July Meeting Presentation
Going Outside the Frame: Asking “What Else? What More?”
- Genivieve Rasmussen, Newsletter Editor
What happens when an artist stops asking, "Is this good enough?" and starts asking, "What else? What more?" That question was at the heart of July's membership presentation by fiber artist Vicki Assegued. Through slides and examples of her work -bright, colorful, and full of texture - Vicki encouraged members to look beyond the expected and explore new possibilities in their art.
“What else? What more?”
The Creative Process
Nothing is off limits as a substrate for her art. Looking for inspiration everywhere from thrift shops to hardware stores, Vicki uses picture frames, metal shelf grids, and plastic fencing. Digging into her tubs of fabrics and trims, she improvises and auditions; envisioning what can be done with different colors and textures, trying out stuffing, adding in yarn. If she makes a mistake, she asks, “What can I do to make the piece even better”?
Working Through Challenges
Of course, experimentation doesn’t always go smoothly. When she reaches the phase where she doesn’t like a piece (and I think we’ve all been there), Vicki tries to keep on working on it, she doesn’t give up. She auditions another piece of fabric, tries on a bead or bauble, but there are times when getting through the hump doesn’t happen and Vicki takes a break from a piece to work on something else or incorporates one piece that doesn’t work on its own into another.
Inspiration and Artistic Growth
By the end of the presentation, Vicki's message was clear: creativity grows when we're willing to explore beyond our first idea and remain open to unexpected possibilities. Vicki encouraged us to develop our own artistic voice by making art, looking at art, and finding inspiration in unexpected places. Whether through unusual materials, a willingness to experiment, or the determination to keep working when a piece isn't cooperating, she reminded us that artistic growth often begins with a simple question: "What else? What more?"
