Statement:
My interest in landscape originated during my first teaching appointment in Ohio. Feeling disconnected, I was suddenly struck with nostalgia for the fields of Macungie, Pennsylvania, where I was born, and I became increasingly conscious of the importance of place in our lives. The textures and materials of textiles provided a medium to explore my memories of place.

Initially, I used the simple graphics of a plowed field or memories of a mountainside near my parents’ home as sources for my imagery. Recently, the mountains of Colorado and the desert and woodlands of the South-west have become most important to my work. From my earliest visits, I began to realize that placing yourself into the vast landscape of the West required time and careful attention. You could not walk unaware of your surroundings. Noticing changes over time and paying attention to details of the landscape allowed one to be part of it – situating oneself by being totally present and then appreciating its silences. I have tran-slated the time spent paying attention into my process and the labor of making; the silence is contained in the meditations that allow these works to happen.
                                                                                                             Lewis Knauss