Aon logo
2009
Fletcher Benton   •  Randall Berndt  •  Ohsono Kohji  •  Briony Jean Foy  •  Sujeong Jin
Deb Menz  •  Jan Norsetter  •  Katherine Steichen Rosing 
WYSO plain logo WYSO

Raffle Violin

Deb Menz violin sculpture

Deb Menz violin sculpture

Deb Menz violin sculpture

Deb Menz violin sculpture

Deb Menz

I was born in Ohio and graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1976.  I moved to Middleton in 1983 with my husband, Buzz (who happens to be the patron of my art).

I am a textile artist and work within many mediums such as dyeing, papermaking, beadwork, weaving, spinning and embroidery.  I do not always limit my work to one medium because it can take many to fully express what is on my mind.  The subjects that I explore most are those that surround me.

I have written 2 books – “Color in Spinning” 1998 and “Color Works” 2004, published by Interweave Press.  I have traveled, taught and lectured across the country and in Canada for the last 20 years.  I have been exhibiting my work in places such as the Longmont Art Museum in Longmont Colorado and most recently  had a show at Promega Inc in Fitchburg  in March 0f 2007.  My work is in public as well as private collections.

“Madison’s Music”

My approach for this violin was to think of the area that I live in,  wanted to tie music to my life in Madison.  The vignettes that you see on both the front and back of the violin are places and things that I think of when I think of Madison.  It is my music – the blank score that winds throughout the violin are for the viewers to construct their own Madison Music.

I took photographs of each of the places and interpreted them in embroidery.  I painted all of the silk threads that I used to ensure that they were the right colors.

See if you can identify the different places.  If you have trouble, here is a key:

BACK from the top:
Henry Vilas Zoo
Left -Law Park  right – view from Arboretum to Zoo
Picnic Point
Hoofers dock at the Union
Lake Monona at Rhythm and Booms

FRONT from the top
Left Monona Terrace  Center Farmers Market scenes  Right Overture Center
Glass on wall at Overture Center
Olbrich Gardens
Lake Mendota with rowers and an occasional balloon.  The cow is my imagination, I think.

debmenz.com