Arrowmont: after 25 years, I am returning to the place where it all started for me as a fiber artist. That embarrassing picture is me, Amber O’Harrow (then Amber Wood), with my first weaving, turned into a bag. Let’s see where my journey has led me since then, as I follow my guide, Pat Hickman on an exploration of fiber sculpture at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.
I suppose the first thing I should blog about is a little background information on me. As I mentioned before, I am an artist who works in many mediums, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. My art focuses on the beauty found in nature, which though it may sound trite, still holds the potential for deep meaning and strong visual impact, if presented in a fresh way. This is what I attempt to do by combining unusual materials and methods to create contrast with natural forms and imagery.
As an undergraduate at RISD, my studies in fiber were two-dimensional and mostly woven. It was only as a graduate student at the University of Iowa, studying with Professor Chunghi Choo, that I discovered that I am really a sculptor and three-dimensional artist. With Professor Choo, I studied metals, with the aim to give my fiber work more form and structure. I was fortunate that Professor Choo also had a background in fiber, as well as metal. Since having studied with her, I have made everything from a crocheted intestine necklace to a 6 foot cast aluminum chicken.
Having a wide range of material and method options available to me, allows me to choose the right medium to express my reaction to what I see in Nature.
I am looking forward to Pat Hickman’s class in fiber sculpture to gain more knowledge in new methods and materials. We will be using materials such as gut, waxed linen, paper and bees wax. The description of her class is as follows:
“This workshop will encourage participants to explore visual ideas suggested through openwork textile structure, primarily that of knotted netting and knotless netting. The importance of what is "not there" will be built into conceptually based quick studies and studio projects, both 2-D and 3-D. There will be exploration using a variety of materials, including the use of gut (hog casings), Hickman's signature material. The workshop is less of a "how to" than an experience in discovery, questioning, and ongoing ways of working. No previous knowledge of these textile techniques is required, just a willingness to explore and learn.”
What more can I say! I think it will be an interesting exploration and will help me to develop my work in the direction I have been heading with my most recent piece, Intestine Necklace, as well as in earlier work, such as my nest installation, called Together.
Retracing my steps: Explorations in Fiber Sculpture at Arrowmont
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Arrowmont: after 25 years, I am returning to the place where it all started for me as a fiber artist. That embarrassing picture is me, Amber O’Harrow (then Amber Wood), with my first weaving, turned into a bag. Let’s see where my journey has led me since then, as I follow my guide, Pat Hickman on an exploration of fiber sculpture at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.
A little information to start with:
by Amber O'Harrow
Jul 5, 2014
I suppose the first thing I should blog about is a little background information on me. As I mentioned before, I am an artist who works in many mediums, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. My art focuses on the beauty found in nature, which though it may sound trite, still holds the potential for deep meaning and strong visual impact, if presented in a fresh way. This is what I attempt to do by combining unusual materials and methods to create contrast with natural forms and imagery.
As an undergraduate at RISD, my studies in fiber were two-dimensional and mostly woven. It was only as a graduate student at the University of Iowa, studying with Professor Chunghi Choo, that I discovered that I am really a sculptor and three-dimensional artist. With Professor Choo, I studied metals, with the aim to give my fiber work more form and structure. I was fortunate that Professor Choo also had a background in fiber, as well as metal. Since having studied with her, I have made everything from a crocheted intestine necklace to a 6 foot cast aluminum chicken.
Having a wide range of material and method options available to me, allows me to choose the right medium to express my reaction to what I see in Nature.
I am looking forward to Pat Hickman’s class in fiber sculpture to gain more knowledge in new methods and materials. We will be using materials such as gut, waxed linen, paper and bees wax. The description of her class is as follows:
“This workshop will encourage participants to explore visual ideas suggested through openwork textile structure, primarily that of knotted netting and knotless netting. The importance of what is "not there" will be built into conceptually based quick studies and studio projects, both 2-D and 3-D. There will be exploration using a variety of materials, including the use of gut (hog casings), Hickman's signature material. The workshop is less of a "how to" than an experience in discovery, questioning, and ongoing ways of working. No previous knowledge of these textile techniques is required, just a willingness to explore and learn.”
What more can I say! I think it will be an interesting exploration and will help me to develop my work in the direction I have been heading with my most recent piece, Intestine Necklace, as well as in earlier work, such as my nest installation, called Together.