Cindy Anderson
I have always enjoyed creating with my hands. As a child I learned to knit, crochet, sew and embroider. During my teenage years my heart's desire was to attend as many art classes as possible. Through those venues I was exposed to mediums such as clay, metal, chalk and oil paint.
The items I created earned me a place at two different exhibits. The first was a summer art show for young oil painters. The second was at a Madison museum where a chalk drawing of a clown and metal sculpture of a human head were displayed. The attention 1 received was heart—warming. Of the items that were on display, the only one still in existence is the chalk drawing. If it had not been for my daughter e s insistence it too would have ended up in a landfill. The clown drawing hangs in my daughter's home.
Since 1995 fabric has been my medium. My first projects used patterns and pre—packaged quantities of cloth. While this technique afforded me the opportunity to explore my love of art, it didn't provide an outlet for self expression. Finding just the right avenue took years of exploration.
Finally in 2014 1 had a breakthrough. The art form that grabbed my attention has been given many names; I know it as free—form quilting. This new direction took me on a journey resulting in the formation of more than 200 art pieces. Most of them focus strictly around the manipulation of fabric.
My art is a path that goes in multiple directions. I don't plan my pieces ahead of time; they happen spontaneously. The mistakes or imperfections that may arise are accepted as design features. In nature nothing is truly balanced or symmetrical and thus I apply that mantra to my work.
The process of making art is a view into ourselves. I have a lot of tools in my arsenal. When and how they appear depends upon my current state of mind. I like to use unusual combinations of color and a variety of techniques.
Creating art is a form of dreaming that can provide an escape from everyday life. Through my art I hope to provide that type of outlet. If my viewers ' experience physically and visually engages them long enough to have any kind of impact then my goal has been achieved.