Barbara Schneider

Tree Line

My on-going interest in the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi - finding beauty in things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, is at the core of all of my art work. I am interested in the translation of real to abstract imagery and in looking at pattern in the natural world. I try to capture the essence of images made of light, pattern and movement, images that are infinitely variable. I think about what the eye sees, what the camera sees, what the mind sees.

I collect leaves, pods, stems, bark, flowers and grasses and look closely at their structure and shape. Enlarging them helps me to see them as sculptural objects. Shaping my art cloth introduces a new element -- light and shadow interacting with the undulating surfaces.

Tree Line is an interpretation of the patterns of birch trees in the forest. It continues my exploration and interpretation of natural images by enlarging and reshaping them. Tree Line creates the feel of a forest but also explores the use of line and pattern in many ways--the vertical line of the seven panels, the short horizontal cracks and vertical irregular lines created by the wax, the red stitched outline, and the overall patterning and shape created by the background stitching.

Reflection on the relationship of these ideas to the Wabi-Sabi concept is what I do throughout my work process and it is what I hope viewers do as they look at the completed work.

Biography

Barbara Schneider began quilting in 1996 and rediscovered the pleasure of working with cloth, paint, dye, and thread. Her background is in visual design and, for many years, she worked as a designer in the publishing industry. Schneider makes handmade paper and collects Japanese folk art. Her on-going interest in the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi, finding beauty in things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, is at the core of all of her art work. She likes to capture the essence of images made of light and movement, images that are infinitely variable. She asks questions about what the eye sees, what the camera sees, and what the mind sees. Her artwork is exhibited nationally and internationally and is in many collections.

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