ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jean Weissman

Artist Statement
A student of surface design for many years, Jean is equally at home with oils, acrylics and watercolors, and brings an artist's approach to fabric manipulation.  Batik, silkscreen and embellishments are all tools to enrich her creations. Jean uses fiber, paint and multiple surface design techniques to create colorful fabric wall hangings.  She is a member of the Columbus Art Quilt Alliance and has displayed her artwork in various venues throughout Ohio.  Jean continues to explore new techniques and approaches to painting with fabric

Artist Bio
Jean is 90 years old and has had a long history of making art. When she retired from being a Psychiatric Social Worker, she began to focus on art quilts because she loved the colors of the fabric. Her work has evolved to creating art quilts that she has painted and quilted. Many years ago, she approached a curator who was responsible for scheduling venues to be considered for an exhibit. Jean submitted 10 different pieces of work at that time and the curator's response to Jean was that she did not have a consistent body of work. As a result, Jean now only works in series and focuses on nature, which she finds very inspiring because of the wide range of colors. The series in this show includes birds, flowers, fruit and butterflies, which Jean felt was appropriate for the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Her series is entitled: Nature’s Art Quilts.

A selection of over 100 of Jean's hand-made greeting cards are also available for sale during the exhibition.

Contact information: 614-895-6974
jweissman@columbus.rr.com

Holley Morris -Wandering Minds Studio

Artist Statement
I work with wool roving because of its delicacy and strength. Wool’s willingness to be manipulated makes it a perfect medium for depicting the natural world. My subject matter is often a traditional landscape, or a bird and flower. Wool adds a dimension that brings a subject to life in a much different way than paint. Wool roving allows me to capture movement and life, much like watercolor painting. Lines often blur, and shapes are hinted at. At the same time, precise work can be created. Each of my pieces are unique and handmade, sometimes featuring items found in nature, like driftwood and twigs. My landscapes are needle felted with raw wool roving on wool backgrounds, on hand woven backgrounds, or on linen cloth. This year, I have started experimenting with combining encaustic wax and wool roving -with exciting results. Communing with nature is good for the soul. Through my artwork, I try to bring the outside in. I want my creations to look like they could actually exist, live or grow somewhere. I believe art that pays tribute to the natural world can remind us to slow down and reconnect with nature.

Artist Bio
Columbus-based needle felter, Holley Morris, has been creating artwork with wool roving since 2015. Holley is self taught. She learned the art by watching You-tube videos and reading books from the local library. In 2023, she started adding encaustic wax to some of her artwork with beautiful and fascinating results. The wax is smooth and the wool felt is fuzzy-sublime opposites. Her work has been featured at local galleries, on WOSU’s Broad and High, and she sells at local arts festivals. In 2022, she was awarded Honorable Mention in Fine Craft at the Westerville Music and Arts Festival.

Follow her on Instagram,
@wanderingminds_studio, to see her latest work.

Contact Sandy Libertini for more information on Art at Audubon.