dark night.

I have featured Brooklyn based artist Todd Knopke before but a friend of mine sent his website my way recently and reminded me of his AMAZING work. I especially love his images that are in night settings, through his composition and use of varied fabrics he infuses them with light in such a surprising and powerful way.
I feel as if his newest work has a little bit of a darker edge then the work I reviewed last time and I am intrigued.

He has no statement on his website and though in some ways his work is self explanatory I also think there is a depth to it that I would like to know more about. I cannot believe I missed his show here last year but the interview with the show is great.


Unlike a lot of contemporary artists using "quilting" techniques Todd's work has a refreshing freedom and wildness to it. He tends to read more like a crazy quilt. Todd say's this about the fabrics he uses:

Right now I’m most interested in my friends’ and family’s used clothes, sheets, and towels. Cutting into a pair of cords my brother wore at age 10 that still has a note in the pocket, or my sister’s 11th-grade prom dress that literally smells of 1988, folds time and enriches the work. One of the many beauties of fabric is that it’s everywhere and worn everyday. I’ve taken a shirt off my back because it was the right green to make a grassy patch.

I would have LOVED to see this fantastical installation. See much more of his work and detail shots here.