Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Butler (previously) uses brightly colored cotton, wool, and chiffon fabrics with bold patterns to piece together quilts featuring detailed portraits of Black people. The materials and themes connect American subjects with their African roots and tell visual stories of history and culture.28 Sept 2019
What machine does Bisa Butler use?
My razor-sharp, micro-tip scissors; my fabrics; and my long-arm sewing machine, which I've nicknamed “The Beast.” Sharp and tiny scissors are an absolute necessity for me—I use them like an artist uses a paintbrush. They can determine how precise my image looks, and the speed with which I can create it.22 Sept 2020
What is Bisa Butler's background as an artist?
About the Artist Bisa Butler was born in Orange, NJ, the daughter of a college president and a French teacher. She was raised in South Orange, the youngest of four siblings. Butler's artistic talent was first recognized at the age of four, when she won a blue ribbon in an art competition.3 Aug 2020
What is Bisa Butler inspired by?
Her works are inspired by historical photography; namely vintage photographs of African Americans taken during World War II by the U.S. Government Farm Securities Administration.17 Mar 2020
How does Bisa Butler use Colour and pattern?
Artist Bisa Butler draws from an array of vibrant patterned fabrics to create portraits of everyday people. She eschews representational colors, favoring layered jewel-toned hues to form the skin of her Black subjects, and often groups figures together into strong silhouettes.21 Feb 2019
Is Bisa Butler a textile artist?
Studio Visit: Rising Textile Art Star Bisa Butler on How to Use Fabric Like Paint and the Kind of Art She Finds Irredeemably Boring. The New Jersey-based artist welcomes us into her studio to discuss what is inspiring her right now. New Jersey-based fiber artist Bisa Butler has had a surprisingly eventful year.22 Sept 2020
Can you buy Bisa Butler Art?
This is the perfect pocketbook sized book of affirmations to end the summer with. Check out my art quilt images along with inspirational quotes ( plus many more artists) by Essence magazine! You can buy yours right on Amazon.
What does Bisa Butler make her art with?
Bisa Butler creates arresting portraits—composed entirely of vibrantly colored and patterned fabrics—that reimagine and celebrate narratives of Black life. Butler often works with photographs as source images, reimagining the figures captured as attentive portraits with layers of color and stitched details.
How long is Bisa Butler at the Art Institute?
“Bisa Butler: Portraits,” on view at the Art Institute of Chicago through September 6, 2021, showcases 22 quilts in four galleries from the innovative Howard University graduate who trained there as a painter and shifted to quilting while pursuing her master's degree at Montclair State University.8 Apr 2021
What is Bisa Butler art style?
Butler uses her unique artistic style, which combines portraiture and quilting, to accord dignity and respect to her black subjects—those she discovers in historical photographs, as well as members of her own family. In the coming months, more and more of the public will have a chance to experience Butler's work.24 Jul 2020
What techniques does Bisa Butler use?
You could definitely consider her artworks as textile paintings since, while the technique behind them is essentially taken from quilting, Butler uses different colours of fabrics and different materials, such cotton, velvet, wool and silk, to create hyperreal images with varied nuances and playing with lights and 22 Oct 2019