Wendy Osterweil is a printmaker/textile artist who holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and exhibits her artwork throughout the United States. She has been an art educator for over 35 years in a variety of venues including universities, schools, artist residencies, workshops, conferences, community arts and after-school programs. In 2009, Osterweil co-founded Prints Link Philadelphia, a coalition of diverse art teachers and teaching artists who share the enjoyment and versatility of printmaking with students of all ages. Retired (aka “rewired”) from her Associate Professor position at Tyler School of Art/Temple University, she is a full-time printmaker/textile artist who creates woodcut prints and also works extensively with natural dyes on cloth to make unique wearable art. Osterweil maintains a studio at Herman Street Studios in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am an artist, hiker, gardener, explorer, gatherer, traveler, printmaker, writer, surface designer, dyer, seamstress, maker, questioner, learner and teacher. I work by hand, by touch, by tactile and visual interactions with the physical world. A sense of play informs my work throughout the
process of creating and carving woodcut prints. Photos from my travels are visual research in
my image making. Fragments of narratives speak through me from various times in history. For example, medieval woodcuts show us stories and beliefs from the past, as scenes from daily life become mythic. My image collections merge with places, animals, people and things seen through time and recombine in my woodcuts in ways that are mysterious and multi-layered, providing openings for viewers to “read” the images.
Website: wendyosterweil.com
IG: @wosterweil