Artwork copyright Deborah Rutherford. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Deborah Rutherford. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Blue Thesis, 1977

Deborah Rutherford
American

Location: Bowdish Middle School, Spokane Valley

About the Artwork

Blue Thesis by textile artist Deborah Rutherford is a meticulously constructed, abstract artwork. It hints at the natural landscape with vibrant colors. She created this piece by screen printing a black grid onto cotton fabric, then hand-dyeing each square to create gradations and vibrations of color. She then pleated and stitched together each row of squares to create dimensionality. She notes that the pleating allows the viewer to experience variations in surface and composition as one moves around the piece.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Central Valley School District.

About the Artist

Artist Deborah Rutherford creates textile artworks that explore relationships between color, form, and perspective. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Textile Design from the University of Washington in Seattle.