Joh Ricci

"Bringing creative life to an idea using this form of expression can be both tedious and time-intensive, yet there is a hypnotic rhythm to the process of manipulating colored threads into knots."

Beginning her fiber art experience at age eight when a great aunt taught her to crochet, Joh Ricci was on her way to creating fabric with nothing more than yarn, a crochet hook, and her hands. Knotting is similar in many ways: it doesn't require any elaborate equipment, just an imagination. Knotting allows Ricci to explore shape and design in an endless palette of color, giving her opportunities to express the passion for working with yarn that she developed as a youth.

Joh Ricci creates her fiber forms using nylon thread, most of which she hand dyes. Through sketches, she explores shapes, designs, and color combinations. The tedious and rhythmic motion of making knots begins using the guidelines of her design specifications. At times, however, a piece follows its own path, which she embraces as a natural response to the creative process of knotting.

While earning a BFA with a concentration in fibers from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, Joh continued to explore and develop her artistic expression in fiber, including techniques such as loom weaving and hand bead weaving. Mostly self-taught in knotting, she has spent the last ten years experimenting and pushing the boundaries of the technique, finding her creative voice. She continues to draw inspiration from everyday life.