Murphy Grady

I have never been a linear thinker. And in turn, I have never been a linear artist.

When I first started manipulating denim, I was trying to learn how to sew. It was another detour in my artistic process, as I originally wanted to learn embroidery. In breaking down a pair of jeans to its bare bones, I found the practice of deconstruction to be an act of uncovering hidden information. By examining how garments are constructed, I discovered insight and motivation to take the use of denim beyond its intended form as mere jeans.

My textile-based artwork is free from more trappings of what might be considered traditional art media. It is hangs freely from the wall; it is meant to be touched. It is not supposed to look effortless; I allow the seams to be visible, allowing viewers to participate in the process. One can see each stitch behind my work, the hours of detail, the reactions in the moment to the scraps, colors, textures, and lines.

Most of my work is designed to be moved, rotated from horizontal to vertical, and combined with other pieces for a unique display. It invites people to study its features so intently that they never denim the same way again. As an avid collector of images, my tendency to gather anything and everything that interests me has resulted in the compilation of a material library, which includes magazine tears, fabric swatches, and other found objects that relate to my inspiration. I use collage to put images in the context of one another, and my original collections drive my process. My interest in denim as a material extends through the cultural associations of the material.

Creating is something inseparable from my person. My studio is filled with the always humming energy of innovation, creativity, and sometimes self-inflicted chaos. I am unafraid of a detour of exploring an arm of my work that isn't precisely the project at hand, and this has allowed me to grow creatively. It has allowed me to fluctuate between the worlds of art, design, media, and craft.