Julie Rivera
"Shifting Between Computer and Hand"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
In the mid-eighties I worked for one of the first Macintosh software publishers. I have a degree in graphic design with a focus in surface design. With the advent of desktop computers, I began to use my graphic design degree in desktop publishing. Years later I actively sought out surface design workshops where I could go back to working with my hands on fabric.
My Paradigm shift represents the shift of my work between computer and hand printed fabric. The front of the dress is a photograph that I manipulated in Photoshop® and then uploaded to a digital textile printer. Using elements from the digital fabric, I created the hand printed fabric with the Japanese technique, Nassen. It was challenging to create the repeat pattern the old fashion way, but I was determined not to use the computer.
Rather than having a “front” and a “back” of the dress, I chose to wrap the two techniques around, illustrating my constant shifting between creating on the computer and creating by hand.