Griffin Gallery

A turning point in the evolution of Jan Cadman Powell's art occurred when she heard the tale that Irish fishermen wore sweaters knitted with a specific arrangement of stitches, linking them to a particular location, so drowned bodies could be returned to their home villages.

"It is this notion, knitting as code, which has most prominently manifested itself in my recent work," says Powell.

Her series of photographic lithographs, codedknits, is featured in the Griffin Gallery at the Griffin Museum November 13 through January 11.

"I have endeavored to explore the geometric, emblematic, abstract, and decorative aspects of knitting," Powell says. "I have experimented with the concept of scale. The knots take on different qualities when enlarged or reduced. Line, tone, texture, and shape interact in an intimate relationship."

Her process begins with her knitting samples, that she says, "act as my drawings - I have control in the decisions of which yarn, needle size, and number of stitches I use, but as it progresses the work takes on its own rhythm."

Powell says her work can be considered on three levels. "It can be viewed as a purely decorative account of knitted patterns; it could be interpreted as a historical document cataloguing a traditional craft and shared heritage; and it can be seen on a spiritual level as a statement pertaining to the continuity of the human condition and the necessity to feel a sense of community and connection to our roots."

"An artist's mark making indicates an individual style much like a personal signature," says Paula Tognarelli executive director of the Griffin Museum of Photography. "Jan Cadman Powell uses the knitted stitch as her medium of choice for codedknits. She photographs her knitted structures documenting the interplay of shape and language. Cadman's knitted marks are expressive, symbolic, narrative and conceptual all at once."

Powell is a British-born artist now living and working in Winchester, MA. Her career in the United Kingdom as a tutor of art and design spanned three decades. In August 2001 she traveled to Vermont as part of the Fulbright Teacher's Exchange Program to work at a high school. She moved to New England permanently in 2005.

Her work has been exhibited and is in private collections in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

An opening reception with Powell is November 13, 7-8:30 p.m. It is open to all. Please RSVP by November 8.

The Griffin Museum of Photography is open Tuesday through Thursday, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm; Friday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 - 4:00 pm. The Museum is closed on Monday. Admission is $5 for adults; $2 for seniors. Members and children under 12 are admitted free. Admission is free to all every Thursday. For more information, call 781-729-1158