Frances Vye Wilson
Frances Vye Wilson was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She was strongly influenced by her family of contemporary artists working in a variety of media. In her 20's, she studied fine art and choreography at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. She went on to spend much of her life in the film and television industry as a member of the Screen Actors Guild, a theatre producer for the Actors Studio and founder of a film production company, New Century Filmworks. A 12-year immersive study of the Japanese art form Ikebana culminated in two exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She returned again in 2013 to New York to pursue her passion for art and in particular, sculpture, studying sculpture and mixed media at the National Academy Museum and New York School of Art.
Frances Vye Wilson’s figurative mixed media works from her series’ SOCIAL WARRIORS: Call to Arms and GODS AND WARRIORS are an exploration of the innate qualities of the strength and resilience in humans, in nature, and in the power of myth. As man and nature are challenged, social and environmental issues become the new battleground. She describes, “With totems of power embedded in the sculpture in the form of stones, feathers, and branch material, each visual metaphor is created as a contemplation of what it means to be a warrior in our contemporary emotional, cultural and environmental lives.” By seeing these life-sized warrior torsos, the viewer is asked to consider their own innate personal strength and resilience. The medium pioneered by the artist through extensive experimentation comes from the cambium layer of the Asian mulberry tree from Laos; The inherent cellular quality of cambium fiber and the use of a hardening agent allows for endless structural possibilities.
Vye Wilson has exhibited extensively across the United States, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Academy Museum, Vero Beach Art Museum, Viridian Gallery, and Paul Fisher Gallery. She has been the recipient of several awards, such as first prize at the Lighthouse Museum Art Center, and her work is included in numerous private collections across the East Coast. Wilson is also affiliated with various arts institutions including the National Sculpture Society, Sculptors Guild, Screen Actors Guild, International Sculpture Center, and many more.
Website: www.francesvyewilson.com
Artwork Available on Artsy