Artist Affiliations/Background/Statement

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Affiliations  

I am a member of the Orange Country Artists Guild. I have served as Tour Coordinator while on the board. I am also a member of Pittsboro Gallery of Arts, Durham Arts Guild, and Triangle Visual Artists. My work has been juried into various gallery shows throughout the triangle area…to name a few…

The Art Center in Carrboro 

Raleigh Fine Arts  

Litmus Gallery in Raleigh

ArtSpace in Raleigh  

FRANK community Gallery in Chapel Hill  

Hillsborough Gallery of Art 

Margaret Lane Gallery in Hillsborough  

Eno River Unitarian Universalist Gallery in Durham  

National Humanities Center gallery in Research Triangle  

Page Walker Arts in Cary

Impulse Creativity in Mebane  

Incubator in Siler City    

Bill Hester Fine Arts in Chapel Hill

Background

With intensive self-study and experimentation for many years, I work with a variety of mediums in diverse areas of craft. Originally I was a fiber artist and weaver. I attended classes at Rochester Institute of Technology in the early seventies and have been to the Penland School of Crafts three times to study fiber structures, hand dyeing, painting and marbling fabric, as well as mixing metals with glass. Themes I explored in fiber arts are now reflected in other mediums. The possibilities for patterns and figures sustain my interest.

Of note, I received a Masters Degree in Media/Visual Design from UNC Chapel Hill in the mid 70s. 

Artist Statement

One usually asks of an artist, “Where does your inspiration come from?” My response: I am drawn to rhythms and patterns found in the natural environment. This appears in many forms: the ripples and waves of water, the effects created by the ebb and flow of surf on sand, the wispy appearance of fire, the swirls of clouds, the flutter of leaves on trees, the multifaceted shapes of buds and flowers, the feathered wings of birds.

I am also attracted by a wide array of distinctive forms created by man — including architecture and other repetitive forms. I agree with Levi-Straus — an anthropologist who expressed his viewpoint of art in a unique way. He felt that art and its accompanying myths have no unique authors; art just occurs and is transmitted over generations and from tribe to tribe. I too, also feel that the shapes and “scapes” used in my imagery are derived from an unconscious source. I cannot help but explore relationships, that occur with purpose or with whimsy in my work.

Other observations?  My work is inspired by nature in both form and process. There is a co-dependence on earth, water, and fire.

My fiber work also results from the use of organic materials born of the earth. Threads for fabric are spun from silkworms, grown from cotton, or sheared from sheep. My dyes and paintings on silk have a translucent quality. In my hand-dyed silk, the resist serves to distinctly outline each shape; while the imagery of the marbled pieces is more diffuse. These marbled works appear more organic and result from manipulating colors of paint dropped on a viscous surface; the resistance of water allows patterns to emerge; repeatedly dying one-panel results in cross-currents of color and form.

My fused glass work is made from earth elements; silica is the basics of glass. There is an association with fire because articles are fused at high temperatures. The glass is a hard medium, but the light that passes through the layers can be soft and diffused — enriching the visual experience. My glasswork contains many-faceted cut pieces of glass, carefully constructed, frequently with many layers.

Other Interests

I also create websites for artists. You can see that talent at: https://website-design-at-the-crest-of-the-hill.com/

Collaboration with Ed Ralston

For framing and other unique applications, I collaborate with my partner, Ed Ralston, and together we develop tools and refine processes needed to execute our crafts. Ed applies his skills as a craftsman to combining different media, including glass, wood, and copper. Ed creates brackets for wall hangings as well as unique frames for my tapestry and marbled art. He also assembles bases and armatures for other media.  Ed has been active in woodworking for 20 years, creating custom cabinetry and applications for fine homebuilding.