glossary (or a poem)
rum•mage /ˈrəmij/ verb
search unsystematically and untidily through a mass or receptacle.
gath•er /ˈɡaT͟Hər/ verb
bring together and take in from scattered places or sources.
touch /təCH/ verb
handle in order to manipulate, alter, or otherwise affect.
shape /SHāp/ verb
give a particular form to.
capture /ˈkapCHər/ verb
record or express accurately in words or pictures.
print /print/ verb
produce by a mechanical process involving the transfer of images or
designs to paper.
ten•dril /ˈtendrəl/ verb*
to stretch out and twine around any suitable support.
*artistic license
Shannon Maher
Originally from Wisconsin, the Bay Area became home in 1993.. With on-going independent art study and a BBA from UW-Madison, I began work in arts management - with individual artists, commercial galleries and live classical music. Marketing and fundraising roles for The Women’s Philharmonic, an all-female orchestra, led to mission-based work addressing the severe gender gap in the orchestral music world; a gap that remains today and exists throughout many artistic fields.
Later, program management for The Women’s Foundation, on broader issues of equity and social justice for low-income women and girls, particularly on issues of reproductive choice, taught me to think critically about inequality. Raised on the edge of poverty, by a single mother in rural mid-western America, I think of working to address the vast, increasing economic insecurity in the US as a lifelong pursuit. But in 2003, I returned to creative work with opportunities in commercial photo styling and interior design.
Tendril Studios was formed in 2010 to collaboratively explore product design ideas and interior design projects. It became a solo studio art practice at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. I’m currently exploring the intersection of economics, ecology and art. Surrounded by the beauty of the Pacific Ocean, the Bay Lands and the Santa Cruz Mountains, I take walks with my eyes wide open.
Capture & Print
Involvement in interior design projects that ended with drained budgets, yet bare walls, led me to look at large format digital printing as a way to offer clients affordable, timely, creative options to complement thoughtful design elements.
The result is a growing library of large digital files captured with a flatbed scanner. A unique depth of field creates a magical perspective; a sense that one could crawl into the shadowy crevices and feel the texture of an object.
Rummage & Gather
What began as a documentation of objects collected on walks and from flea markets, has become an ongoing exploration of pattern, imperfection and decay. In examining and recording the tension between soft and hard, the effects of time and the elements on fragile surfaces I see visual metaphors for our existential struggles, with time, nature and each other.
Images shown on the website can be printed in a range of sizes, on acid-free, fine art papers or a variety of affordable options. Framing is available.
Touch & Shape
In recent years a constant state of anxiety has driven me to compulsively knit, crochet, weave and stitch. While finding the repetitive handwork therapeutic, I remind myself that perfection is not my goal. There is beauty in imperfection and solace in process.
Inspiration in the natural world and a deep curiosity for almost any subject - science, engineering, physics, philosophy, psychology, economics - leads me down endless, meandering rabbit holes. I look everywhere for existential clarity and my art documents the search.
Utilitarian materials, often recycled or reused — such as old wire, rope, moth-eaten wool sweaters, recycled paint, bicycle tire inner tubes, used automotive drive belts - are touched, combined, layered or stripped away. Many messes are made.
Some of the smaller creations have been digitally scanned and made available as a digital prints. Original sculptures are also for sale.
CONTACT ME for a studio visit.
Shannon Maher, May 2023