ABOUT THE ARTIST

   I was raised in Israel in the 1950's. When I was 16 I left high school and moved Switzerland. I lived there on my own for two years working and becoming fluent in French . What a thrill it was to read Tolstoy's “War in Peace” and other great masterpieces in French. At 18 I returned to Israel to serve in the military. I worked as a French and English translator. At 22 I came to the States to study art.

   It was only in my last semester as an undergraduate art student at UCLA that I discovered my passion for working with threads and yarns. It was a delight to master the different fiber techniques. The 1970's were a wonderful time of discovery, a Renaissance for fiber art and the young artists with whom I worked. Our UCLA fiber art studio was a veritable wonderland. From hooks high on the ceiling we hung the long fiber bundles to dry. They created a colorful magical environment. Each of students worked on a piece that was quite unique to the artist. All the constructions shared certain basic characteristics; they were very large and colorful and were made of fiber.

   I received an MA at UCLA in Environmental Fiber Art. My graduate show consisted of several large room size fiber constructed environments. I used crochet, weaving, wrapping and knotting. Looking back I marvel at the youthful energy and enthusiasm that empowered me to create such massive constructions.

   Over the years I have moved away from the loom, but never away from fiber. In the late 1970's I devised a technique of shredding raw sisal and then dying it with bright colors. These small brilliant “pieces of color” were then glued on to canvas. It was a “Pointillistic” technique that allowed me to “paint” with fiber. The canvas became three-dimensional as layers of shredded fiber projected out from the surface. For a period of time this unique technique brought me some measure of financial success. Throughout most of the 80's I got jobs doing large
corporate commissions.

   In the mid 80's I began to incorporate handmade paper into my work, then clay and more recently glass and mosaic. I was moving away from a more “purist” approach to fiber. I enjoyed contrasting different textures, the shimmering quality of glass and glazed clay along side the more muted surface of fiber.

   With time I have continued to add new materials to my pallet. I am now incorporating fused glass and tempered glass (the material in your car windshield) to create jewelry and large outdoor installations.

 

Collectors:

Please feel free to email for more information on commissions or for purchasing the Artwork of Yael Bentovim.

yael.bentovim@gmail.com