Catharine divides her time between studio work, and teaching the Professional Fiber Program at Haywood Community College. Her original training was in traditional woven techniques, which led her to weave functional fabrics for many years, often iincorporating ikat resist dyeing. More recently, her career has been defined by the discovery and exploration of the woven shibori process.
“Woven shibori has challenged all that I know about weaving and has led me to investigate new materials, resists, dyes and finishing processes. The fabrics I have produced include combinations of dyed cellulose fibers, wool felting and resist, permanent shaping with thermoplastics, and woven steel with heat treatment. Continued exploration of woven shibori and its applications will define and my guide my work for many years to come.”
Selected Exhibitions
Ellis’s work has been chosen for many exhibitions.
- 2006 – International Lace Biennial, Brussels, Belgium
- 2006 – Fusion: Weaving and Shibori, Grand Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
- 2006 – Stories from the Landscape, Ginko Gallery, Oberlin, OH
- 2005 – Textures, Waynesville, NC, solo exhibition
- 2005 – Crossing Boundaries: Maintaining Traditions – Teaching Artists of the Southeast, Center for Craft Creativity and Design, Hendersonville, NC
- 2004 – The Nature of Craft and the Penland Experience, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
- 2003 – Southeastern Fiber Invitational, Blue Spiral Gallery, Asheville, NC
- 2001 – 2001 Daegu International Textile Design Exchange Exhibition, Korea
- 1999 – Shibori Expression in Contemporary Art, Third International Shibori Symposium, Santiago, Chile