Carol Shinn Textile artist Carol Shinn lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. She holds a BFA from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MFA from Arizona State University. She teaches across the United States for schools such as Arrowmont, Penland, Haystack, Arizona State University, and Mesa Community College. She authored Freestyle Machine Embroidery by Interweave Press. Known internationally for her photography-based, machine-stitched images, her works feature environmental and architectural vignettes. Shinn’s process begins with photographs she takes with purposeful spontaneity so the images can retain the fleeting immediacy of moving through space. She digitally alters the photographs before transferring the images to fabric. From there, she stitches the piece with a basic sewing machine without the aid of computerization. She lowers the machine feed dogs in order to move the fabric freely and achieve the desired length and density of each stitch. The stitches, which densely cover the canvas, act like pencil hatch marks. The fine scale of thread describes extraordinary detail while the different layers of thread enrich the work’s color. Rooted in time and place, Shinn explores landscapes and architecture. She alters her snapshots of a particular moment and space to filter it through her imagination. The slow process of embroidery adds an additional element of time, contemplation, and attention to detail. Her photorealistic works seek to explore the environment rather than comment on a mood or meaning in order to allow viewers to draw their own conclusions. She places immense importance on the particulars and small details, which bring out the life and character of each moment. In her highly involved process of creating work, she says, “I have noticed brief moments when seeing, being, and making coalesce to some transcendent point, or I have become the thing I am stitching.”Numerous public and private collections hold her work including the Denver Art Museum, Racine Art Museum, American Express, University of New Mexico, and the Museum of Arts & Design. She has been featured in such publications as American Craft, Embroidery, Fiberarts, Georgia Review, and Surface Design. Her awards include accolades from Fiberart International and Surface Design Association Conference, among others.<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:AvantGarde-Book; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:"ITC Avant Garde Gothic Book"; mso-font-charset:77; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:MinionPro-Regular; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:77; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p.BasicParagraph, li.BasicParagraph, div.BasicParagraph {mso-style-name:"\[Basic Paragraph\]"; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-unhide:no; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:120%; mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:MinionPro-Regular; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family:MinionPro-Regular; color:black;} span.Biography {mso-style-name:Biography; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; mso-ansi-font-size:9.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size:9.5pt; font-family:AvantGarde-Book; mso-ascii-font-family:AvantGarde-Book; mso-hansi-font-family:AvantGarde-Book; mso-bidi-font-family:AvantGarde-Book; color:black; mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} /* Page Definitions */ @page {mso-footnote-numbering-restart:each-section;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}