“Warm Foothills,” 2025, loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 32 x 36 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
At first glance, Hannah Buechler’s vibrant abstract works look like paintings. But what appears as thick, expressive brushstrokes is actually made from tiny rubber loom bands (commonly used in friendship bracelets) wrapped around wool. The artist transforms this familiar craft material into tactile compositions that blur the boundaries between painting and textile art.
Inspired by Impressionist mark-making, Buechler builds her compositions through small, repetitive gestures. From a distance, the compositions resemble expressive abstractions, with sweeping forms and undulating patterns. Move closer, however, and their surfaces reveal an intricate arrangement of individual loops. The glossy rubber catches the light against the softness of wool and felt, creating a tactile quality that invites closer inspection. This shifting perception is part of what makes the work so compelling.
Buechler’s compositions evoke a surprising range of imagery. Flowing patterns recall topographical maps and graphical weather forecasts, while other arrangements suggest woven rugs or anatomical forms. These references emerge without settling into a single recognizable subject. Instead, the works occupy an intriguing space between abstraction and association, inviting viewers to discover their own points of connection.
Scale also plays an important role in the experience of Buechler’s work. The compositions draw the eye across expanses of saturated color, yet their intricate surfaces reward close attention. What initially reads as a sweeping painterly gesture becomes a collection of smaller marks, each contributing to the rhythm of the whole.
There is an unmistakable exuberance to Buechler’s approach. Her densely layered compositions embrace maximalism, filling the surface with vivid color and intricate detail. Repetition becomes a source of visual abundance, while the interplay of soft fibers and glossy bands gives the work a distinctive presence.
By transforming everyday loom bands into painterly gestures, Buechler offers a fresh perspective on the possibilities of abstraction. Her work is playful, tactile, and visually complex, challenging our expectations of what a painting can be. What appears at first to be an expressive field of color reveals a world of unexpected materials, inviting viewers to look again.
Artist Hannah Buechler transforms colorful loom bands into vibrant abstract paintings.
“The Space Between,” 2024, loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 77 x 72.5 x 2 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
“Frozen Realm,” 2025, loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 74 x 47.85 x 2 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
Inspired by Impressionist mark-making, she reimagines everyday materials through tactile compositions.
“Palisade, 2025,” loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 58.25 x 44.5 x 2 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
“Don’t Push,” 2025, loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 52.5 x 34.5 x 2 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
Her exuberant works blur the boundaries between painting and textile art through color and texture.
“Borderlines,” 2024-25, loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 78 x 73.5 x 2 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
“Fountains,” 2025, rubber loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 48 x 44.5 x 2 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
“Tabby,” 2025, loom bands, wool, and felt framed, 57.25 x 31.5 x 2 in. (Photo: Spencer Higgins)
