SHIBORI STUDIO
CAROL GUSTAVSON, B.F.A.
Avenue
Grove City, MN, USA
56243
33038 547 th
(320) 857-
9491 shiboristudio[at]yahoo.com
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY - About the Artist and Her Art.
Carol Gustavson is a professional artist creating exclusively with authentic traditional Japanese shibori whose unique creations and expertise are regularly compared to those in shibori=s homeland, Japan. Her prominence in the field is augmented by her ability to create some of the most difficult masterlevel shibori, such as “Shirokage,” utilizing an astounding repertoire of more than thirty different techniques, each meticulously performed. Profuse descriptions emanating from accredited authoritarians incl ude
“premier shibori artist,” “exceptional talent,” “superb shibori,” “stunning, extraordinary,” “exquisite museum pieces” and are equaled by novice viewers. Her shibori has also been critiqued by many renowned Japanese masters, artists and officials and received not only accolades yet support and encouragement. Gustavson’s work has the rare distinction and honor of being titled
“Traditional Japanese Shibori” and she is the only artist creating it in the U.S.A. Therefore, one might need to look to Japan for a challenging arena in which to compare her work and the position she holds amongst her contemporaries worldwide.
Dating back to the eighth century, shibori is a Government Certified Traditional Craft of Japan and an endangered art due to lack of successors. Carol Gustavson is very passionate about traditional Japanese shibori and devoted to preserving and promoting it.
Her shibori art pieces are exhibited and collected worldwide and her client list encompasses the spectrum from individuals to heads of state. Gustavson’s humanitarian work involves events and organizations that benefit children’s causes, aid in crosscultural understanding and enrichment, support Japanese Arts and share the art of Shibori. Supporting efforts include exhibi ts, displays and demonstrations as well as donating shibori creations for charity fund-raising events. She is also aiding the groundwork for an exchange between artists in the U.S.A. and Japan who are dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional
Japanese kusakizome (natural organic dyeing). In April 2011 she will conduct an unprecedented program on shibori to the entire student body, some eight hundred students, of a school district in Minnesota. The magnitude and scope of this project is the first of its kind in the U.S.A. The age groups encompass kindergarten through all high school grades.
A fourth ge neration artist originally from Chicago, Carol Gustavson’s art training began at age three and she still has her toddlersized art smock which was custom-made for her by her aunt who was a European designer. Christened into the art world with haute couture, she has never left it. Before devoting her career to shibori, Gustavson was a professional costume designer and maker for stage and television for twelve years. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago and her B.F.A. exhibition of shibori received front-page coverage in the Chicago Shimpo Newspaper. Upon graduation she established Shibori Studio and resumed her career as a professional artist. Gustavson has studied under Master artists, been a student of Japanese arts and culture for over twenty years and is also a trained kimono designer and maker. Her Shibori Studio operates with a focus on ecological preservation and enjoys a client list that includes celebrities, collectors, performers, corporations and dignitaries.
A professional artist for more than twenty-five years, Gustavson has maintained balance in both mind and body first beginning as a ballet dancer then as martial artist and, in 1987, was accepted into the Fujima School of Traditional Classical Japanese Dance as not only a student but a performer of both odori and shin-buyo. Her first stage performance, a solo, attracted the attention and compliments of the Consul General of Japan in Chicago. Her shibori art reflects this intensive training and harmony of spirit that have also imparted dedication and perseverance while keeping her grounded and focused.
Carol Gustavson credits Helen O’Rourke, her mentor at SAIC, for introducing her to shibori and says; “her dedicated instruction, suppo rt and encouragement have been invaluable.” Yoshiko Wada, head of the World Shibori Network, has also been an inspiration as well as Hiroyuki Shindo, Master indigo and shibori artist in Kyoto, Japan. Gustavson received overwhelming compliments and encour agement from Ms. Wada and Mr. Shindo and states; “Especially considering who they are, their opinions and critique of my work are not only a great honor but a significant milestone.”
In a singularly unique artistic perspective, Gustavson’s art is not only created with traditional Japanese shibori but is about traditional Japanese shibori. As a substitute for the written word, she uses a vast array of shibori techniques to speak of shibori’s intriguing history, scarcity, preciousness and questionable future. Simultaneously she is modernist and traditionalist, original artist and ‘documentarian’ creating an eclectic fusion of traditional Japanese and cosmopolitan influences with a contemporary attitude.
Against convention, Carol Gustavson works without assistants. She has a repertoire of more than thirty different master shibori techniques, creates all designs, makes dyes from raw organic materials, hand-dyes each piece and completes all phases from preparation to final construction. All work is produced by hand using centuries-old master techniques and processes utilizing natural organic dyes and fine organic fabrics. Imagery includes motifs of nature, legends, mythology, flora and fauna portrayed

traditionally and conceptually, along with traditional Japanese and original contemporary designs. Her creations range from contemporary art pieces to authentic, elaborate, formal kimono. These include exhibition art works, series of multiple pieces, experimental creations and private commissions and include wall art, interior decor, accessories, textiles and garments.
Gustavson is a prolific shibori artist, which is an oxymoron since shibori is considered one of the most difficult, labor-intensive and innately unforgiving (to errors), arts.
CAROL GUSTAVSON - ARTIST BIOGRAPHY – con’t. Page Two of Two
Gustavson is influenced by shibori’s history, Ukiyoe, Japanese woodblock prints and the “floating world” of Japan and its reverence of the sublime. Laden with these elements, she chooses under layers to reveal transient subjects or concepts. Her use of natural dyes echoes shibori’s rich heritage of a spectrum of colors that often identified social status or class. Historically rural areas and commoners wore indigo blue or earthy colors and the aristocracy and elite had exclusive rights to ‘expensive’ colors such as purples, reds and other saturated colors. These colors, and some shibori designs, were regulated by law and proteste rs flaunted them subversively. If caught, violators paid the consequences. G ustavson’s work regenerates this mystical world of splendor and intrigue.
Gustavson’s creations bridge two cultures. Her artwork is rooted in a traditional Japanese art while it blooms with a uniqueness neither western nor Japanese but as an entity unto itself which warps time and transcends boundaries. Western society identifies with her speaking their own language artistically while she satisfies their fervent love of Japan and its art in a new way. Perhaps the Japanese, innately sensitive to refinement, are more surprised. She also speaks their own language artistically and they are delighted with her western approach of individuality and boldness portrayed within their cherished traditional art. The sedu ction in her work is this newness and innov ative originality presented in a beloved and familiar ‘language’ which speaks to the heart of westerners and the ‘kokoro’ of the Japanese. Her work is simultaneously absolutely traditional Japanese shibori and absolutely her own. An esoteric aspect and elusive concept requiring extensive explanation not contained herein.
Attaining individuality exclusively with traditional Japanese shibori is exceptionally difficult yet Carol Gustavson’s creations are recognizable regardless of style, motif or form. They are identified by her shibori mastery with a spirited and expressive, yet precise, signature rarely seen. This results in an exceptionally striking contrast of colors and clarity that allows the shibori to be revealed in all its stunning glory. Gustavs on’s complex use of shibori and dyes is anything but modest and imbues the image with luminosity and energy that mesmerize as if emitting a life-force. Whether viewed from a distance or inspected close-up,
Gustavson’s creations are conspicuous both as traditional Japanese shibori and her own exclusive signature.
Gustavson’s family and artistic history illuminate her work and Zen-like concentration. She is the first in the U.S.A. of many generations of accomplished artists that also provided a rich heritage and environment of tradition and culture. She wore her first art smock at age three and by twelve was trained in numerous textile and fine arts. School years were spent in advanced and special programs in both arts and academics. Her father is an artist in serigraphy, painting, collage and sculpture as well as a master in Swedish carpentry. Her mother, aunt and grandmother were all skilled in European design, dressmaking, embroidery and other needle and textile arts. Since a child, Gustavson spent endless hours at their sides learning and creating. Her father was a former Eagle Scout Leader and her grandmother was a skilled gardener. They also provided knowledge and love of nature, the outdoors and chemistry. Her mother was a professional ballet dancer and ballet teacher and Gustavson studied until her early
20's. As an adult she attained four consecutive National Grand Championships in martial arts. Subsequently a student and performer of the Fujima Dance School, her performances include wearing traditional make-up, wigs and formal kimono and her education includes Japanese culture, aesthetics and etiquette. Gustavson has traveled extensively and is most influenced by locations steeped in culture and tradition. Her parents are still her active mentors as well as Fujima Shunojo, headmaster of the
Fujima School and Helen O’Rouke, her professor from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Preferring to ignore boundaries, Carol Gustavson’s unbridled imagination, ambition and drive have always kept her work fresh and unexpected and her innate curiosity to challenge her materials has remained. In her creations she ignores convention, but n ot skill, in her approach to dyes and dyeing. She manipulates them using whispers of color, multiple layers of colors, unexpected combinations, saturated hues and ranges of indigo from pale to the coveted midnightblue. Gustavson’s work is ever-evolving as she embraces and continually seeks and embarks on new territory with conviction and dedication.
Gustavson is genuinely passionate and enthusiastic about shibori. She has inspired many, young and old, to learn and love shibori and lures more converts by explaining its intriguing history augmented by her enticing shibori creations. Her views and opinions re veal deep emotion about shibori and come from a purist’s sensibilities. To her, “traditional Japanese shibori should be cherished and preserved.” This strong sentiment reflects her dedication to this art and honor and respect for the Japanese traditional Masters. Her work is testimony itself.
Regarding her shibori, Gustavson says she “continually tries her best” and believes it’s a “lifelong learning process and evolution.”
When asked ‘what’s next?’ she explains; “I’ve just embarked on another new level and have set much higher challenges and goals for the future”. Pressed for insight or details she archly replies with a smile; “It’s a secret between me and the shibori.”
When quizzed about working ‘inside the box’ (using only traditional Japanese shibori), she simply states; “it depends if the box is in your hands or in your mind.”
With philosophies and self-reflections such as these, considering her current status, one can only imagine what excitement that future holds. Undoubtedly it will conta in many more bright jewels in traditional Japanese shibori’s ‘crown’.