Interview
with environmental artist and author, Carol Stangler
Environmental artist Carol Stangler first encountered bamboo in the late
1980’s while gathering kudzu vines for her basketry art. She was
impressed by bamboo’s tall woody stems, and enchanted by its exotic,
graceful character. Determined to bring bamboo into her art, she wrote
grants and was awarded funding to experiment with the giant grass.
Serendipitously, she was invited to travel in Japan for three weeks. She
returned to her Atlanta home inspired, and began constructing bamboo
containers, fences, and screens.
After a decade of experimentation and building with bamboo, Stangler
approached Lark Books about publishing a book on crafting with bamboo. Her
subsequent book The Craft and Art of Bamboo, published in 200l,
brings an accessible, contemporary approach to bamboo for Western homes
and gardens.
Carol Stangler teaches bamboo workshops and gives bamboo crafting
demonstrations throughout the country. She is an instructor in the Textile
Department at Georgia State University’s School of Art and Design, and
an Artist-in-Residence with the Fulton County Arts Council’s School Arts
Program in Atlanta. She lives and maintains a studio in Asheville, North
Carolina.
Before I start, I want to thank you for granting this interview for the
emilycompost.com site. I appreciate it and I know that you will bring new
thoughts to gardening.
It is my pleasure to interview Carol Stangler. This interview was conducted by e-mail
around Ms Stangler's busy schedule.
 What background do you have that is
helpful for your work?
I come from a big family - my mother was a master homemaker. She taught me
to sew, which taught me to plan, put things together, and pay attention to
detail. My dad owned a nursery and landscaping service, so I spent most of
my growing up time outdoors, surrounded by green and growing things. These
experiences led me to a career in creating environment art.
Why have you settled on bamboo as a medium to
work with?
I've been enchanted with, and have been working with bamboo since the late
1980's. I've spent most of my artistic career weaving vines and other
natural materials into vessels and sculptures. Since bamboo is so
different, it challenges me. I have to work with saws and tools instead of
the simple clippers I used when weaving. Bamboo fascinates me too. Each
piece is so unique and beautiful, it holds so many artistic possibilities.
Do you feel knowledge of gardening has helped
you?
Experiencing the seasons and cycles of plants in my own garden has helped
me understand the complexity of bamboo and how it grows.
Can anyone enjoy and achieve skills for bamboo
art?
Sure! At the very least, you can get a pole, stick it in the ground, and
use it as a plant support! To really enjoy the craft, you need just a few
specific tools and techniques. Then what you create depends upon your
imagination and your time!
Who has most influenced your art direction?
Japanese artists, known and unknown, traditional and contemporary, inspire
me. To me, Japanese fences, baskets, and crafts are beautiful in their
minimalism. The designs highlight the essence of the bamboo itself.
Where are you most comfortable creating, and why?
I work outdoors for the most part, on my worktable under my shed, or
laying out poles on my flat cement driveway. Both are close to my supply
of bamboo poles, so when I'm designing a project, the varieties of shapes,
colors and diameters are right there to inspire me.
What would you like to be doing differently with
your bamboo artwork?
I have in mind a series of split bamboo window blinds that are woven on a
simple Japanese weighted bobbin loom. They will be very textural and
accented with colored warp threads. I'm looking forward to beginning soon.
Where do you obtain your resources?
I get most of my bamboo from people who want to give it away! And once a
year, I participate with the Southeast Chapter of the American Bamboo
Society in the maintenance of a 90-year old moso grove in South Carolina.
The dying culms that are cut out go to those who work all day. I've gotten
some really nice 3-4" diameter poles there.
Do you have any hints that you can share when
working with bamboo?
Get a good bamboo saw and work surface. Start with simple projects that
give you practice in cutting and design.
Being a visual person and skilled in carpentry,
how did you successfully write your book?
Hold it! I'm not skilled in carpentry!! I learned to use tools as I went
along, and still feel like I have a lot to learn. Yes, I am a visual
person, and that's how the book came together: I had a strong vision in my
mind of what the book should be, how it would invite the reader to see
bamboo's beauty and potential. With tremendously hard work and discipline,
plus a talented staff at Lark Books, the book materialized.
Where do you get your inspiration for bamboo
projects?
From the bamboo itself. A curved piece may inspire me to make an arbor. A
stout length might inspire a set of drinking cups. I use the bamboo I have
on hand. I always have more ideas than I could possibly implement.
What are some of the most interesting facts about
bamboo that you think others would like to know?
An amazing fact is that most of the bamboo we see growing has been brought
over here from the Orient since the 1880's; only one variety is native to
North America. That variety, Arundinaria gigantea, is what the
Cherokees, Creeks and other native people of the Southeastern US call
"Rivercane." Rivercane was indispensable to the survival and
development of the native people since 11,000 BC, when it was used as
spear shafts to hunt wooly mammoths. Studying the cultural history of our
native bamboo is fascinating.
Is there any personal message you would like to
share with the e-audience?
Bamboo is a wonderful, rapidly renewable resource. Explore and enjoy it!
Visit Carol Stangler's site at www.CraftandArtofBamboo.com
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