That's a Wrap

 

There are so many ways to create in Fiber Arts.  Let's look at two artists who got wrapped up in yarn.  Their art can be considered both Fibers and Sculpture.

Sheila Hicks

Through out her long career, American artist Sheila Hicks has been innovative and inspired other fiber artists.  

At Yale, Sheila earned her BFA and MFA -- these are art degrees that mean she is like a "super-expert" in her art making.  Sheila learned about painting and sculpture but it was on a Fulbright scholarship that she traveled to Chile and got interested in fibers.  Sheila's travel to locations around the world inspired her art.

Sheila uses traditional craft to create installations of her fiber works. (An installation is an art filled room or space where you actually are in the art rather than just staring at it on a wall. Sculptures that make you feel like you've stepped into a new world or change how you see or feel about a space.). 

Known for her vibrant colors and innovative use of materials, Sheila makes us think about fibers in a new way. 

Sheila's art fills a wall inside the newly remodeled Powell Hall where the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra plays.  I hope you get a chance to checkout her colorful fiber art.

Let's look at another artist who created art wrapped with fiber materials.

Judith Scott

Judith Scott has become a well known American sculptor and fiber artist.  Judith was born a twin and with Down Syndrome.  She was mostly deaf and did not speak.  

At the time in history when Judith was a child, it was unfortunately common for people with disabilities to live in institutions. Judith spent most of her life in an institution for the mentally disabled.  (Institutions for people with disabilities are places where many people with disabilities used to live together, often in big buildings far away from their families).  How would that feel?

Judith's twin Joyce worked hard and got guardianship of Judith, meaning Joyce is not her parent but legally takes care of her like her parents would. As an adult, Judith moved to California to live with her twin sister.  

In California, Joyce enrolled her twin sister in Creative Growth Art Center, an art studio for adults with disabilities.  

It took some time but Judith eventually revealed herself to be a talented fiber artist.

She found objects of all sizes and would wrap them, weave them and interlace them with fiber materials like yarn and fabric.  Judith's art would eventually be recognized, appreciated and end up in museums around the world.  

How might Judith or Sheila's Fiber Art inspire work in our studio?  Maybe you'll create a form that you'll wrap yarn and string around.

Will you create art by wrapping, weaving, knotting and intertwining fibers?

Fibers Boot Camp

Pom poms

Fiber wrapped Figures

abstract art in all studios

 What in the world is Abstract Art?

Key stage 1

Abstract art is a way for artists to be creative and not worry about making things look exactly as they do in real life. You can think of abstract art as a visual puzzle where you look at the shapes and colors and decide what it makes you feel or think of.

Keystage 2

Now that we know that Abstract Art is a modern style of art that uses lines, shapes and colors to express feelings or ideas instead of showing real things, let's look at how Abstract Art might be created in many of our studios.

Abstract Art in the Fibers studio might look like cutting fabric into lines, shapes and colors and sewing the pieces in place.  The stitches can become interesting lines in the art.

Fibers tends to be abstract. 

Do you notice Lines, Shapes and Colors?

Abstract Art in the Drawing Studio can still include portraits, a still-life and landscape but they will not be true to reality but gives more of a feeling or idea of a portrait, still life or landscape.  

The idea or feeling of a face.  The idea or essence of the sun and mountains.  The gesture of a dog.  The form of a tea kettle and pitcher.   

Can you tell what creature this abstracted art is trying to represent?



Abstract Art might look like this in the Printmaking Studio.  

Using Stamps, bubble wrap, rollers and paint, you can create a colorful printed design by pressing shapes and colors onto the surface of your paper.

You can create abstract art like these Gelli Prints by using shapes and color.



Abstract Art in painting might look like painting large colorful shapes and areas on your paper and the following class coming back in and painting lines, dots, shapes in black paint.
Wet on Wet Watercolor circles.  This young painter brushed on one color in a round shape then dabbed another color of watercolor on top of the wet paint to create blended color circles.

Draw Lines and Paint Shapes on top!  Voila, Abstract Art.  

We can tell this represents a landscape but it doesn't look true to reality so it is Abstract.  Abstract can look like something we know such as a portrait or landscape but when it doesn't look like reality we say it's abstract.

Abstract in collage

Collage tends to look abstract.  Torn paper, overlapping, patterned paper and paper shapes don't look like the figures and landscapes we see in the real world.  Artists can create a reality that doesn't exist.  How cool is that!

Abstract art in Sculpture

Do you recognize some leaf shapes or the profile of a face? Could this be a landscape or a portrait?  If so, how?

Let's see if you can identify Abstract versus Realistic in works of art.

Can you tell which is the abstract and which is the realistic work of art?

A.                                                                                               B.

Portraits in Abstract and Realistic styles.

A.                                                                                                        B.

Both are swimmers.  One is Abstract and one is Realistic.

A.                                                                            B. 

Both are still-life artworks.  One is Abstract and one is Realistic.

A.                                                                                                                      B.

Abstract and Realistic Landscapes.

A.                                                                                                     B.

Cityscapes in realistic and abstract styles.

A.                                                                                                     B.

A.                                                                                                        B.

These artworks are by the same artist, Gerhard Richter and are in the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Did this mini-lesson give you a better idea about Abstract Art?

Do you have a preference for Abstract or Realistic Art?

Maybe you have made abstract art before and didn't even realize it!

Will you make abstract art?