Fiber Artist Florence Johns Vezie will be the Featured Artist at the Village Gallery of Local Artists for the month of July 2023. A reception will be held on Friday, July 7^th to showcase her work.

While Vezie has shown her flowing garments, scarves, and boas at the gallery for 14 years, her low-relief paper sculptures called “By Intentional Design” are a more recent addition.

Vezie began experimenting with fabric sculptures while teaching art at a youth group at her church. As the kids grew up and left, her interest remained, and eventually Vezie graduated to using archival materials and putting her work on hard and stretched canvas.

Vezie’s delightful sculptures appear to jump off the canvas with striking color, texture, and imagination. Her use of bright metallic acrylic paints emphasizes light and illuminates the depth of her work. Like any type of sculpture, her low relief technique is very tactile. She explains, “It’s all about tactile touching and shaping.”

Not limiting her options of materials leaves Vezie open for experimentation. She works mostly with tissue but will use many different types of fiber to create texture and depth from accordion-cut packing material to embossed paper towels. Vezie softens her materials before molding and shaping them on the canvas with acrylic medium. Between the layers of her work, Vezie uses a hair dryer to expedite the drying process. After applying the final coat of paint, she goes back with a fine brush to highlight the creases and folds. At the end, the piece is sealed by meticulously brushing on gloss varnish.

A Flo’s” is created from her own pattern designs which include elegant scarves and flowing tops in vibrant prints and lightweight fabric that move with the wearer. She also creates unique boas out of brightly colored strands of yarn that go beyond traditional scarves. Vezie describes her work this way, “I see fashion design as an art: the female form is the canvas and the medium is fabric.”

Vezie relocated to the Verde Valley from Florida in 1989 and never looked back. She affirms, “I love it here and choose to stay in this beautiful Red Rock country.”

The public is invited to meet Florence Johns Vezie and experience her artwork from 5-8 pm on Friday, July 7^th. Refreshments will be served. The Village Gallery is always accepting applications for unique art and is located at 6512 State Route 179 in the Village of Oak Creek. For more information, go to sedonalocalartists.com or phone (928) 284-1416.