Art Statement
For the first five years of my life as an artist, I was consumed with the process of making art. Most likely this is because it was a time of miraculous discoveries and intensive learning, which delighted me as a former scientist and technical person. Happily, today, my perspective is different. I am attentive to an inner voice that guides my work. No, this is decidedly not a religious experience; but there is, nevertheless, a strongly spiritual impetus that both inspires and pervades my work. Many works are inspired by image-rich Biblical verses; some by poetry.
Perhaps you are now looking at one of my fabric collages, wondering how it is made. I do not start with a drawing, photograph, or mental image of the final product! I begin by walking restlessly around my studio, engaged in a mental and physical battle of sorts, focusing on the idea or verse that I am trying to interpret through imagery. Ideas for the piece begin to emerge; once the work process begins, things move rapidly. I begin with color, thus setting the emotional temperature of the piece, locate candidate fabrics in my stash, and begin a layout. My stash of perhaps a thousand fabrics includes silks, hand-dyed cottons, batiks, synthetics, metallic silks, cut velvets; fabrics that are translucent, iridescent, crinkled and otherwise textured. The cutting process is critical, first roughly then finely shaped pieces emerge, and I create a jigsaw-like image, but unlike a real jigsaw puzzle, the pieces begin to overlap, and the image continues to evolve during the creation process. At some point, I begin to back each piece with an incredibly lightweight fusible web that requires heat for permanence. Most of my work is mounted on polyester coated aluminum honeycomb panels and framed, and I use archival materials for this process. I confess that I enjoy the technical aspects of what I do almost as much as developing its artistic content. Thus, process continues to support and grow my artistry.
Most artists admit to the need for inspiration, and can become nearly catatonic when their “Muse” departs. I continue to be enthralled by the incomparable beauty of the Wet Mountain Valley and that of other western lands. But...it is only when I link these physical stimuli to the intangibility of the spiritual realm, that my soul permeates and transforms my work. Then, in turn, my art reaches out to others, and powerfully conveys emotion, intent and spirituality to those who are open to receive these gifts.
Grace Harbin Wever, Ph.D.
Westcliffe, Colorado
December 2009
