Today the AW8 preview spotlight is on California-based OZQN member Deborah Weir. Deborah writes:
Though entirely contemporary, my artwork references traditional “women’s work.” I use a needle and traditional materials plus edgier ones: Tyvek, metals and upcycled household plastics. My work is detailed, often with reflective surfaces.
I love the process of making, but my work is always idea driven. I work in series so that I can pursue themes such as the 40,000-15,000 year old cave paintings of Europe and Australia. Pomegranates, which represent fecundity and come in the most amazing colors, are another. Industrial detritus: rusty metal, bits of plastics and random “junk” sparkle and seduce when repurposed into art. Language, including early human mark-making, is an ever-present theme.
I continue to probe the nature of our planet. My series Fierce Winds explores the excitement and terror of searing winds which have been exacerbated by sudden climate change. Recently, I began to consider aspects of water: its beauty, scarcity and impact, how the constant quest for usable water controls the lives of countless people. Additionally, I’ve done work about the Garbage Patches (gyres) in our oceans. The objective of my artwork is to awaken the mind of the viewer by means of visual seduction.
I love using photos of my previous artwork and seeing in what ways they morph and develop.
Ab Ex Next Generation Deborah Weir (40x40cm)
- Website: www.deborahweir.net
- Instagram: @fiberfly
AW8 Preview is a series of daily blog posts from 10 June to 15 July 2022 that will feature an artist and preview their artwork from the Ozquilt Network members’ exhibition Australia Wide Eight. The exhibition will premiere at Warwick Art Gallery from 24 July until 27 August 2022 and continue on tour until September 2024. Please direct any exhibition queries to AW8@ozquiltnetwork.org.au
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