Dee Durkee, Fiber Artist

Sedona AZ–Dee Durkee is the kind of artist who is making seven pieces of art at once, and dreaming up five new ones while she works. She is one of the most productive artists in Sedona and a powerhouse of energy, making creative connections whereever she goes.  Just for starters she is the founder of Fiber Arts Sedona, and past president of the Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition.  She has been a practicing artist for over 40 years with a BFA degree in painting from Wayne State University.

As an artist, Dee is not satisfied with simply creating a work of art out of  purchased materials; she often makes those materials, including paper, tags, ribbons and more. There are times when she uses store-bought materials; they are recycled, of course, which people in the community save for her or she finds on “hunting” expeditions. The end result of this effort is that Dee’s work-from the bag to the gift sold to you-has some form of being handmade or recycled (which is practically handmade the way Dee uses it). Everything that she creates has this aesthetic touch and is a labor of love, and Dee  creates a lot of things.

As you walk into her studio, you are surrounded with art works, ie: art pins, necklaces, fiber wall pieces, cards, hand dyed tissues, ribbons & tags, journals and, of course, her collage vessels.  There are towering piles and stacks of materials, buttons, threads, Chinese fortunes, pop top sealants, samples, sewing machines and much more. Her studio is a treasure trove of  works large and small, where you can surprisingly discover little art finds in its nooks and crannies.

Yet Dee Durkee is most known for her fiber vessels which are stunning.  They are contemporary, usually brightly colored yet sometimes muted, stand-alone art works. She explores the form and sculptural aesthetics of a container, as an archetypal object suggesting a personal space or secret enclosure within.  Her vessel forms are more related to sculpture than a utilitarian object.   “The fluidity of fabric or artist-made paper allows me to form configurations which might not be achievable in another medium,” explains Ms. Durkee.  Her vessels challenge the basic structure of fabric and determine their  form from layers of recycled materials, then pieces of cloth are laid upon the basic shape much like a mosaic.  Over-stitching with varied colored threads provides not only visual interest but also structural integrity.

Arms of Ab

Dee is the founding member of “Fiber Arts Sedona” (FAS) and will be showing her studio and art work, along with four other fiber artists in the community during October. FAS is presenting a “Fiber Crawl” better known as an Open Studios Art Event, which will occur on the weekend of October 2^nd & 3^rd, daily from 10-5 p.m.

The public is invited to visit and see the artists working in their work spaces.  The fiber art exhibition Opening is October 1st First Friday at the Kinion Gallery, 361 Forest Road, in the vault and exhibition is during the month of October–the teaser for the Open Studio Event. Maps will be available at the Gallery. For more information, contact Margaret Anderson at  928-203-4355.