Isabelle Wiessler came across a Patchwork Exhibition which started her journey with fiber art. She works in a series to create fiber and mixed media art exploring texture, color, and lines.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?
I have been attracted to fine art since I was a young child.
I was born and raised in the middle of Paris. What sounds romantic and inspiring was not always for a little girl who couldn’t play outside with friends. I had much spare time to draw and paint and to see the masters works which I learned a lot from.
I came to textiles by accident back in 1989, when I came across a Patchwork Exhibition in Freiburg, Germany. This was the starting point of my textile journey, which, subsequently, led me very soon to my own textile works focusing on color, lines, shapes and structure, through a combination of stitching and mark-making.
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When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person?
Creating is a strong word to me. I am not sure that I can call myself a creative person. What I can say is that making Art is my way of expressing myself.
Without making Art I would just kind of disappear – if you understand what I mean. I am working a lot on my artistic voice and process, also on composition. It is more about getting your own artistic voice.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
“The more you look, the more you see” is a sentence from Jan Beaney from whom I learned a lot. And this has become my Mantra.
A very simple observation can be the beginning of a long journey. For example: I was on a holiday last June in Naxos, Greece. I looked at the water all day and realized how interesting it could be to show those water movements and reflections. As a result, I am working right now on a new series about that subject.
Ideas always come to me; I don’t have to search for them. But this at the end of the day is the result of a long period of working hard on my own Art and my process. My eyes, ears and brain are always on alert.
Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach?
As many artists I also frequently work in series, often on different ones at the same time. This allows for varying and perfecting a theme without having to force the idea into a single piece. It also permits spontaneous and improvisational methods, so various aspects of the basic concept can be approached: Color to Light, Trees and Treebarks, Space Fragments. The goal is to capture the atmosphere, a sentiment, the spirit, thereby touching the viewer.
My series “Horizonte” for instance began 2015 inspired by the idea of showing color to light on textile. The horizon offers an infinity of possibilities to show this. Horizonte 13 was created last year, and I am sure I still can push the boundaries to more interesting pieces.
What different creative media do you use in your work?
For my “painted works” I use plain white cotton which I dye with reactive dies and paint with acrylic paint.
Working on the theme of tree bark as an inspiration, I usually use media that are 100 % synthetic which I can paint, stitch and work with a soldering iron and a heat gun; for example, lutradur, Tyvek or acrylic felt.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing? Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
My pieces always begin with a series of sketches on paper. The sketches help me to understand the structure for the new work and how to build the artwork.
I like to work on multiple images at once, not knowing which one will become the actual artwork, and the sketches help me to understand the structure for the new work and how to build the artwork.
How do you manage your creative time? Do you schedule start and stop times? Or work only when inspired?
Feeling myself a professional artist (who makes a living out of her Art and teaching) I need to organize myself very well. I try to keep time for my own creative phases, usually in the afternoons. In the mornings I focus on administration works and prepare for workshops.
Describe your creative place.
Back in November 2022 I rented a studio outside my home. The studio is in the very nice and touristic little town of Staufen, next to the Black Forest. I love to show my work to interested people coming by. I always hear “We have never seen Art like yours yet!” and I hope this way to help Textile Art getting known better. As my studio is quite big it allows me to offer workshops up to 8 students.
It is a great chance for me to work in this big studio with much room and I realized that I work there more concentrated and focused than at home: Only my computer, my workplace, my different materials and paint and me!
Working across many different media, how do you organize all of your creative supplies?
Giving different workshops myself, I store more and more materials which students cannot buy anymore in stores (unfortunately many quilt and mixed-media stores have closed in the last years in Europe). This means that I need good organization and room which I now have through my studio. A room next to the studio has big cupboards where I keep most of the materials, which I don’t need every day in and also my quilts.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I almost constantly work on new projects or on series. I try hard to have a good balance between my teaching activities and the work around it and developing new work.
As there are many steps in my different pieces, I usually work on two at a time; for example, I work on the quilting of one piece and paint the other as I cannot work on each step more than 2-3 hours at a time. Or I stitch a piece on soluble and work on new sketches. There is always so much to do!
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I enjoy most steps: the different steps in my process are so different, also because I work with different medias, depending on what I need. I believe this is exactly what I love in working with fibers: its diversity and possibilities.
How do you know when a piece is completed?
Knowing when a piece is completed is a challenge! I always look back. I hang my big pieces to paint on the wall. It makes it much easier to look at them.
I let them hang and look at them first thing on the next morning when I enter my studio. I usually realize if it needs anything more and what. It is the same with my mixed media works out of lutradur, Tyvek or stitched.
I never stitch straight on – it is very important to have a fresh look at your piece – even though I have sketches – a textile work looks different and needs his own special apparency.
Is there an overarching theme that connects all of your work?
Not exactly. It is just all about texture, color, lines and an idea that I follow.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
I cannot say that I really need to keep myself motivated. I love what I am doing, and I am always looking for the next step. I feel very blessed to be able to work as a full-time artist which I didn’t do my whole life. I am proud of what I went through to where I am now.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
As I already said the two advices from Jan Beany and Jean Littlejohn:
“You must learn to see and The more you look, the more you see” are real Mantras to me.
Where can people see your work?
First, in my own studio in Staufen, Germany! I am happy to receive interested visitors!
If you don’t make it there just visit my website. Three of my works are part of the collection of the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. Furthermore, I will have two exhibitions coming up next year in Germany and in Luxembourg.
I am also a member of the oldest European textile Group “QuiltArt”. The group will have its 40th Anniversary next year. We are exhibiting in many places in Europe. Just visit our website: www.quiltart.eu . We might come back to the US – who knows!
My website: www.isabelle-wiessler.de
Interview posted August 2024
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