Soft works

selected works
2005–present

Printing on and working with fabric via pillows, blankets, clothing and various textiles have been integral to Hubby’s work from early on. Often the soft works are utilitarian, with a practical element such as a t-shirt or relaxation prop.

Hubby on her soft works:

I often look to fabric as a medium to express my concepts, whether it be through sewing, writing, or printing on various textiles. As a fledgling artist I made large soft sculptures that hung from the ceiling, came off of the walls, which also incorporated wire, thread, paint, and text. I have continued to utilize the medium when it feels appropriate, including making works that can integrate into one’s life in a daily use/utilitarian way.

Hubby on The Response to a Hard Edge works:

After accepting the invitation to have work in the exhibition Soft Schindler, I researched the life and loves of Pauline Schindler, pouring through archives of images from the time she lived in the famed modernist landmark that she and her husband, architect Rudolf Schindler, built together in 1922. I decided to create a unique series of pillows, titled The Response to a Hard Edge. The Schindler’s bohemian lifestyle and open relationship, which eventually turned estranged and bitter, became fodder for the pillows I made for the show. Their imagery reflect the glory days of play, and embody Pauline’s soft and colorful touch that influenced the house, to his chagrin. The Response to a Hard Edge is an apt title for all the fabric works I do. 

More images and related series: Soft Schindler.

Hubby on the series:

“The product that resulted from the collaboration with Women of Hearts (Jen Dallas, interior and fabric designer) is a soft gift to someone who might be going through or has survived a cancer journey. It is a way to infuse the “Breast of Luck” attitude that helped me through my own breast cancer challenge.”

More images and related series: Women of Hearts.

Hubby on the Positively Earnest soft works and InWord t-shirts:

I enjoy expanding out beyond exhibited artworks to use soft materials in utilitarian objects such as the Positively Earnest t-shirts, weighted blanket, and eye pillow. Collectively they protect the body whilst also surrounding it with upliftment verbiage, inspired by my paintings. I believe the body can benefit directly by being literally touched by the messages. For the InWord t-shirts the hand-screen printing is an essential medium choice, creating a palpable texture that the body can feel; it’s like wearing a painting.

More images and related series: InWord and Positively Earnest.

Hubby on The Jack Hanley Instagram Blanket:

The Jack Hanley Instagram Blanket is an active treasure hunt for the sublime, the humorous, and the joyous via New York gallerist Jack Hanley’s Instagram account. It includes my favorite posts from 2017 that are painstakingly curated and orchestrated in a grid to please the eye. I find Jack’s approach to social media refreshing, consistently rewarding, and uplifting, especially in the times we currently live in. The utility of the blanket does its job to surround and comfort, while the images amuse and distract away from worries. 

Related exhibition: The Panacea Project.

Hubby on the pillow series:

The Fruit, Meat and Veggie Tray pillow works are photographs of actual pillows that I’d covered with actual food and shot them from a bird’s-eye-view. This idea came as an offshoot of THE SEXUAL BRONZE SHOW, to further explore the sexuality of food. I’m displaying the bounty of a banquet, with all its sumptuous and oily juices, in a celebratory manner. These works are printed on an aluminum di-bond material, which is cut out in the shape of the pillow—fully hangable in your home, over the bed perhaps. That’s where I have mine.

More images and related exhibition: THE SEXUAL BRONZE SHOW at Klowden Mann.

Hubby on the series:  “The soft manifestation of the Sex without the people pillows and blankets further spotlight my fabric fascination. Leaving much of the fleshy spaces white was a purposeful way to take the eye off of the flesh and onto the fabric; but of course not showing something makes the un-shown even more titillating.”

More images and related exhibitions and series: Were Not Now, Sex Without the People, The Five Spot.

Hubby on the Double Fantasy series:

The book with Mike Slack called Double Fantasy was a success in collaborating two distinct creative approaches: his with photography and mine with garments. He scoured the town and took Polaroids that reminded him of my sewing techniques. I then reworked garments to literally correspond with the photos presented. The photograph was shown beside the garment, and the book was published to coincide with our exhibition.

More images and related publication: Double Fantasy.

Hubby on the series:

Removing the labels from all my clothes, towels, bedding, etc. and making these works was a satisfying process. I took a small piece of things that had physically touched me, creating texture and abstraction from personal objects.