Seattle artist Zoe Williams will be exhibiting her latest collection, called “Somnium Bestia,”  November 11th through December 3rd at Ghost Gallery.  This exhibit opens during Capitol Hill’s BLITZ Art Walk, Thursday November 11th from 5:00-8:00pm.

We interviewed Zoe to learn more about her process and inspirations:

Ghost: What is your artistic background? Any formal schooling, etc.? And when did you first begin showing your work?

Zoe: I have a BA in Fine Art from the University of New Orleans. My focus was new media, so I have a strong interest in working with “non-traditional” materials.  I actually began having shows while I was still in school – one collaborative project (Aibee: an Interactive Robotic Art Installation) even traveled to California to be installed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence Conference.  Aibee was also exhibited at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, where I later showed my faux fashion line of sea-life hats, Umi no Boushi.

Ghost: When did you start felting wool? What is it about textiles that you prefer to other media?

Zoe: I started working with wool in late 2008. Although I had spent some time previously working with fabric and I have been an avid knitter for many years, I didn’t really consider myself a fiber artist until I discovered needle felting.  The technique is very appealing to me because it offers a high degree of control over the finished product.  The process is often tedious and painstaking, but the result is something that is simultaneously soft and solid, which I think is pretty unique.

Ghost: Your work is very whimsical, yet has a dark side as well. We love this combination. Tell us about some of your influences.

Zoe: That duality is a central theme in my work.  The world is so full of beautifully complex things – combine that with human ideas and perceptions and what you are left with is seldom something that can be taken at face value. I strive to create beautiful things that tap into a little part of that relationship.  As for my influences, I love to travel and immerse myself in other places. I’m especially attracted to big cities and modern, futuristic places (Tokyo is a favorite), but my roots are in my hometown of New Orleans, which certainly influences me as well. I think I have New Orleans to thank for my sometimes macabre aesthetic. I am also very passionate about dreams and dream analysis, which I think will lead into your next question.

Ghost: “Somnium Bestia” is a fascinating concept, tell us about your personal relationship with this idea and how it eventually led up to this collection of work.

Zoe: “Somnium Bestia” means dream animal, which is literally what this collection is.  I took a long hiatus from art making after Hurricane Katrina forced my relocation to Seattle.  I was really out of my element at first here and it seemed like my creative drive had just evaporated.  I’ve always had an active dream life, and one day the great rabbit spirit (no joke) appeared to me in a dream and told me I was stagnating. The next day I started my first piece in what would become the Rabbits cycle.  Several of my other creations are based on dreams I have had since then – The Red Peacock, The White Ram, 10 Hummingbirds.  My parents were very into Jungian psychology while I was growing up, so I got into dream analysis at an early age and I still dream vividly every night.  All of my work is heavily influenced by the idea of personal significance and symbolism.  My goal with this show is to create a dream-like atmosphere for the viewer, who will in turn relate to these symbols in his or her own way.

Ghost: Can you name your Top 3 favorite artists and why they inspire you?

Zoe: This is REALLY tough.  Right now I would say Matthew Barney for his Cremaster Cycle, which is utterly amazing. Talk about personal symbolism! Sherry Markovitz for her incredible beaded animals, which for me really challenge the distinctions between decorative and fine art. And Arnoldo Pomodoro – I just recently saw another one of his sculptures in Copenhagen and they are just arrestingly beautiful – a wonderful combination of polish and decay.

To see more of Zoe’s work, visit X03