to vibrate from the slight change in their visual position. There is movement.

Along with last years woven Apples in August, I am please to announce that I will be exhibiting prints from this series at Counter Culture this September! I will be sure to let you know the dates of the exhibition in a blog post soon.

From my heart to yours,

Julie Green

August 4, 2018