There are some people who pass through your life without leaving a trace, and then there are others who come and shift the entire grain of your being. For me, Deborah Warner was one of the latter. She was a fiber artist and professor at Moore College of Art with whom I had the great privilege to study, and she opened up the world of fiber arts to me. She had high expectations, but she was incredibly kind and gentle. She instilled in her students a strong work ethic and sense of craftsmanship. Even years after graduating from Moore, I attribute my drive to work and my desire to be a good artist and teacher to her lasting influence. The last time I saw her was in March at the FiberPhiladelphia opening at the Crane Building where she was showing new work, and I'm so thankful that I got to speak with her one last time and let her know what an inspiration she has been.
Thanks to Beth McTear at Squid Whale for finding this video of Deborah, in her own words:
It was an honor to have known her.
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she was a truly wonderful artist, teacher, mentor and friend....
ReplyDeleteThis is a video that you should store on your personal computer and revisitit from time to time. Her life and focus seem to paralel your own in many similar ways. I can understand how strongly you feel about her as a mentor.
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