Robert Forman lives in New Jersey, USA and he began making yarn paintings in 1969 while still in High School. His technique, inspired by Huichol yarn paintings, involves gluing yarn, cotton, linen, rayon, and silk to hard, flat surfaces. Robert’s yarns vary in material and thickness. His materials include cotton, linen, silk, and rayon. The diameter ranges from sewing thread to eighth inch cord.
Forms are rendered by the direction the yarn is glued as well as color changes. Yarn lit horizontally is bright while vertically lit yarn is dark. The material and sheen of the yarn determines the intensity of this effect.
He is able to mix colors by alternating yarn. He can also mix a number of images using this technique. The finished picture is sealed with Fabric Guard™. The final step is the frame, which he mill and build in his wood shop.
Nearly two decades after developing his method, Robert discovered that the Huichol community in Mexico creates art in a very similar style. He traveled to Mexico as a Fulbright Scholar to meet and collaborate with other yarn painters.
His work is often exhibited at the The Francis M. Naumann Gallery in Manhattan, NY, and will certainly be on display throughout the remainder of 2015.
