ARTIST STATEMENT
The act of deciding on the materials, colors, and placement of pieces, is a spiritual practice for when I have felt lost or have needed to feel grounded in who I am or where I am going. This process illustrates the variety of my patterns of thinking and moving within spaces and how I choose to use different pieces of my life to create new mental pathways. I make variable collagraph mono-prints, relief and yarn sculptures and intuitive weavings to capture this concept because the domestic materials and processes used in these works metaphorically represent the invisible comfort and safety nets created selflessly by female caretakers. By using these materials, I am reminded of a feminine support system giving the comfort needed when embracing uncertainty, helping me move forward through the steps of making intuitively without knowing the outcome until something unexpected and magical is revealed.
In 1967, the Italian art movement Arte Povera, was defined by art critic Germano Celant as; “making art without the restraints of traditional practices and materials”. These artists began merging art and life, experimenting with “poor” materials, and elevating them into reputable paintings and sculptures. Prompted by the intention of this movement, I find potential printmaking and fiber materials through exploring my house, thrift stores, hardware stores, and craft shops. I choose domestic and handicraft materials that evoke memories of relaxation, structure, comfort, and play. These materials get taken apart and put back together in an intuitive way, challenging how the materials are seen beyond their intended purpose. In creating my collagraphs, the relief sculptures become a base print matrix that highlights bright layered printed pieces.
The completed graphic prints are inspired by my attraction to the geometry and color found in embroidery instructional books, board games, and granny square blankets. These sources metaphorically represent the physical, rational, emotional, and spiritual support systems needed to take steps into the unknown. Stylistically and conceptually, I am informed by the metaphysical works of Hilma af Klint, Irene Rice Pereira and the 1950’s Tecelar (weaving) woodcuts of Brazilian artist Lygia Pape. The layering of shapes and colors in the works of Sophie Taeuber Arp, Sonia Delaunay, and Josef Albers have also been an influence.
My monoprints represent an outward reflection of my internal meanderings. When building these pieces, I start by printing a foundational base plate using cut-up embroidery plastic canvas, as a guide. Then, I decide on layers of pattern and color through intuition and experimentation. I combine what I can predict about the printmaking process and mix it with some anticipated risk and discovery. This set-up alludes to a self-imposed game, where I venture into a mysterious place, stepping into a labyrinth of multiple pathways. The variations of the prints become a visual record of the movement into the risks, fears, tight curves, excitement, and new things found along the way. The images visually shift, constantly changing, creating new starting points to build upon while establishing the next course…
BIO
Valerie R. Dillon is an artist and educator from Denver, Colorado who currently resides in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with a BFA in art education and fine art printmaking from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in Colorado and an MFA in Studio Art focusing on printmaking and sculpture from Penn State School of Visual Arts. Valerie teaches drawing, printmaking and sculpture along with maintaining a vibrant art practice. Her artwork has been exhibited regionally and nationally at venues including Washington Printmakers Gallery in Washington, D.C., Manhattan Graphics Center in New York, Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg, PA and Rubber City Prints in Akron, Ohio.
