Stella Benjamin

Capturing Light, Craft Gallery 5 February - 5 April 2009

Referencing earlier techniques, Stella Benjamin weaves on a Navaho-type frame. Her rugs are slowly composed with ultimate care in hand spun Turkish yarn. Using dyes and subtle hues of her own making, these minimalist works are at their best when wall hung.

With a quiet sense of presence, they capture light with glowing yellows or dark, muted grounds drawing the viewer into a luminary warmth. The rugs are composed of small woven 'patches' whose diagonal joins give them their 'lazy lines' character. Like much minimal art, these woven concepts bear close scrutiny and demand time for the viewer to contemplate.

Born in Kent in 1933, Stella Benjamin studied art at the Regent Street Polytechnic, London. In 1956, she moved to Cornwall with her artist-husband Anthony Benjamin. In the early 1960s, she worked for the sculptor Dennis Mitchell and in 1975 she worked in St Ives as an assistant to the artist-jewellers, Bryan Illsley and Breon O'Casey. Illsley made her the Navaho-type loom but it was O'Casey who taught her how to weave.

Originated by Glynn Vivian Art Gallery