Featured Artist: Rowen Schussheim-Anderson

During the six weeks of 'Black White Red' we'll focus on individual artists here on our blog. Every week, several artists will be featured. Today, we're pleased to introduce to you:  Rowen Schussheim-Anderson

Fly by night
beads, fabric/bead embroidery,
photographic imagery
19.5" x 17.5"

Fly by night is comprised of bead work and photographic imagery.  It is the first time I have used photography directly with bead work so this present new challenges and new potential.  Using the white and black palette with the red accent created an exciting direction to focus the interpretation of this composition which derived from a butterfly image.

Fly by night, detail
beads, fabric/bead embroidery,
photographic imagery
19.5" x 17.5"

flutterby
beads, fiber/woven tapestry,
bead embroidery
38" x 23"

flutterby is comprised of both woven and bead embroidered areas. I’m very interested in contrasts in surfaces: contrasts of warm and cool colors, and also contrasting textures.My work in recent years has been inspired by butterflies and this piece was inspired by observing an enlarged photograph of a butterfly called a “papilio actururs.”    
               

flutterby, detail
beads, fiber/woven tapestry,
bead embroidery
38" x 23"

Artist’s Statement

Texture and color are integral components in this new work. Incorporating beads with the woven surface allows new possibilities with color. Glass beads bring an intensity of color to another level in their luminosity, especially when juxtaposed with fiber, which is flat in comparison.  A force at work in these pieces is a fascination with butterflies.  The beauty of butterflies has struck me since creating an abstract butterfly design tapestry to celebrate a friend’s birthday several years ago.  Not only the beauty of the structure of the butterfly, but the amazing richness of its surface, the color, the contrasts of line and wonderful organic shape, the points and splashes of color—all are enticing me.  It is as if I am layering the structure of the butterfly, its color and pointillism-like qualities, the richness of its pattern, and the influences of African art together to create new syntheses. African art has been an inspiration to my work for quite a while, with its fascinating boldness and rich contrasting surfaces.

Many works are clearly inspired by butterfly imagery. The beautiful structure of the butterfly, the color, the contrasts of line and lively organic shapes, the points and splashes of color—all are speaking to me.  In 2009 I had the chance to spend time in the Peruvian rainforest—with my students--where I saw gorgeous butterflies bigger than hummingbirds and more abundant than mosquitoes in Iowa.  From the desert to the rainforest, from bustling color filled markets to elegant breathtaking butterflies, design is everywhere for the artist to pick and choose, layer, collage, and synthesize.  So much art to make….