Wendy Withrow creates art in order to process the experiences of daily life as a parent, partner, friend, neighbor, citizen, and steward. She wants people to relate her work to their own lives, recognize familiar emotions and experiences, and tap into a universal sense of the human experience. Various themes continue to arise in her work, including connection and disconnection, body language, spatial relationships, and time and impermanence.
Wendy is influenced by contemporary dance as well as origami and the ceramic arts. Artist Books are particularly interesting for their ability to offer a vehicle for words, texture, shapes, lines, and movement in time. An artist book can tackle global issues while offering an intimate, quiet experience. Ultimately, she seeks these quiet, personal moments with the viewer.
Wendy earned a diploma in traditional bookbinding from the North Bennet Street School in Boston, Massachusetts. Before pursuing the book arts, Withrow studied sculptural ceramics, graduating with a BFA in ceramic art from Grand Valley State University. In addition to exhibiting her work locally and nationally, she makes sustainable notebooks from recycled cereal boxes as well as functional ceramics. You can find her selling her books, bowls, and vases this summer at the Fulton Street Artisan Market.