Thoughtful Intentions
Let me show you how beautiful it is
Take care of the hand made. Care for the textiles. I make
designs using an ancient Japanese method, Katazome. It is to dye with indigo resisted with rice paste
applied through detailed hand cut stencils.
In this exhibition I show my work of upgrading the value of textiles. Miscellaneous pieces of cotton,
linen and hemp, second hand, vintage left-over textiles. Once handmade, perhaps even hand spun
fiber, previously made, well kept, pre-loved and now in the secondhand box. The worn linen often
gives very beautiful results in the indigo vat. Sometimes I repeat the process putting another stencil
on top of the previous, thus creating a subtle double layered effect of the design. The dyed pieces
with layers of indigo blue, botanical patterns turn into beautiful pieces that are no longer throw-
away-able. I use the dyed pieces as parts of larger collages, mount them to wall hangings, or sew
small precious items from them.
Lena Palenius. I am an artist working in my own studio, mainly with textiles. I am since childhood
self-taught in the wide field of textiles, plus I have a landscape architect, master’s degree. My patterns
are botanical, and with a subtle mix between sharpness of details and flowy perception and dreamy
worlds.