Helen Quinn
[1991, Textiles]
Based in Queens, NY
Dovecote Collective is a collaboration between printmakers Ondine Crispin and Helen Quinn. Ondine works primarily with woodblock and linocuts. She is in awe of the perfection of the natural world, especially birds. Helen makes ink drawings that are then made into silkscreens. She prefers creatures of the sea, monsters and alchemical imagery. Together they make textiles for the home as well as fine art prints.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
It takes quite a bit of time, but I love looking at disparate things and then combining them in a kind of salad of imagery. Everything informs us and I find that it is about sifting through sources and experiences to see what sticks. Drawing in a sketchbook and photographing with my phone are quick and helpful when walking down the street or going to a museum. Then back in the studio, cutting paper and drawing with ink often come next, followed by silkscreening in a rented studio space. I often put the finishing touches on prints with gouache so they become one of a kind in the end.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Yes! I first learned to silkscreen at RISD on the wonderful, long tables in the textile department. Also, the Nature Lab continues to be a source of inspiration. Drawing in the Nature Lab all those years ago laid the foundation for so much of what I still do- observing nature and combining the attributes of different creatures.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Lately I have been looking at masks, masquerade balls, photos of crowds of people protesting, and the paintings of masked crowds by 19th century artist James Ensor. After playing with silkscreened images of crowds, I have recently started to concentrate only on the masks and stacking them like the totem poles that were were made by Northwest Indian tribes of British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. I love the verticality of the stacking. It seems like another kind of crowd and the prints together are starting to become a taxonomy of the different characters. (The images below are silkscreen on paper with gouache and collage.)
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
At RISD Craft, my collaborator Ondine Crispin and I will have silkscreened textiles for the home featuring creatures of the sky and sea. We will also have fine art prints of birds, underwater scenes and my new, strange mask prints.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
In May 2018 I will be going to a residency in Oaxaca, Mexico to study the Zapotec sculptures from the archeological site, Monte Alban. The residency is called Poco a Poco and I am really excited about this trip. I think the feathered head dresses and the large jewlry on the figures will be interesting to add to the masks I have been working on.
To see more of the work from Dovecote Collective, visit dovecotecollective.com
