CAROLINA STARRETT WOODCOCK
As a textile artist and end-of-life doula, Iʼm contemplating the structures of families as both physical and psychological entities; and as such, how each iteration is a source of resilience. I am working to examine the way in which stories and language are carried in the body and passed down. Both as a doula and artist, Iʼm utilizing materials and processes simultaneously, as a celebration and inquisition of how we collect, hold, and preserve memories. My work explores how stories of family, community, and connection cultivate meaning and encourage critical consideration for the capacity of objects to facilitate and carry on relationships with one another. My work is an exploration of that framework and is rooted in a meditation on the body as the ultimate witness to love and memory.
GWEN STARRETT
Art allows me to connect more deeply with the natural world. I recently moved to the Oregon coast from sun-scorched California. The wind, sea, and sky are ever-changing here, providing inspiration for abstract landscapes. I work in several different media including watercolor, monotype prints, or mixed media collage to explore the relationship that can be fostered between people and their environment.
My work as a natural dyer and eco-printer began in response to my deepening concern and appreciation for the natural world. I work with fallen leaves collected from walks around my neighborhood, and scraps such as onion skins left from meal preparation. I enjoy how this practice is grounded in my ordinary life but opens windows for me to see things in different ways.
The process of printing natural materials on found or thrifted natural cloth involves boiling them in pots on my kitchen stove. There is an intimacy to the work that reminds me of cooking and making with my grandmother, mother and daughters. The smell of the leaves and the marks and colors they leave on the cloth can be coaxed but not controlled. The mystery of what will unfurl from the bundles fuels my curiosity. Working in collaboration with memory and relationships, past and present, I move towards healing, and connection.
JULIE STARRETT
MICHAEL WOODCOCK
1951-2013
Michael Woodcock joined the Pitzer faculty in 1989 and was known as a unique artist with a great passion for teaching the creative process. Woodcock’s course, “The Mother Road,” about historic Route 66 culminated in a 2,278-mile road trip, with Woodcock and a dozen students driving in vintage cars from Santa Monica to Chicago. Along the way, they studied history, culture, art and the meaning of the road.
As an artist, Woodcock’s paintings and lithographs often featured dramatic compositions with thought-provoking and frequently humorous titles. His work has been collected by a number of national and international institutions, including the Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Public Library, Yale University and the TOSCHI Art Institute in Parma, Italy.
Woodcock earned his MFA from the Claremont Graduate University. He received two California Arts Council grants and a Carl Hertzog Award for Excellence in Book Design.
1927- 1984
Margaret Starrett began her craft career later on in life, taking classes from established ceramists like Virginia Cartwright and Paul Soldner.
Her style expands over a range of materials, function and style. Her pieces are now shared and passed down privately amongst family. An intimate way of sharing her talent while maintaining a connection with her.
