Ace Zappa makes art and works hard.

Using repurposed materials, Ace finds good stuff and makes it into other good stuff. Support local arts and artists!

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I live in and love the Pacific Northwest. My appreciation for our beautiful natural abundance informs my use of repurposed and reclaimed materials.

I was a professional heritage hand quilter for many years. I loved finding the correct material to mend an heirloom family piece, matching the original maker's work. 

After working in tiny stitches for so long,  

I had a Bursting Desire to paint large abstract things. 

I wanted to use what I had, what was readily available all around me.

With my quilting background I began to gather the good material found in the

endless ocean of human invention. There is plenty.

People started to give me things. I went to our local landfill and took paint remnants from the hazmat depot. I developed an additive/reductive technique which makes the most of that old weird paint. It separates and granulates in very interesting ways. Ephemeral and durable, colorfast, with a range of sheen. It has been so fun to learn and play. The large abstract paintings are vibrant and evocative and tell interesting stories.

At the same time I've been making textiles and large installation pieces. My series of LandArt works at the Idaho Botanical Garden used milkweed fluff and sheepswool hand spun into yarn. I knit the yarn into various shapes-balls, a windcatcher. In 2019 The Harpinger used guitar strings to sing a keening note. 2020 had a large display of balls, mostly enjoyed by the bunnies due to lockdown. In 2022

Which Way The Wind Blows danced over the rose gardens.

Recently I've had the honor of being Artist in Residence at Surel's Place in Garden City ID. This precious time allowed me to collate and edit some writing I've done. I'll continue to shape those words into book form over the winter 2023-24. 

I've also had the honor of being the featured artist at Water's Edge Gallery in The Riverside Hotel. I appreciated the fantastic opportunity to

be hung professionally in a gallery setting.

In the summer of 2023 I have had the chance to play with some

fun weird ideas in The GreenBox adjacent to Surel's Place. On The Bubble/Underwater used work I'd done for a burlesque show at Visual Arts Collective back in 2020. The current GreenBox installation is an interactive sound experience.

Make Some Noise/Barbaric Yawp is a joyful

exuberant playtime. Come and clang until the end of 2023!

I live a life of art. A wide ranging deep well of a life.

I love to share the stories, the feelings, and that hook of recognition

as we pass one another on our way.