Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020
Arteles Creative Center's residency artists and their projects 2023-2020
Arteles Creative Center's residency artists and their projects 2023-2020
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Write & Create program / OCTOBER 2022<br />
Donna Hapac<br />
USA<br />
www.donnahapac.com/wood-sculptures<br />
About<br />
I was born and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Three years ago,<br />
I moved with my husband to a small town about fifty miles<br />
from downtown Chicago in northwest Indiana and close to<br />
Lake Michigan. We are much closer to nature here and love<br />
the landscape of forests, wetlands, and dunes.<br />
I am a sculptor who builds forms from repeating elements. I<br />
have worked primarily in reed and wood. In my early career,<br />
I produced paintings and drawings, exhibiting frequently.<br />
In the late 1980s, I discovered contemporary basketry and<br />
its creative possibilities and began to make sculpture. At<br />
first, I used reed and cane, developing my own techniques<br />
for building forms. Since 2015, I have been learning<br />
woodworking. Now, I carve wood elements on a bandsaw,<br />
assembling multiple blocks into active forms. Most of the<br />
wood I use is reclaimed pine from old barns, urban rehabs<br />
and tear-downs. This older wood has much denser grain and<br />
strength than recently harvested pine. The wood often has<br />
interesting grain and knots.<br />
My current series includes bridges and barriers. While at<br />
<strong>Arteles</strong>, I want to create an outdoor sculpture that builds on<br />
that series.<br />
Landscape Notes<br />
The day before my arrival at <strong>Arteles</strong>, I was filled with<br />
anticipation, mixed with some apprehension about facing the<br />
month-long void of my residency. While staying at a hotel,<br />
I had a hard fall that left me bruised and swollen, in a lot of<br />
pain. Fortunately, I had no broken bones or open wounds.<br />
The next day, I arrived at <strong>Arteles</strong> at the peak of autumn colors<br />
with the tall birch trees shimmering with their golden leaves<br />
across the peaceful landscape. It was lovely!<br />
My residency plans were to 1) become reacquainted with<br />
watercolors; 2) make drawings of the landscape and plant<br />
life; and 3) create an outdoor art installation in the woods<br />
at <strong>Arteles</strong>. We were warned that residents’ plans often<br />
change once their residency begins. That happened to me.<br />
My injuries were such that I had a hard time walking on the<br />
uneven and overgrown paths in the forest and kept losing my<br />
balance. I considered alternatives to an outdoor installation<br />
idea. Meanwhile, I painted watercolors.<br />
As my injuries healed, I walked on more easily navigated<br />
paths and became fascinated with the vegetation along the<br />
way. Collecting specimens, I took them back to the studio. I<br />
photocopied and developed drawings from the plants. From<br />
these experiments, I eventually designed and painted a mural<br />
on a wall in my bedroom based on my drawings. I see this<br />
work developing into future 2-D and 3-D artworks.