Parrish Kirchoff

Bio

Parrish Kirchoff received her BFA in Textile and Fashion Design from the Maine College of Art and Design in 2024. Born and raised on the southern border of Maine by two artists and teachers, she grew up being schlepped through art museums and was raised to create. Her practice focuses on textiles and garment construction, developing three-dimensional forms through embroidery, knitting, quilting, and a range of surface design techniques that enrich both the material and the finished work.

Statement

Often what is not inherently visible are the individual importances within each piece. My work reflects ideas surrounding my lived experiences. I am drawn to what many consider to be taboo & in some instances grotesque. These are things that often affect all of us. Bodily functioning, interpersonal relationships, mental struggles. My goal is to help influence greater understanding within those who have not experienced these normal life occurrences.
Having worked with textile materials as my main medium for the past five years my hand is increasingly important to my work. It’s expressive, creates flaws to work around and brings character to the final piece. Due to the nature of garment-making, planning is somewhat essential. I don’t like being restricted to a plan. However, I allow constraints to work with problem solving throughout the process and boundaries of a material within my goal of the outcome.

Spherical Fender Armor, Morgan, 2024

Wool, Cotton, Polyester, Roving, Knit-I Cord

Photo: Liv Moore