Teresa Shields
ARTIST STATEMENT
The Art of Making Things
I am at my happiest when I am making something and making things with fiber feels like home. I’ve been doing this a long time and I have created art in many mediums, but it always seems to come back to fiber. I have denied it many times in my life calling what I do with fabric and fiber “experiments,” but the truth is, I just love the act of making. In the morning I can’t wait to go to my studio and start creating. My current pieces might look like a tedious undertaking to most, but the truth is I love this work. I’m inspired by circles. I’ve been drawing circles for close to twenty years. When I thought I was tired of them and wanted to change direction, I became obsessed with wood grain patterns and then realized it was just another way to look at circles. My passion for circles has given me a way to view typically overlooked everyday objects and see them as something visually more complex and interesting. My circles magnify the complex insides of fruit, vegetables, leaves, eyes or microscopic cellular structures. The simple act of cutting fruit or vegetables has a predictable outcome, but I am able to see circles found in nature and discover beautifully abstracted forms in each piece of fruit or vegetable. I’m guided by my intuition and I love working with pattern on pattern, color and texture. I try to make these little pieces of art irresistible to the touch, because that’s the wonderful result of what you can do with fabric and fiber and stitches.