Artist Statement

As an artist, I am inspired by things overlooked or discarded. I practice various natural dyeing traditions, where I utilize plants and soils. The tradition fascinates me in its resilience and continued relevancy to present day life.

The resiliency of craft, and tradition is inspiring to me, and I find hidden strengths in home craft. I am inspired by the paradoxes many of us face in daily life under late stage capitalism, I am inspired to bring them to light in unexpected ways.

There is also a component to my practice of using discarded materials. Specifically with rust dyeing, I travel to sites of decay and abandonment around Atlantic Canada, and use the rusty items I find as a base for creation in my work. I like to create from destruction, and question cycles of use, in opposition to a culture that demands we consume.

Biography

Josephine Clarke is a textile artist practicing in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, Canada. She explores the use and tradition of botanical dyes, earth pigments, and rust. During her childhood in the Robson valley in BC, she was surrounded by people who made things in their daily lives. She accredits her creative style as an artist to growing up in a community that fished, hunted, gardened, sewed, and made music. After earning her Bachelor of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she was accepted as an artist in residence with the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design. She now operates her business at the Customs House Artisan Incubator, and teaches classes for various community organizations and events. She has taught classes for the Cape Breton centre for Craft and Design, The New Dawn Centre for Innovation, and the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival. She has exhibited her work at culture events in Atlantic Canada, such as Celtic Colours International Music Festival, and Lumiere Art at Night Festival.