In a world where too often, the images we feed ourselves are full of violence and fear, my goal as an artist is to create beauty, to uplift, and to remind us of the strength we all possess. In a many layered process I watch plain cloth absorb the dye, I gather intriguing materials both old and new, I cut, piece and stitch, print, paint and embellish and create order from disarray, beauty from chaos.
The tactile nature of cloth, its texture, richness and malleability are what have drawn me to this medium. Fabric has a history almost as old as humankind; we wrap ourselves in cloth every day and cover ourselves with it at night. Quilts hold a particular fascination for me. During a time when they were not allowed to be artists, resourceful women were able to stitch together beautiful works of art imbedded in an object of utility. My quilts are freed from utilitarianism and allowed to hang on the wall as fine art.
BIOGRAPHY
Lyric Kinard is an artist with a serious addiction to fabric. Her award-winning wall quilts and wearable works of art are a product of her need and passion to create order and beauty while living a chaotic life as the mother of young children. She often says that her art is the only thing she does that is not undone by the end of the day. Her second love is teaching, which she has been doing in various capacities for the past 12 years. She loves to share her joy in the process of transforming plain fabric into a work of art.
Much of Lyric’s work begins with plain white cloth which she dyes and paints to create the palette from which her designs spring. Her abstracts begin with an emphasis on color and are created on the design wall while her pictorials begin with a specific message in mind and are often meticulously drafted on paper before cloth is cut. All of her artwork is quilted to a layer of batting to add texture and to emphasize line. While traditional quilts are then bound and done, Lyric often adds more embroidery or beads and even more paint if the design calls for it. This further emphasizes the dimensional and tactile quality of quilts as a medium for expression.
Lyric has studied with many well known textile artists around the country and continues to expand her skills in the area of surface design. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Utah and has also formally studied music and architecture. She currently lives in Cary, North Carolina with her husband and five children.
