Ruth Asawa is such an icon of American art that perhaps nothing new can be said about her. But I like this YouTube video because it shows how much she loves making art, and experimenting with such humility, and with no regard for anything but process. I've been asking myself lately what inspires me. I've heard more than one artist detest this word, inspire, but I like it. To me it means to bring in fresh air. I need that, especially in the form of artists who are deeply involved in making art for what it does for their inner life and what it can offer as enrichment to others. It's the opposite of trying to deliver a specific message. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I particularly like Asawa's crocheted wire sculpture, for which she is probably best known. I found some works I'd never seen before on this blog, and then went over to her website here. Asawa learned crochet in Mexico in the 50's. She also studied at Black Mountain College with Josef Albers among others. I want to do more research on Black Mountain, because something incredible was happening there back in those days.
