Lisa Binkley

medium: textiles

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Recapitulata (Echo Flower) 2002 Textiles

Contact information
1117 Woodbridge Trail
Waunakee, WI 53597
Email Address: lbinkley@tds.net
Web site: www.lisabinkley.typepad.com

Artist statement
Since early childhood, I have spent countless hours immersed in thread and beads and in stitching them onto fabric. Throughout my life I have also been a self-guided student of the natural world, the spiritual quest and poetry. For tens of thousands of years and across much of the globe, others have shared these material and intellectual passions. Like me, they have sought to contemplate and celebrate life's questions and wonders through the slow process of hand stitching with beads and thread. As I carry on my part of this tradition, I work to create meticulously crafted art objects. Whether I stitch them by hand or by machine, I see these objects as forms of visual poetry. Through them I seek to speak to viewers quietly, reverently, and often whimsically of the mystery and beauty of our universe.

My studio overlooks an oak savannah nature preserve. So much of my inspiration comes from what I see through the window over my work table--tall prairie grasses swaying in the wind, massive bur oaks with their lovely lobed leaves, the soft and ever-changing colors of the savannah and sky, and ponds full of frog song in the spring and great blue herons in the summer and fall. From here I see migrating geese, herons, and cranes, as well as a family of red tailed hawks and an occasional coyote or deer. The forms and movements of these animals are also fuel for my creative imagination. And all of the leaf forms in my art quilts and embroideries are taken directly from leaves I collect on my daily walks with Niiji, our 90 pound German Shepherd-Alaskan Malamute mix. He stops to sniff; I stop to pick up beautiful leaves. He's a great studio companion too.

I see endless beauty and life-affirming inspiration in the natural world, and I hope to convey at least some small part of that in my artwork.

Biography
Lisa Binkley holds a B.S. in Textiles & Design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master's in Urban Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Formerly a public policy analyst, she has maintained an active fiber art studio since 2000 and exhibits her award-winning work nationwide. Curators from the Smithsonian Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Bellevue Arts Museum, among others, have selected her work for inclusion in major exhibitions. Lisa and her artwork have been featured on local and national television, in internationally-distributed books and magazines, and in many local publications. Her art is represented in private and corporate collections. Lisa enjoys sharing her passion for fiber and beads through her artwork, classes and lectures. She lives in Waunakee, Wisconsin with her husband, their two children, and their very large German Shepherd-Alaskan Malamute mix dog. You can see more of Lisa's artwork and see her upcoming teaching schedule at www.lisabinkley.typepad.com.