Pat Jeffers...artistic basketry and fiber sculptures

Representation.
Pat recently joined the talented artists of the Ago Gallery in Ouray, CO. If you're spending time in that charming town nestled in the beautiful San Juan mountains be sure to stop in and see her work. Here's the link: Ago Gallery

Avalon Gallery opened in Ruidoso Downs, NM in November and you can now see Pat's work there when you visit the Downs, as well as in these locations:
Galleries West in Jackson, WY, Toklat Gallery in Basalt, CO, and Tubac Territory Furniture and Interior Design in Tubac, AZ.

You can also follow Pat on Facebook.

Artist's Statement

Unlike many artists who discover their vocations during their youth, I became interested in art in mid-life when I began to explore the textural qualities of three-dimensional pieces. The expressive possibilities in contemporary wicker fascinated me: the colors, the suppleness and diversity of the weaving elements, the feel and weight of the piece in my hands, the smoothly flowing shapes.

I began showing my artistic basketry at art shows in major cities in the East and in the Ohio Valley in 1990, which is also the year that I left my position as a university administrator to make my living as a full-time artist. While still living in Virginia I realized that I could go beyond traditional techniques and basket forms to a woven expression of that region’s landscape and heritage.  As an artist, that realization offered exciting possibilities to put my imagination to work.  

Since moving west I have stretched further on that artistic path. Now as I weave I seek to share my passion for the West: the undulating, vast expanse of land, the bold splashes of wildflowers against the muted backdrop of the desert, the solitude and the ever-present sage--twisted, rugged symbol of the struggle for life in the high plains.

One highlight in my career was learning that I was the recipient of the coveted Wyoming Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowship Award for 2002. The judges who selected my work noted not only its fine craftsmanship, but also its internal artistic cohesiveness. They indicated that it was the work of a mature artist with a clearly developed voice, or style. In March 2004, ART TALK magazine featured me in an article as an "Artist Worth Watching".

My pieces are constructed primarily of reed (rattan) because of its strength, long life and flexibility. To achieve the rich colors and blended palette that I use, I hand-dye the reed with Procion dyes. These are fiber dyes that chemically bond with the surface of the reed and provide vibrant, long-lasting, light-fast colors that I can shade to suit my needs. When finished, each piece also receives an ultra violet resistant coating for further protection against fading. In many of my creations I like to employ fabric that I've braided, natural fibers such as sugar palm, coconut or seagrass cordage and some native materials, such as sagebrush, willow, cottonwood or aspen, and antlers.

When you select one of my woven sculptures I am sharing with you my interpretation of an impression of the western landscape that has captured and intrigued me.

2010