Artsy Shark is very pleased to present the portfolio of fiber artist Sue Bleiweiss. Visit her website for more information about this fascinating artist.
What are your goals?
Well it may sound simplistic but my goal has always been to enjoy the creative process. I’m not concerned with creating a perfect or flawless piece of art, rather I strive to create something that delights the eye, feeds the senses and fires the imagination. I want to create art that stands on it’s own without having to know the story or inspiration behind it.
What are you working on now?
Currently I’m working on developing and refining some new techniques using silk to resemble aged, weathered metal and wood surfaces and I’ve started a series of corsets and garments from the late 1800’s using the resulting surfaces. My intent with the series is to highlight the contrast between how garments of that era that were worn to enhance a womans beauty were so restrictive and uncomfortable to wear that it must have made the wearer feel weighed down, restrained and
anything but beautiful.
What techniques to you use?
I prefer working with silk and the techniques I use to manipulate and embellish it are really quite simple. I use both acrylic and textile paints for techniques such as screenprinting, stamping and just adding color to cloth with brushes or found objects. I also do a lot of hand dyeing with procion dyes.
What inspires you?
Everything! I know that may seem like a trite answer but really I find that inspiration comes from so many different sources that it would be hard to list just one. Sometimes it can come from a walk to the mailbox and seeing the surface on a tree that I never noticed before or from reflecting on a conversation with a friend and more often than not inspiration comes when I’m not looking for it.
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