TWELVE VOICES FROM ONE: Diane Sandlin

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Diane Sandlin

DIANE SANDLIN

Diane Sandlin is an Austin-based mixed media artist whose work is frequently shown in invitational and juried exhibits. Her non-representational artistic style lends itself to collage and painting, often utilizing a textile substrate. Sandlin attempts to blend the conventional and familiar into unexpected outcomes. A founding member and past president of Austin Fiber Artists, she is also involved with the Surface Design Association, Studio Art Quilts Association and the Fiber Artists of San Antonio. Sandlin has served as an organizer of numerous exhibits, including the recent Fiberwerkes for the Texas Federation of Fiber Artists.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"My intent is to create art expressing the human quest for fulfillment in a complex society. Because the human psyche is nuanced, my works depict ultimate universal struggles, both internally and with others. I utilize layers in my compositions - textiles, paints, papers, inks - so that the viewer may look closely under the surface. As in life, experiences are often not what they seem initially and the composition may reveal a hidden truth. My hope is that the viewer forms a dialogue with the piece and in so doing, finds a special resonance with his or her personal reality."

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This exhibition represents nearly three years of intense and dedicated study on the part of the participants. The Art Cloth Mastery Program 2010, in which they were enrolled, required five week long sessions in the San Antonio studio, in addition to demanding assignments which were addressed during the interim periods.

Artists interested in surface design processes are at a disadvantage in this country. Most opportunities for study require either enrollment on site at a university or college, or are offered as week-long workshops through adult education summer programming. The inability to relocate to a program venue inhibits artistic mastery, as does the limited experience of a week’s class without a systematic follow-up.

The Art Cloth Mastery Program was designed to address this reality. The selected participants study surface design processes on cloth, and also color, design and the articulation of a personal visual language. Each artist is required to complete a research project related to the dyes, chemicals or paints used as part of the patterning palette. When assembled, these projects will become a catalogue of research worthy of contributing to the surface design field at large.

Professional behavior is also a topic of discourse. Artists prepared a resume, visual documentation, an artist’s statement and a biography as part of the requirement for completion of the program.

This exhibition is a sampling of the finest work being presented by serious students of surface design today. Each of these artists will continue to generate studio work for exhibition after the program is completed. A few may choose to extend their circle of influence by teaching. Others may decide to write a book or produce some other lasting contribution to the field. The future is rich with possibility. It has been my great pleasure to accompany them on this exciting path. I congratulate each on the efforts of the past two and a half years.

Jane Dunnewold