Deb Menz

press release: Reflections Exhibits presents an exhibit "Reflections of 2018" by fiber artist Deb Menz. The exhibit will hang in the gallery in the offices of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters at 1922 University Ave., Madison.

The exhibit will hang from January 28 - March 15, 2019. The galley will be open 9 AM - 4 PM Monday - Friday. Please call 608- 263-1692 to make sure the gallery is open. The reception for the exhibit "Reflections of 2018" will be held Sunday, February 17 from 1 PM - 4 PM.

ARTIST STATEMENT

2018 was a year full of challenges, changes, and transitions.  It was the year that my art was my escape. The use of color and observing the world around me are both very important in my life and artwork.  For the sense of safety and surrender I used techniques that were comfortable and familiar to me while branching out to new ideas.

Color Meditation Series

The “Color Meditation” series started out as a mindless way to keep my hands busy during all of the chaos the year brought.  I chose repetitive squares as a universal design element, then chose colors at random and stitched them in random order.  As I watched the colors go by, ideas for more abstractions came to mind. 

All of these pieces have been hand embroidered.  I dye my own silk threads by painting dye onto the threads.  Each thread has many colors painted on them.  As the series continued, I used Inktense pencils and painted the design on the cloth before I embroidered over it.  I started to include another technique called punch needle embroidery to get more texture into a piece.

Photo Realistic Series

The photo realistic series are interpretations of my photographs that I have taken over the years. I realized that I had been collecting photos of the world around me for years and was looking for a way to use that inspiration.  I found another sort of moving meditation as I worked on my sewing machine.

I use a technique called free motion embroidery. I use the sewing machine by moving the cloth around freely to distribute the threads that blend together to create the image.  There are many colors that have been stitched on top of one another to achieve the depth of color I want.