Artist Statement

I have worked with threads since childhood, embroidering, cross stitching, sewing, all-the-while thinking about how the stitches connect pieces of fabric and how those stitches relate microscopically to the invisible world of cells and macroscopically to the tangible world. I recently pulled Ashley’s Book of Knots off of my book shelf and have been exploring the art of tying knots, or “not tying them,” trapping them between translucent sheets of handmade paper. As I carefully arrange a loosely tied knot and rest it on top of a freshly made sheet, it begins to find its form as I manipulate the loops and ends of the string and compose a drawing. Sometimes my drawing process is informed when a delightful tension is created as the string wriggles and writhes when it comes into contact with the wet sheet. And finally, I lay another sheet of paper on top of the string drawing, pinning the strands in position and trapping them in time.

The highlight of my exhibition at 23 Sandy Gallery is a suite of six knotted string drawings, inspired by historical knot illustrations, accompanied by a Carl Adamshick poem and housed in a clamshell box designed and produced by Sandy Tilcock of lone goose press. Some knots (like a square knot) are quite simple and can be tied in hand; others (like the Japanese butterfly knot) are complex and require winding and weaving the strings around nails on a jig. As the string’s interlace, each one passes over and under elements that cross its path. I view these paths and crossings as metaphors for the physical and emotional connections and junctures in our lives.

As I trace the paths these knots make, I am drawn to the fact that they are one of the earliest and most universal of all inventions. Our ancestors tied simple knots to catch food, harness animals and make baskets. As I trace them today, I discover a meditative beauty as they lay gathered loosely embedded in the sheets of handmade paper. Each strand is a unique and individual line, carving its own path, and as it winds its way into the future, it interlocks, entangling and joining others, resulting in a whole greater than all of its parts.

There is a quiet mystery in these knots too, as the poet Carl Adamshick alludes to in the first stanza of the poem he composed for this project:

The secret wants
to hide within itself,
hold one end,
draw the other
until it's gone.

Artist Biography

Helen Hiebert is a Portland, Oregon artist who constructs installations, sculptures, films and artist books using handmade paper, thread and light. She exhibits, teaches and lectures about papermaking and lamp-making internationally, and serves as an adjunct faculty member at Oregon College of Art & Craft. Helen is the author of the books Papermaking with Plants, The Papermaker's Companion, and Paper Illuminated, and she is a regular contributor to Hand Papermaking Newsletter. Helen is the recipient of a 2010 Regional Arts & Culture Council Project Grant which partially funded this project.