Luminescent Artist
Like most artists probably do, Wanda Spangler-Warren of Sarver has always had an imaginative streak.
“When I was growing up, I always had to be doing something creative,” said the wife and mother of two.
“I was itching to get my hands on art supplies. On the weekends, I couldn't wait to try some things. I had to do it ... it's an itch you have to scratch. It's always going to be there, demanding to be scratched.”
But the minister's daughter set out on a more practical path for a career. She earned a bachelor's in business administration and accounting from the University of Tennessee in 1978 and worked for 13 years in that field.
When her children were still young, she decided to go back to school to get a technical degree, which she achieved by earning an associate's in applied science for architectural drafting and design with CAD, computer aided design, at Butler County Community College in 2003.
“That whole left-brain accounting thing wasn't working for me,” she recalled.
And she took a step closer to her future right-brained artistic side.
As a self-taught artist, she's dabbled in stained glass, quilting, embroidery and collage. A friend introduced her to mixed media arts, and she started working first in two-dimensional and then in three-dimensional forms.
“I really enjoy the third dimension,” she said.
She recalled a television show she saw about 10 years ago, which featured artist William Leslie demonstrating a type of paper sculpture.
“I thought it was wondrous,” Spangler-Warren, 54, said of the light-infused creations. “I had it packed away in my memory bank.”
Following that example, for a few years now she's been creating these luminescent, sculptural works of art. They're made from basket weaving reeds and six or seven layers of tissue paper, depending on the desired translucency.
“I love working with paper; I always have,” she said.
She uses watered-down white glue to bind the tissue paper together. And for the luminous component, she usually makes fluorescent lights part of the design but sometimes employs the newer LED lights.
The result is a fluid, delicate-looking being that glows from within.The artist said her process is typically the same each time: first, she gets an idea and draws a quick sketch, adding any pertinent notes; then she does a slightly larger drawing, thinking about where the light source will be placed and about the design; and finally she starts working on the piece in her home studio.“When I start working, I kind of zone out. Everything else goes away.” she said.Her work has been exhibited at numerous galleries in Massachusetts and in Western Pennsylvania and won several awards. Cash prizes, sales and a few commissions help with expenses. Prices range from $100 to $1,000 depending on the size of the sculpture.After creating at least 40 of these luminescent pieces, Spangler-Warren is taking a step back, trying out some art education classes.“I don't have to but want to,” she said. “A formal art education would have been nice to have, a stone to step on.”There's a lot to learn. At the moment she is taking a watercolor class and various workshops that come along.“I like to get to the bones of things. Watercolors, oils, acrylics. Eventually I will have to sample all these.”Lessons include how to navigate the exhibit and gallery scenes, online marketing and social media. To keep up with the times, she's maintained a website called www.easily amusedstudio.com and written a blog for about a year.She's involved in the Butler County art scene, too.“Wanda has been a huge asset to the AABC (Associated Artists of Butler County) — she served as board secretary for a number of years, is very active in entering many of our exhibits, is a ‘regular' in the Wednesday morning portrait club and helped with the free art classes for kids during our 75th Anniversary Family Weekend last year,” said Paul Scanlon, AABC president.Currently the artist is experimenting with different translucent materials, such as silk, which she loves to recycle.“I go to thrift stores and get silk blouses and things,” she said. “When I learned about the manufacture of silk and how many little silk worms it takes to make just one strand of silk, I just can't stand the thought of these silk blouses possibly being scrapped.”She's branching out from the monochromatic white of tissue paper to the geometric shapes and lettering of sewing patterns. She recently combined some of these tan-colored paper patterns with recycled silk for a prize-winning entry in a fiber arts guild show at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.Might her art evolve even more?Spangler-Warren responded, “Somebody asked me the other day if I had ever tried any sculpture in metal ...”
<B>Name: </B>Wanda Spangler-Warren<B>Age: </B>54<B>Address: </B>Sarver<B>Family:</B> Husband, Chuck; daughter, Hannah; son, Derek<B>Employment: </B>Artist<B>Education: </B>Bachelor of science in business administration and accounting, associate in applied science in architectural drafting and design<B>Interests:</B> Reading, fiber art, traveling<B>Quote: </B>“When I start working, I kind of zone out. Everything else goes away.”
