| In Sedona, Arizona, Mary
Fisher works in a studio as visually rich
and artfully composed as her signature
mixed-media creations.
Mary designed her art studio to
provide two things in equal measure:
inspiration and organization. Wherever the
eye falls, hues and textures abound -- bolts
of fabric, skeins of fibers, bins of beads,
sheaves of handmade paper. Materials are
stored in plain sight, arrayed by color and
kind, to fire the imagination while
remaining accessible and orderly.
In the high-ceilinged
studio, two main workspaces flow into each
other. On the "wet" side, Mary works with
dyes and papermaking; on the "dry" side, she
sews, weaves, and fashions fiber and jewelry
pieces. Work tables and supply shelves on
wheels allow projects to be moved throughout
the space or even rolled outside into the
courtyard. Windows and skylights make the
space as energy-efficient as it is
light-filled and airy.
At the studio's heart,
Mary displays experimental pieces and works
in progress on a towering design wall. "But
every part of my studio inspires me," she
says. "It challenges me to be more
creative." |
| "What has
influenced my art most is the
living with AIDS while raising
children as a suburban, white,
American mother. The
contradictions in my life are so
clear, so absolute... but when
it all begins to come together
in a sculpture or a print or a
quilt, it comes together as a
single message. It's my truth,
my story, my prayer." |
|
|
~ Mary
Fisher |
|
