Mary Ann Newman
Handweaver
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| O-167 Spring Woodlands by Mary Ann Newman 17x18 $350 |
Although my earlier careers were in Social Group Work and Stay-at-home-Mom, I became interested in art in the mid=1970's when our family lived for a year in Switzerland. While there I visited as many museums as possible and participated in an art study tour to Venice, Assisi & Florence. Returning to Mill Valley I enrolled in art classes at the College of Marin in Art History, Design, Painting and Fiber and emerged years later, a serious handweaver. I purchased my Gilmore Loom in 1979. There were additional studies in weaving in Oslo, Norway; Sievers School of Fiber Arts on Washington Island, Wisconsin; at the Mendocino Art Center and in workshops arranged by local handwearers Guilds.
In and advanced fiber class, teacher Nancy Soper introduced us to the work of Theo Moorman, and English weaver. Moorman says in her 1975 book Weaving as an Art Form that "Nowadays weaving and the processes of manipulating thread and fiber are generally accepted as an art form" and introduces the one person artist-designer-weaver approach in contrast to the past where weavers worked from a design given to them by painters. the huge old tapestries one sees hanging in museums were designed by painters and woven probably mostly by men sitting on hard benches at looms in Belguim and France.
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| O-166 Rushing River by Mary Ann Newman 16x16 $300 |
The work in this show is my own adaptation of the Theo Moorman technique which I weave on my floor loom using a heavier background warp with surface yarns held down by finer warp yarns to create the inlay image. It enables me to create pieces with the freedom of color and design. I find inspiration in nature. I have exhibited in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma County galleries and Libraries.
Mary Ann Newman
Santa Rosa, California
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