Deborah L Brand |
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DEBORAH L. BRAND - ARTIST
ARTIST'S STATEMENT I am a fiber artist and sculptor with a predilection for fantasy that is suggestive of literary and musical ideas. I favor intense color and baroque forms that create a sense of physical energy. In college I studied painting. My teacher, John Ferrin taught that we should attempt to make our paintings 'sing'. So many decades later, I keep his comment in my mind as I work. Not only do my constructions sing, they are light hearted and appear to move like the flow of music. I was always a maker. As a child I used diverse found objects to create tiny imaginary worlds. Many years later, when earning my MFA, I discovered my preference for working three dimensionally. (Even my wall pieces move towards the viewer, almost becoming sculptural.) Circular objects: fans, coils, funnels and rings are very appealing. I take pleasure in using disparate materials and odd combinations. Paper flowers and beading enliven old etchings, rusted steel fragments are covered with lace and crocheted forms hover over images of renaissance architecture. A few years ago, I discovered the wonder of sewing with glass beads. These tiny pieces of light enhance my work, adding sparkle and glow. Best of all, the slow process involved in this process takes me to a deep level of creative thought. Today, whether working two or three dimensionally, I consider myself an assemblagest who works with found materials, the castoffs of life. I edit these objects and wait for the right pieces to come along and complete my creative dream. Sometimes fragments live in my studio for years, until the right partners are found. When a piece is completed, I add color. I paint and wait, paint and wait, until finally, the object comes alive and makes music. When it sings, my work is done. My work brings me joy which I hope to share with those who look carefully. I aim to delight and amuse as I give pleasure to my audience. Juried Group Exhibitions "Third Annual Invitational", NohoM55 Gallery, Manhattan, June/July 2019 "Form & Fantasy", The Village Center of Port Jefferson, New York March, April 2018 "The Primacy of Color", George Billis Gallery, Chelsea, New York November, 2016 "Yard Works", Chashama juried, October 2016, 1133 Sixth Avenue, New York Narthex Gallery, St. Peters's Church, Manhattan, January 2015 Iona College Art Gallery, New Rochelle, "Scene and Unseen" March, 2014 Galerie Protege, "Look Sharp: Art and Fashion from the Edge," New York, 2012 Lobby Gallery, "9x9x3 Revisited," New York 2012 Arsenal Arts Center, "Biomorphia," Watertown MA, 2011 San Francisco Museum of Folk Art and Craft, 2008 Godwin-Ternbach Museum, "The Fabric of Cultures," New York 2006 Wayne Arts Center, "CraftForms 2006," Wayne, Pennsylvania 2006 Silvermine Guild, "Crafts USA," New Canaan, Connecticut 2002 & 2005 Godwin-Ternbach Museum, "Music and the Visual Arts," New York 2005 Denise Bibro Gallery, "Form and Function 3," New York, NY 2003 to 2004 Textile Center of Minnesota, "Artwear in Motion," Minneapolis, Minnesota 2003 DeCordova Museum, "Wearables 2002," Lincoln, Massachusetts 2002 St. Louis Artist's Guild, "In Your Face: Portraits," St. Louis, Missouri 2001 Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, "Fiber Celebrated 2001," Logan, Utah 2001 The Gayle Wilson Gallery, Southampton, NY 1997 to 2001 American Craft Museum, " 9x9x3" New York, NY 1998 New Art Forms Exposition, Chicago Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois 1992 to 1996 Katie Gingrass Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1991 to 1996 Palos Verdes Arts Center, Palos Verdes, California 1995 Convergence 94, Saint Paul, Minnesota 1994 The Atrium Gallery, New York, NY 1990 1992 Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, Colorado 1990 The New England Quilt Museum, "Breaking New Ground," Lowell, Massachusetts 1989 Courthouse Quilt Conference, Geneva, Illinois 1989 Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, "Designed to Wear," Portland, Oregon 1988 Mendecino Arts Center, "What to Wear," Mendecino, California 1987 Minneapolis Institute of Art, "Artwear '87," Minneapolis, Minnesota 1987 Prieto Gallery, Oakland, California 1986 16 Hands, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1985 Bellevue Museum, "Artwear '85 & '86," Bellevue, Washington 1985 & 1986 Cohen Gallery, Denver, Colorado 1984 Albright Knox Museum, "Art to Wear," Buffalo, NY 1984 Long Island Artists Guild, Long Island, NY 1976 & 1982 Mamaroneck Artists Guild National Exhibit, Mamaroneck, NY 7 shows 1974 to 1986 Professional Affiliations Artists Circle Of New York New York Society Of Women Artists Textile Study Group of New York Awards and Publications Art Of Connection, by Andra Stanton Published by Schiffer, 2020 Proof Magazine, "Finding Meaning Under A Stone", Artist Interview by Kayla Brand, pages 27&28, 2016 Shuttle, Spindle, Dyepot, Photo Credit Winter 2014/15 page 6 The Fabric of Cultures: The Godwin-Ternback Museum, 2008 St. Louis Artists' Guild: Alice Hunter Memorial Prize 2001 Fiberarts Reviews November-December 1990 Mamaroneck Artists' Guild Award 1986 Fiberarts Reviews May-June 1986 The New York Times April 21, 1985 Mamaroneck Artists' Guild Craft Award 1984 Long Island Craftsmen's Guild Award 1976 Education Master of Fine Arts, Queens College Master of Science in Education, Queens College Bachelor of Arts, Queens College Studies in sculpture and batik painting, New School University |
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