Artist and Her Story - Spirit Vessels
Spirit Vessel #7 Harmony 143cm long
My family lived next door to famous American artist Ruth Asawa (1926 - 2013) in San Francisco when I was very young. I recall Ruth sitting on the floor in her home coiling wire around a piece of dowel and weaving while I played with her children. Looking back, I see how I was touched by Ruth’s creativity and spirit, and how this later sparked my journey into the arts. Over the years, I have enjoyed working with a range of media including oil paint, clay and fabric, while most often exploring the play of light and shadow in landscapes, close and distant, and the resulting shifts in colours, textures, shapes and forms.
In 2014, after Ruth’s death, I found myself reflecting on and reconnecting with her energy and re-experiencing the powerful sense of wonder I had of her: her serene and humble way of living, her advocacy for the wellbeing of others, the way in which her art-making blended seamlessly and joyfully into her life, and her thoughtful and thought-provoking artistry.
In 2014, after Ruth’s death, I found myself reflecting on and reconnecting with her energy and re-experiencing the powerful sense of wonder I had of her: her serene and humble way of living, her advocacy for the wellbeing of others, the way in which her art-making blended seamlessly and joyfully into her life, and her thoughtful and thought-provoking artistry.
Compassion #17, Go with the Flow # 12, Miracle of Life #15 (aged copper, 2014), Wire Fruit bowl
To my amazement, I intuitively knew how to ‘knit’ wire as Ruth had. Since then, I have experimented with a range of construction materials, methods and ideas, culminating in the series Spirit Vessels.
The vessels consist of delicate, organic lobes which simultaneously merge and dissolve into one another - some enclosing and cradling smaller, similarly ephemeral spheres - and are made to hang from the ceiling to float weightlessly into an open space.
As light plays on and through the vessel’s thousands of wire loops, dynamic, distorted shadow-silhouettes dance across the walls. Materiality and immateriality, embodiment and transcendency, strength and fragility, presence and absence, co-exist.
I hope my Spirit Vessels evoke peace and serenity as well as encourage spiritual reflection and a sense of the infinite in the viewer.
The vessels consist of delicate, organic lobes which simultaneously merge and dissolve into one another - some enclosing and cradling smaller, similarly ephemeral spheres - and are made to hang from the ceiling to float weightlessly into an open space.
As light plays on and through the vessel’s thousands of wire loops, dynamic, distorted shadow-silhouettes dance across the walls. Materiality and immateriality, embodiment and transcendency, strength and fragility, presence and absence, co-exist.
I hope my Spirit Vessels evoke peace and serenity as well as encourage spiritual reflection and a sense of the infinite in the viewer.
Ann Winship - The Artist
Born in Palo Alto, California, Ann has lived in Kerikeri, Northland, New Zealand since 2011. The move down-under offered her the opportunity to focus on and actively develop her already successful career as an awarded abstract and ‘en plein air’ landscape painter.
Recognising the need for a local community art event whereby people could visit, meet and purchase art directly from artists in their studio, Ann founded KOAST (Kerikeri Open Art Studios Trail) in 2013. Since then, the trail has expanded to showcase more than 150 artists and includes several galleries. Ann chaired the event for six years. Her ongoing contribution to promoting regional art remains one of her “proudest creations”.
Recognising the need for a local community art event whereby people could visit, meet and purchase art directly from artists in their studio, Ann founded KOAST (Kerikeri Open Art Studios Trail) in 2013. Since then, the trail has expanded to showcase more than 150 artists and includes several galleries. Ann chaired the event for six years. Her ongoing contribution to promoting regional art remains one of her “proudest creations”.
Spirit Vessel Assemblage (sold)
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Spirit Vessels Cast Dramatic Shadows
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