Hot Wired: An Interview with Visionary Textile Enchantress Lynne Bruning
I have never met Lynne but BOY! I can't wait to! I hooked up with her via LinkedIn, and if there ever was just one good reason for my fully embracing Social Media, Lynne is it! I am so glad for the opportunity to dialogue with someone so talented, as obsessed as I about textiles/fibers processes, and as sharing of her skills and ideas as Lynne Bruning. Lynne and I are at the inception stage of a long distance collaboration that will culminate in a viewer interactive, installation exhibition that will occur sometime in 2011. Check out the following interview Lynne graced me with, and check out her fab web site, too at www.lbruning.com.
Name:
Lynne Bruning
What art medium do you work in now?
Textiles.
What other art mediums have you worked in?
Acrylics, clay, wood, landscaping, sand and electronics.
What were your early influences?
My mom was an avid scuba diver. When I was a baby she would go snorkeling and
tow me on a surf board so I could watch the fishes, corals and manta rays. She
taught me the art of anatomy, biology, physiology and the inter-relationships of varied
ecosystems by sitting in the tide pools for hours on end with a microscope and
dissecting kit. To this day mom still the human body as an analogy to how the rest of
the world functions: a blood clot is simply a fishing net made of fibrin.
Sherry Schreiber was the first weaver that I ever met. Her talent and skill combined
with the joy of sharing her craft will always influence how I weave, create and teach.
At the time, I was a teenager and did not realize how important my studio visits
would become in my own evolution as an artist. And now, not a day passes when I
do not look at least at one of her paintings or tapestries and say a quiet thank you to
Sherry.
What other jobs have you had?
Waitress, ski bum, architectural designer, community advocate, logistics coordinator,
dispatch operator.
What led you to become this type of artist?
I am not really sure, yet I canʼt imagine being anything else.
Unless, perhaps working with Peace Corps or UNESCO World
Heritage.
If money was no object, what would you create?
As with most of my creations I am not sure of the final ʻproductʼ, but it would be
interactive, participation driven and build community. My ideal would be a few steps
beyond the art festival Burning Man.
Gallery representation?
None.
What influences your work most?
Color, texture and function.
What is the hardest part of being an artist?
Solitude.
Whats the greatest part of being an artist?
Solitude.
Which historic artists inspire you? Why?
Bauhaus for the art, craft, science mashup hot house of education. I covet the
interaction and conversations that must have occurred.
Which contemporary artists (alive today) inspire you? Why?
David Hockney: understanding and documentation of multiple perspectives in one
piece of art. The documentary ʻA Bigger Pictureʼ comes out this summer
"John Tusa Interviews David Hockney (2004)
Louise Bourgeois: depiction of the psychosocial within her inhabitable spaces.
The Spider, The Mistress and The Tangerine.
If there was one thing you could do for the world, what would it be?
compassion, respect and patience for the ʻdifferentʼ.
What spurs you on to create art? (ie feed soul; fame; money; recognition…)
being creative helps me understand more of myself. It feeds my soul.
If you could meet one dead person, who would it be? Why?
Leonardo da Vinci for his amazing unending creativity and innovation.
If you could meet one living person, who would it be? Why?
Steve Jobs: I would like to tell him ʻthank youʼ because he has done more to change
my world than any other person outside of my immediate family.
What is the hardest thing you ever had to do?
Answer the next question....
What is your view on the “craft vs art” debate?
Please let me share some sources help inform my thoughts on this topic:
Documentaries of artists. View artist documentaries over and over. I suggest going
to your local library, vimeo, youtube and start at the top of list and watch them all at
least once. If you seek inspiration, I list movies, podcasts and books that I find
worthwhile on my blog, The Twisted Warp
PBS series Craft in America
BBC Mastercrafts series
Museum exhibits and/or websites
The ʻQuilts: 1700 - 2010ʼ exhibit at the Victoria
and Albert Museum is a fabulous and timely example
I feel that the word ʻcraftʼ has been diluted by the current resurgence of
do-it-yourselfers ʻcraftersʼ and big box stores with ʻcraftʼ aisles. Therefore, I prefer
the word artisan when referring to someone that demonstrates both talent and skill
with traditional functional art forms. While artists use their traditional and novel
talents combined with their trained skills to question the world around them and
encourage the viewer to perceive and ponder the world a new way, we all have the ability to make and create within us, but the titles of artist, artisan,
craftsman are earned and bestowed after dedicated study and work. It's not as if I am
going to get up this morning and declare myself ʻNurseʼ Lynne, but through study and
training I could gain that qualification. By diluting our vocabulary with excessive and
overly inclusive use of a word, be it love, awesome!, craft or artist, we lose the
ability to accurately describe our world and its inhabitants.
I encourage crafters, artisans, artists and those that think they havenʼt a single fiber
of creativity in them to create something. Anything. The process of creation brings
immeasurable joy, develops new thinking patterns and results in something uniquely
yours. I donʼt compare myself to Louise Bourgeois, I donʼt see it as my creations
versus so-and-soʼs. There is nothing to be gained in such a debate, yet we all have
something unique to bring to the table of innovation that debate exists only within
yourself. If your creations fulfill you, make you a better person and result in your feeling better
about the world you inhabit, by all means make it and I will respect you for doing this.
What one piece of advice can you give another artist?
Work on your art everyday. No matter what. Maybe you work with a different
medium or you address issues in marketing or documenting your work. Yet everyday
you focus on your art. Always. This is how I made Button Shirt, a tuxedo shirt encrusted with buttons that is
dedicated to my Grandfather who taught me this valuable lesson. One button at a
time.
"Thanks Leisa for this wonderful opportunity to explore my thoughts and share my
idea with your fans. Loved the craft/art question as it forced me to speak my truth
instead of simply having a gut reaction to the phrase ʻart v. craftʼ and moving on to
the next topic.
Much respect."
Lynne
