Ancient Stories Retold in Modern Artifacts

Luann Udell is a double-juried of the prestigious League of New Hampshire Craftsmen in stitchery and non-metal jewelry.  She handcrafts wall hangings, assemblages, sculptures, and jewelry inspired by prehistoric, tribal, and world art.  She tells stories about ancient cultures through art, using a colorful and distinctive combination of fiber, polymer and mixed media.  Running horses, fossil fish, bears, birds, bulls, otters and shaman figures are common elements in her work.  By exploring our connection to those artists of the distant past, she illuminates her thoughts on what it means to be human in our modern times.

“I believe we all have a place and a purpose in this world.  I found mine through my art.  And through my art, I encourage others to find inspiration to make their own place in the world. So much of our ancient human history sheds light on how we can make better choices today.”

Luann’s interest in world art began while studying art history in college at the University of Michigan.  “I particularly enjoyed seeing exhibits about ancient artifacts—pottery shards, bone tools, textile fragments too tattered and worn to indentify.  Tenderly mounted under temples of glass, carefully labeled for display, they seem to speak in whispers of a time forgotten, of a people lost to us in antiquity.”  When she focused her energy on becoming an artist, her first—and current--source of inspiration was the very same prehistoric cave paintings she’d studied in college so many years before.

Luann’s work has appeared in national juried craft exhibitions and publications.  Her work has been carried by fine art and craft galleries across the country. She teaches professional development skills for artists and craftspeople.  She is also a published writer, with a book, ebooks, published articles, and two regular columns in craft magazines to her credit. In addition to her own blog about a life making art, she now writes a regular column for Fine Art Views, an online art marketing magazine. After living in New Hampshire for 27 years, she moved to Santa Rosa, California in 2014, because, she says, you’re never too old to make a major reboot in your life.