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By Vanessa Nickerson
Gazette Staff Writer
Bonnie Samms-Overley hung her
whimsical fiber art pieces along the walls of the Bedford County Arts
Center Monday, she could not seem to decide where each piece should go.
The lighting was one factor, the space between pieces another, but she was quite happy with the way some of the pieces looked against the bare white walls.
"I'm always surprised at how much better the pieces look to me when they're hanging on a gallery wall, rather than in my studio," she explained.
Samms-Overley's pieces are made from a kaleidoscope of brightly colored and multi-textured fabrics, sown together much like quilt work. They depict scenes of natural beauty: sunsets, nightingales, the rising dawn. The pieces, she explained, are influenced both by her membership in the Baha'i Faith, "God's glorious creations and the beauty of the world."
"My work is positive, very upbeat," she noted. "And I always try to keep it beautiful."
Samms-0verley's fiber art works will be showcased at the Bedford County Art Center from Tuesday, May 5 until Friday, May 29. The show is her first solo exhibition and she could not quite contain her excitement. "I've exhibited in various multi-artist shows around the county and country," she said, "But this is my first time exhibiting by myself, so I hope it's well received."
The pieces are largely influenced by Samms-Overley's Baha'i Faith, which, she explained, essentially asserts that, throughout history, God has reveled Himself to humanity through a series of divine messengers, whose teachings guide and educate the world and provide a basis for the advancement of human society. These messengers include Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed. Members of the Baha'i Faith believe that those messengers religions come from the same source and are, in essence, successive chapters of one religion from God.
According to Samms-Overley, Baha'u'llah, the latest of these messengers, brought new spiritual and social teachings of unity to present-day society. He taught the oneness of God, the oneness of the human family, and the oneness of religion. Those beliefs are depicted in many of her pieces, which are often named after Baha'i prayers.
Samms-Overley began studying art when she was a child, living in Hollidaysburg. She began taking art classes around third grade, but her teacher eventually moved away. Still, Samms-Overley was exposed to another form of art - quilting - through her family members.
"My grandmother and her sisters were quilters, so I've been quilting pretty much since I was born, and that's why, I think, I've returned to fabric over the years, why I love fabric. It was my first true creative medium."
Samms-Overley gets most of her materials by happening upon fabric stores and perusing their offerings. If she finds a fabric she enjoys, she buys it and takes it home to her studio. "My shelves have become much like a painter's palette," she explained. "And usually, I sketch out an idea and then choose from that palette. It's very rare that I go out an buy a material just for one piece."
Samms-Overley returned to Bedford with her poet husband, Mel, after time spent in various states around the nation, including Hawaii, Oregon, New Mexico, Georgia, Maryland and California, to live near her son, Michael Hite, daughter-in-law Karen, and her grandchildren, Aaron and Joshua, who live in Altoona. "Aaron and Joshua are artists as well," she said of the boys, who are 8 and 9 respectively. "The love working with clay."
The self-described "rolling stone" also created pottery for years, but upon her return to Bedford, realized she could not set up her kiln in her new home. So, she began making fiber art full-time. The venture has never been a true source of income for Samms-Overley, but, she explained, it is her passion.
A reception for Samms-Overley's show will be held at The Bedford County Arts Center on Sunday, May 10, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact The Bedford County Arts Center at 623-1538.
The lighting was one factor, the space between pieces another, but she was quite happy with the way some of the pieces looked against the bare white walls.
"I'm always surprised at how much better the pieces look to me when they're hanging on a gallery wall, rather than in my studio," she explained.
Samms-Overley's pieces are made from a kaleidoscope of brightly colored and multi-textured fabrics, sown together much like quilt work. They depict scenes of natural beauty: sunsets, nightingales, the rising dawn. The pieces, she explained, are influenced both by her membership in the Baha'i Faith, "God's glorious creations and the beauty of the world."
"My work is positive, very upbeat," she noted. "And I always try to keep it beautiful."
Samms-0verley's fiber art works will be showcased at the Bedford County Art Center from Tuesday, May 5 until Friday, May 29. The show is her first solo exhibition and she could not quite contain her excitement. "I've exhibited in various multi-artist shows around the county and country," she said, "But this is my first time exhibiting by myself, so I hope it's well received."
The pieces are largely influenced by Samms-Overley's Baha'i Faith, which, she explained, essentially asserts that, throughout history, God has reveled Himself to humanity through a series of divine messengers, whose teachings guide and educate the world and provide a basis for the advancement of human society. These messengers include Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed. Members of the Baha'i Faith believe that those messengers religions come from the same source and are, in essence, successive chapters of one religion from God.
According to Samms-Overley, Baha'u'llah, the latest of these messengers, brought new spiritual and social teachings of unity to present-day society. He taught the oneness of God, the oneness of the human family, and the oneness of religion. Those beliefs are depicted in many of her pieces, which are often named after Baha'i prayers.
Samms-Overley began studying art when she was a child, living in Hollidaysburg. She began taking art classes around third grade, but her teacher eventually moved away. Still, Samms-Overley was exposed to another form of art - quilting - through her family members.
"My grandmother and her sisters were quilters, so I've been quilting pretty much since I was born, and that's why, I think, I've returned to fabric over the years, why I love fabric. It was my first true creative medium."
Samms-Overley gets most of her materials by happening upon fabric stores and perusing their offerings. If she finds a fabric she enjoys, she buys it and takes it home to her studio. "My shelves have become much like a painter's palette," she explained. "And usually, I sketch out an idea and then choose from that palette. It's very rare that I go out an buy a material just for one piece."
Samms-Overley returned to Bedford with her poet husband, Mel, after time spent in various states around the nation, including Hawaii, Oregon, New Mexico, Georgia, Maryland and California, to live near her son, Michael Hite, daughter-in-law Karen, and her grandchildren, Aaron and Joshua, who live in Altoona. "Aaron and Joshua are artists as well," she said of the boys, who are 8 and 9 respectively. "The love working with clay."
The self-described "rolling stone" also created pottery for years, but upon her return to Bedford, realized she could not set up her kiln in her new home. So, she began making fiber art full-time. The venture has never been a true source of income for Samms-Overley, but, she explained, it is her passion.
A reception for Samms-Overley's show will be held at The Bedford County Arts Center on Sunday, May 10, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact The Bedford County Arts Center at 623-1538.