Bio
Dawn Ertl is an artist born in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles but has lived in many different parts of the state. Her experience of constantly moving while growing up between rural areas and cities affected how she interacted with others. She feels connected and disconnected simultaneously, allowing her to step back and view relationships and environments from a distance, even while being part of it. She works hard to form and sustain long-lasting relationships to cultivate and protect her curated communities. At the same time, she is comfortable being alone. In solitude, she finds other ways to connect through research and planning. The same perspectives that have drawn her to art have pulled her closer to social practices and fiber-based techniques, especially weaving, establishing a foundational structure while continuously supporting exploration and testing its stability. Both genres rely on physical and mental interconnections to make them stronger and long-lasting.
Dawn has exhibited her work throughout the United States at various galleries, including Four Fourteen, William Blizard Gallery, Seaver Gallery, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Los Angeles (TSA LA), South Bay Contemporary, The Arcade, The Manhattan Beach Art Center, El Camino Community College, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Boston Court, as well as the Cerritos College Art Gallery.
Artist Statement
I am an artist who makes work exploring environmental issues connected to human behaviors using fiber, public engagement, research, and data-driven algorithms. I use weaving, knitting, and joining techniques to establish foundational environments that are added onto by building up narratives related to human activity. My work demonstrates the link to researched information through titles and project statements. Additionally, titles often reference intimate emotional transfers one might exchange while involved in a co-dependent relationship.
I employ color, hand-dyed yarn, and painting to set the tone of the subject matter or location representation. I rely on materials with minimized environmental impacts, like hemp and Tencel, while sometimes incorporating otherwise throw-away items like single-use plastics. I utilize compositional methods that challenge the viewer to investigate further and to reflect inwardly. I integrate varied textures, material placement, and spacing rhythms to guide perspectives.
For weavings, in particular, I use open and compacted material spacing to invite conversation and to provide obstacles. Both methods invite compromise and consideration of the landscape and subject. I also subvert traditional methodologies to challenge learned generational behaviors. Examples can be seen where fringe is added to weaving that wouldn't usually have it in a particular area or at all, when paint is added to already dyed fiber, and when yarn is used in open spaces to illustrate the basics of the underlined structure.
