I developed this body of work during a period of research and making in Provence, where my practice became deeply shaped by the region’s colors, materials, and atmosphere. Using natural dyes, pigments, and locally sourced yarns, I created large-scale sculptural woven and wrapped forms that reflected the rhythms of daily life in Lacoste. Sketches, collected materials, and sensory observations informed each piece, allowing the surrounding landscape to become embedded within the process itself. While my hand-based techniques remained consistent, the work carried a distinctly Provençal sensibility. La Vie en Rose echoed throughout my time there, evolving into a quiet mantra threaded through both the process and the work itself.

This series was later presented in a solo exhibition at Marrow Gallery.

Working with porcelain, jute, raffia, sand, and wood, I created a body of work rooted in ritual, reverence, and material transformation. The pieces drew from ceremonial and totemic forms, while weaving traditions—long used as vessels for storytelling across cultures—were both honored and reinterpreted through layered embellishment and tactile surface. A quiet theatricality emerged throughout the work, with many forms suggesting masks, relics, or sacred objects, while remaining grounded in the raw, organic integrity of their materials.

This body of work was presented in a solo exhibition at Marrow Gallery and later traveled throughout the United States as part of a five-year touring exhibition.

This body of work emerged from my time spent in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts—vast, mercurial landscapes that have profoundly shaped my practice over the years. Through gestures of reflection, obscuring, and suspended movement, I sought to distill the desert’s arid stillness, shifting palette, and its simultaneous sense of expansiveness and unknowability.

Working with linen, merino, and cotton infused with cochineal, porcelain, and earth pigments, I explored the tactile intimacy of knotted, wrapped, and stitched surfaces, allowing each piece to unfold as a kind of textured terrain. Weaving, wrapping, and knotting are intertwined with hand-built porcelain and stoneware elements, echoing the ephemeral quality of the mirage, where materiality begins to dissolve into illusion.

This body of work was presented in a solo exhibition at Marrow Gallery, and later exhibited at Pocoapoco in Oaxaca, Mexico, at the conclusion of my residency.

This work reflects the desert’s arid stillness, shifting palette, and vast unknowability through reflection, obscuring, and suspended movement. The grid emerges naturally—a familiar yet fluid structure—framing the desert’s elusive space.

Through dyeing, weaving, wrapping, and painting, I capture moments in time, allowing repetition to guide intuition. A month in the Joshua Tree desert, surrounded by cottontails and rattlesnakes, sharpened my awareness of its subtleties, deepening my exploration of its color and texture.

During my residency at the Icelandic Textile Center in Blönduós, I created large-scale movable sculptural weavings, both on and off the loom, using locally sourced materials including Icelandic wool, N1 cotton thread, and foraged plant fibers. These works explored the relationship between textile, movement, and environment, shifting between the raw openness of the surrounding landscape and the contained space of the gallery.

Alongside the larger sculptures, I developed smaller daily studies—embroidered, woven, and drawn responses that documented my evolving experience of place, process, and material experimentation throughout the residency.

Reticulation: MFA Thesis

In my thesis, I explore the grid through the lens of both weaving and painting, drawing comparisons to artists such as Anni Albers, Agnes Martin, and Sheila Hicks. I examine how the grid manifests within the intersection of form, content, and medium, expressed through process, hand, and material. Reticulation, the title of my thesis exhibition, represents the culmination of my personal explorations and ideas.

My work exists within the ongoing dialogue between the grid and its manifestations as form, content, and medium, explored through threads, weaving, and painting. I harness the inherent power of materials to create architectural frames that support weighted objects in space—objects that can be further examined within the context of this body of work, which draws inspiration from my California home.

Linen, merino, and cotton are enhanced with indigo, precious metals, and various pigments, emphasizing the texture and dimensionality of knotted or stitched forms, and transforming the canvas into a dynamic, tactile surface.

Liz Robb Studio is now accepting commissions! Whether you’re looking for a custom piece or a collaborative project, we welcome the opportunity to bring your vision to life. Each commission is a thoughtful exploration of material, form, and texture, tailored to your space and concept. Reach out at liz@lizrobb.com, and let’s create something exceptional together.

Liz Robb Studio originated in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco and is now based exclusively in Los Angeles.