Title: Anchors in time
Description: Published in association with an exhibition of the same title presented at the Museum of Craft and Design from June 2, 2018 to October 28, 2018. The book documents the work of Dominic Di Mare who pioneered dimensional weaving in the 1960s and forged new sculptural directions with cast paper in the 1970s. He received further acclaim from the 1970s through the 1990s for expanding the use of mixed media in intimate sculptures: first by combining knotted linen with clay, and later by combining branches with delicate feathers, beads, paper, and horsehair. Though these are simple materials, in Di Mare's hands they were transformed into works seen as intensely poetic, enigmatic, or relaying a spiritual presence. In the past few decades, the object maker reset his compass to explore luminous watercolor on paper in a singular way. He made precise cutouts in his unique artist's books to provide alluring clues for subsequent pages, while in the flat watercolors of his surreal self-portrait series, he painted such dense compositions that there is an illusion of dimensional realms. The very name Di Mare translates as "of the sea" and is the legacy of his forebears. Repetition bears additional meanings within the heartbeat of his work. Dominic Di Mare's work is an eloquent reminder of art's power to transmute the personal into signs and symbols of the universal to connect with our own imagination.
Subjects: Wood sculpture, Exhibitions, Watercolor painting, Arts and crafts movement, Soft sculpture, Fiberwork, Paper sculpture, Wall hangings, Exhibition catalogs
Places: California
People: Dominic Di Mare (1932-)
Time periods: 20th century