Debbie Shoenberger

Debbie Shoenberger’s Artist Statement

Lines fascinate me.  They can say so many things with just weight, direction, and shape.  They have attitude. Each weaving starts with a few expressive lines and pushes them somewhere.  That “somewhere” usually involves the use of eccentric wefts.  I am sure that I could weave my lines with horizontal wefts and end up with lovely straight selvedges, but I do not find that approach anywhere near as much fun.  Bit by bit I am learning about color, manipulating the direction of the wefts, and how to make the resulting distortions a planned part of the weaving rather than just the result of the eccentric wefts.

Slot Canyon looks at the direction of the lines in the stone, the highlights and the shadows.  California Treasure started with the line and added to it with patches of the eccentric weft.  Windy Day uses unpredictable sumac to give texture to the basic lines of the leaf.

Debbie Shoenberger’s Biography

Starting in the 70s, Deb taught herself to weave. Attending the Convergence in 1978 and 1982 Deb’s passion for weaving was fueled in classes with Pearl Sunrise in Navajo Weaving and also with Cheryl Samuel in Chilkat Blanket Weaving.  A full-time engineering job in the entertainment business paused her weaving in the 80s but not her passion.  The return to weaving in 2005 was a great joy; however, progress in the craft of weaving can be very slow.  In 2010 everything changed when she took classes in Wedge Weave and Four Selvedge Weaving from Michael Rohde.  No more large tapestries on the Navajo Style loom, but small format four selvedge weavings with closer sett and smaller yarn allowing for more detail and control.

Deb was invited to join Designing Weavers in 2010 and she happily accepted.  Her tapestries have been shown in the Designing Weavers 2011 Annual Show, Pacific Portals at Convergence 2012, Designing Weavers World of Fiber in Long Beach 2012, and at the Escondido Arts Partnership and Municipal Gallery 2012.