wandawiggins.com

WANDA WIGGINS

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have been creative all my life and I loved to draw as child. Early in my adult life I put my pencil down and started making custom jewelry mostly for myself, friends, and family.  In the early 90’s I purchased a lead pencil set and a sketch pad and started drawing again, women's faces in particular.  I continued to draw and later taught my self several techniques using color pencils. The faces I drew were for personal relaxation not for sale or reproduction.    Several years later I taught myself to make my own beads using polymer clay.  My art in those days was a pastime effort to relieve the stress of my corporate job.  After leaving the corporate life in 2000 I had more time and the desire to get more in touch with my creative side.  I kept drawing my women’s faces and took two drawing classes at the local community college.  During that time I wanted to create something unique and afro-centric.  While living in the Boston area I discovered the Nubian Notion store in Roxbury that sold the most beautiful imported African fabrics I had ever seen.  I purchased a yard each of all the most geometrically designed material.  I was not sure what I would do with them but 10 years later I am still creating what I describe as contemporary African influenced mix-media artworks.  Specifically, they are fabric collages which I incorporate the African fabric with cardstock, polymer clay, other cotton fabric. The primary theme centers on women.   My sub-themes are:

Dancing Sister (1 to 5 dancers)

Sister Cut From The Same Cloth

Sister Cut From Different Cloths

Completely Different Sister

Sisters At The Beach

A Single Sister

Talk’n Behind My Back

Conversat’n Sister

Material Girl

While I repeat these themes through out my work the choice of fabrics changes making each collage unique.