A reception Saturday from 5:30-7 p.m. will open a riot of color at the Columbus Arts Council’s Rosenzweig Arts Center in downtown Columbus. Karen Arzamendi has entitled her exhibition of two dozen abstract art quilts “Comforts of Color.”
“To me, color is very joyful,” said Arzamendi who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in fibers from the University of North Texas. “Working with color and shape is what excites me. It’s joyous to move color through a composition.”
Originally from Norman, Oklahoma, the artist and her husband Mike Arzamendi made Columbus their home about four years ago, when Mike became communication and training manager with PACCAR.
While art quilts are the focus of her current solo show, Arzamendi also creates weavings, surface designs and installations with found objects. She credits two years she lived in Mexico in the mid-1990s for a heightened awareness of hues.
“That’s when I woke up to color,” she said. “It’s everywhere there — the buildings can be painted brightly, interior rooms can also be really bright, in homes, restaurants, stores, everywhere.”
Arzamendi’s progression from traditional quilting to art quilts was influenced by fiber artist Nancy Crow of Ohio. Crow was a leading figure in the development of the art quilting movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
“I followed her work for years and her (style) evolution from being really tightly controlled to this more improvisational style, a style that really excited me,” she said.
Arzamendi eventually studied with Crow for several weeks. The Gee’s Bend quilt makers in remote Alabama, as well as Amish quilters, inspired her as well.
“African-American quilters used what they had, and they weren’t necessarily inspired by American quilts,” she said. “Sometimes they used blocks, but that wasn’t the driving force in their style.”
Arzamendi was recently awarded a $500 Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) grant to help with preparation for the current exhibition.
“Artists who receive grants represent some of the most gifted individuals in their respective fields,” said Malcolm White, executive director of MAC. “These outstanding artists carry on Mississippi’s legacy of artistic excellence, and MAC is proud to support those who enliven and enrich their communities with the creative spirit.”
Arzamendi’s “Comforts of Color” will be displayed through January in the Rosenzweig Arts Center main galley. The adjoining Artist Alley will feature artwork by Art Reach Kids.
The arts center is located at 501 Main St. For more information, contact the Columbus Arts Council at 662-328-2787.
IF YOU GO:
WHO: Columbus Arts Council
WHAT: Karen Arzamendi exhibit “Comforts of Color” (free)
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 5, 5:30-7 p.m.
WHERE: Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St., Columbus
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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