My work is very intuitive. Rather than starting with what I want the piece to look like, I start with an idea or emotion in mind, and let that subtly guide me throughout the making of the piece. Sometimes, I start with one idea and end with another, and other times, one idea dominates the whole process of a piece. Much of my work is centered around holding onto hope despite struggle, and the importance of handicrafts in a society that devalues women and their work.
I am a dancer, and this informs much of my work. A lot of my printmaking includes symbols to represent words or ideas, and a lot of these symbols come from my dance practice. These symbols are not a “language” in that you can translate them word for word; instead, they communicate emotions and ideas through their shape, line weight, and movement.
My weaving is especially intuitive. I have a guiding idea for each project, and I let that idea subconsciously guide me as I choose colors and weave. I pick the size of each color block by winding as much yarn as feels right, then I use all of it. In addition, due to the nature of the loom, I can only see about six inches of the project at any given time, the rest is hidden. As a result, I don’t have a clear image of what the project will look like until it is finished and off the loom. This has led me to focus more on the whole project and not get lost in picking the “perfect” color for each row. It helps me not lose the forest for the trees.
ABOUT
Fintan McCollom is a weaver, dancer, and printmaker from Dallas, Texas. Mental health is a large focus of their work and impacts other themes in their art, such as the desire to see the good in the world. They have been dancing since they were very young, and it is yet another way they use art to express emotion. Emotion is a key theme in their work, both positive and negative. They are a self-taught weaver and spinner who works to remind people of the importance of weaving and other handicrafts and the soothing properties they can have. Their work has become more abstract over time, focusing on color and texture instead of direct representation.
CV Download
Fintan McCollom Art 