Featured Artist Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

Fiber artist Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez shares a collection of wearable art created using rich, vibrantly colored threads. Visit her website to view more of her work.

 

fiber art knitted shawl by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Pastel Palette XXVI” (Long shawl) fiber art, 24″ x 96″

 

From a very young age, I’ve been attracted to ethereal imagery—looking for rainbows after a storm, seeing images reflected in mirrors and window panes, watching the colors in nature as they first intensify then fade at dusk, and being mesmerized by ocean waves and pools of water as they eddy in the breeze.

 

fiber art knit shawl by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Autumn Glory XXXV” (Shawl Collar Jacket) fiber art, 28″ x 56″

 

I always wanted to become an artist, but I didn’t feel called to traditional methods of expression. In 1974, I decided to buy a knitting machine as a way of expressing myself after seeing one at a sweater manufacturer’s space in New York City.

 

fiber art knit dress by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Daffodil Dress XXXVI” fiber art, 35″ x 22″

 

A few years later, while working at a knitwear designer’s atelier, I discovered viscose (rayon) thread for sale while on an errand for supplies. I loved the brilliance of the saturated colors and tensile strength of the material that looks similar to silk.

 

fiber art knitted jacket by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Monet’s Garden (Night) XXIV” (shrug jacket) fiber art, 44″ x 16″

 

By the time I left my job, I had collected 125 different colors of thread. Soon thereafter, I made my first work of art. It was a knitted kimono reflecting the colors of places I’d visited on a trip around the United States in the fall of 1975.

 

artist Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez working with her knitting machine

Fiber Artist Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez working with her knitting machine

 

I worked out a deal with the viscose company to buy 1½ pounds of every dye lot of thread the company produced. Over time, I collected more than 2,000 cones of thread in a myriad of colors. I also developed my process, which requires three or four different colors of thread knitted together, methodically changing colors to create spectrums. I taught myself how to make patterns, and learned methods for hand finishing from multiple sources.

 

Fiber art knitted shawl by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Heavenly Shawl XXVI” (as a work in progress and as a finished piece) fiber art, 14″ x 18″

 

My early inspirations for color and design came from Issey Miyake, Missoni, Mark Rothko, Sonia Delaunay and Clyfford Still. Through the availability of opportunities that came my way, I built a knitting business. It incorporated a line of sweaters and knitted costumes for movies, plays and commercials. I became an exhibiting artist at Julie Artisan’s Gallery on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

 

fiber art by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Hot Miami XXVI” fiber art, 24″ x 24″

 

Wearable art became my preferred expression as art galleries and museums included my works in their Art to Wear shows. To date, I’ve been making one-of-a-kind and limited edition Art to Wear for forty-six years.

 

fiber art ceiling installation - Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Egan’s Ceiling CCCLXXV” fiber art, 12′ x 22′

 

I’ve branched out from wearables to several new expressions. In 2008, I knitted a 12’ x 22’ ceiling that was commissioned for a restaurant lobby in Montclair, New Jersey. The imagery depicted a sunset seen from an airplane and incorporated 275 colors of thread.

 

fiber art meditation panels by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

Four Meditation Screens – “After the Storm LXXXIII;” “View from the Shore XXX;” “Skipping Stones XXXII;” “New Moon Night Sky XXXII” fiber art, 26″ x 48″ each

 

From January to March, 2022, I created eight meditation screens measuring 26” x 48.” The screens can be mounted on walls or hung from the ceiling. Each piece depicts a place in time captured from my memories. Recently, I mounted small works on drapery and upholstery fabrics and attached them to canvases.

 

fiber art knitted top by Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez

“Rust/MetalPatina XXV” (Batwing Bateau-Neck Top) fiber art, 25″ x 48″

 

I moved to Palm City, Florida in 2015. My studio is in my home—a small space—but a perfect fit for me. I feel more energized than ever as living on the Treasure Coast has provided endless inspiration from nature in this paradise of flora and fauna.

 

Artist Jacquelyn Roesch-Sanchez invites you to follow her on Facebook Knittedwear , Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

Want to stay current on cutting edge business articles from Artsy Shark, plus artist features, and an invitation to the next Call for Artists? Click below to sign up for our twice-monthly email. You’ll get all this plus opportunities and special offers that you can’t get anywhere else!

Sign Up For Updates!

Comments

  1. So glad I met you and could visit your studio to see where this magic happens.
    Beautiful doesn’t say enough.

Speak Your Mind

*