Ms. Westman completed her education in Poland, BFA in Visual Communication, dual BFA and MFA in Fiber Art and Printmaking (University of Arts, Poznan). While a student she was a recipient of a four year scholarship. She spent two years living in London, U.K. attending South Thames College and gaining experience at an interior design company, where she fell in love with textiles. Since 2002 has been living in the USA.
Her artworks reflect interest in natural and man-made world where the richness of textures, structures and forms in our environment are constant inspiration. Over the past years she has participated in many juried national and international shows, group shows, solo shows and presented at conferences. She also was a juror for regional and national art exhibitions. Her artworks are in private and museum collections in the USA, England, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Poland and France.
Westman is an Associate Professor of Fiber Art and Printmaking at Slippery Rock University. She engages students in studio activities stressing the openness to the world beyond the walls: active participation in exhibitions, community projects, conferences and educational travel. In 2013 Westman initiated an annual collaborative fiber art project with Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland. She oversees the international exchange program in the Art Department.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work in both areas: printmaking and fiber art reflect my interest in natural and man-made world. The richness of textures, structures and forms in our environment inspire me. I look for the beauty in microscopic detail or in a large architectural structure. My methodology is consistent: I look, analyze, deconstruct, build and assemble my vision. Materials and techniques are similar in all my work, but in each piece there is a new view of my experience. My works are mostly monochromatic or achromatic to maintain the simplicity and to focus on composition and textures.
By continuing work in a series, I create a representation of my observations and recollections. I analyze while searching for answers on the co-existing of two worlds: nature and man-made.
- Dual MFA in printmaking and fiber art, Academy of Fine Arts, Poznań, Poland
- Dual BFA in printmaking and fiber art, Academy of Fine Arts, Poznań, Poland
- BFA in Graphic Design, School of Applied Arts, Poznań, Poland
Associate Professor – Printmaking/Fiber Art
barbara.westman@sru.edu
www.sru.edu Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
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