Impressions
Anchored in the repeat, my practice uses recurrent motifs to convey a sense of presence, fondness, and comfort in a format that distances and slows the understanding of the viewer. Using motifs of a childhood snow angel, a baby blanket worn from frequent touch, and collections kept, I emphasize the transformation of repetitive interaction into impressions that allude to the body and a sense of permanence. The origami box anchors the body of work for its origin as a collection, compulsion, and vessel, as well as its evolution into a connective geometry of lines and layers. The involvement of fiber traditions grounds the work in the lineage of craft, continuing to replicate the sensibilities of textiles as keepers of lived histories and alternative language. In addition, the incorporation of paper allows for different methods of capturing image through transparency and opacity, as well as introducing the capacity of paper to “remember” fold lines. This body of work exists in shades of white to accentuate the subtleties of form and image while acting as an obstruction to clarity, elongating the experience of the work. Dynamic natural light illuminates the work differently through time, reflecting the nature of an impression left from repetitive action. Just as the light appears and disappears, so does the wind wipe away a snow angel, and an iron erase fold lines in cloth.
About
Sam Beil is from Glenside, PA, and is pursuing a BFA in Fiber with a minor in Book Arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art, expected graduation in 2025. She is currently based in Baltimore, MD. Beil creates soft replicas of repeated motifs using iterative methods of making including weaving, knitting, and quilting, as well as silkscreening, papermaking, and book binding, to convey a sense of presence, permanence, and fondness. The iconography and repetition in her work ruminates on impressions and capturing the ephemeral. Beil uses her broad understanding of fiber processes and dedication to craftsmanship to serve teaching assistant and studio assistant positions, most recently as an assistant to Baltimore-based weaver, Hellen Ascoli.