Wilcox County
Fine and Fiber Arts
John Warner’s interest in art began when he was five years of age, when according to him, he observed his “father’s art on walls.” Both his father and uncle through their creativity inspired John, years later at age eighteen, to enroll in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to pursue a degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education.
A description of the materials that John uses explains the “fine and fiber art” category in this biography. They include: oil pastels; soft pastels; paper; pen and ink; pencils; cloth and thread. Ideas for each work comes from “life, nature, people and inner deep thoughts.” Sketches take from five minute to one hour to complete, renderings two to four hours, while quilts require two to four weeks to complete. The where, when and how he creates his art was described as “anytime, inner thoughts, deep thoughts, much quiet time, and isolation necessary at the time.” John also admitted that sculpture, pottery and weaving are included in his repertoire as well,
An artist of many talents, as John is, he feels that the rewards he receives from his art is in the actual process of virtual ideas, the transformation of inner thoughts while creating, seeing color movement and the excitement to deep meditation involved in the finished work.
John’s time in Wilcox County began as a VISTA worker in the late 1960’s. While here he taught art in elementary schools in Coy and Possum Bend. From there he taught in Georgia and New York. It was in New York that he received a New York State Fellowship in Visual Arts. Many visits to Wilcox County through the years allowed John to create his fine and fiber arts in residence, and offers him with a future of retirement in the Gees Bend Community.