Artist Statement
Wilma Wyss

My life as an artist is rooted in my multi-cultural childhood. Raised in the U.S. by Swiss parents, I lived in West Africa from the age of 10 to 13. During a formative trip to Lebanon, Syria and Greece when I was 12, I encountered ancient stone mosaics of geometric designs and Arabic alphabet. It was an eye-opening discovery of the hypnotic beauty of pattern. Over time, I realized that writing (or typography) is a reflection of our desire for pattern and rhythm.

As a trained professional graphic designer (BFA, California College of the Arts, 1986), I explore typography, color and pattern in its two-dimensional form. My graphic design work includes freelance projects ranging from brochure, newsletter and book design to architectural promotional material. In recent years and on a personal level, I find myself also drawn to the challenges of working in 3-D. Mosaic in particular is carefully controlled and methodical, and working with concrete is unforgiving—challenges that I approach with my sense of order while using my creative energy to focus on color, texture, and shape.

Other influences from my formative years that inspire my work include the rich and lively ornamentation in African culture that often draws from nature. This collides to a certain extent in my art with the Swiss tradition of orderliness and precision—a collision that I hope infuses my work with intriguing contrasts and a dichotomy of order and the unexpected. I also draw heavily from colors found in nature, exploring the emotions and moods that different colors evoke. I find being out in nature recharges and inspires my creativity.