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The following article is reprinted with permission from Fiberarts Magazine (Asheville, NC), Nov, Dec '93.
Peruvian Impressions--A New Weaving Voice From the earliest records of civilization, the Central Andes have hosted 
a rich textile heritage. The people of the now desolate Paracas Peninsula
produced embroideries remarkable for their brilliant, bold stitching and
angular shapes, also characteristics of Rowen Schussheim-Andersons's bold,
bright forms and diagonally woven wefts. In the "Peruvian Impressions"
series, the artist filtered and processed through the woven for the harmony
and dichotomy of the land and the people. From the earliest tapestries that
focused on the indigenous warmth of the landscape itself, to the final
melding of people within thier environment, a unique synthesis of the
topography and ethnogragphy of the area results.
Market Day picks up the excitement of the village. In the interwoven contrast of pink, red, and orange, one senses the jostling of villagers wearing their brightest and best outfits. A diagonal section echoes a hanging rack of garments for sale in the market. In Peruvian Canvas, experimentation with woven and dyed sisal reaches an exuberant peak. The land and the people are woven into one, and across the face of the canvas are stretched artifacts of the '90s--folded pieces of shimmering lame and a shiny purple twisted reed. Hemingway referred to his Parisian sojourn as a "moveable feast." For artists encountering the energy and beauty of a site, the splendor remains in tapping into this "feast" as they continue their work. -Janet Seiz Janet Seiz is an assistant professor at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Right: A weaving family of Chincheros, Peru. The loom is warped to weave a poncho. Photos: Rowen Schussheim-Anderson. |