Debbie Gulley

Artist Statement

"I transform the nostalgia of traditional string art into modern, three-dimensional sculptures. My work is a physical exploration of geometry and space, using wood, nails, and precisely layered string to pull flat lines into dynamic form. These 'Wishing Stars' are deeply personal, inspired by a childhood fascination with dimensional shapes and a multicolored pinwheel lollipop. Through this intricate interplay of tension and color, I aim to capture a sense of wonder and bring structural light into a room."

I’ve also learned to manipulate the stars by turning them on their sides and mixing them with upright ones. From that, I created the alphabet — upper and lower case — plus numbers 0 through 9, using neon string, crochet string, and other materials. I’m working on a heart with myself standing next to it so people can see how big these pieces really are. I can spell anything now.

If you’d like to see them, visit my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@DebbieGulley-b8i. I’ve made slideshows of sports teams and their logos, though they didn’t get much response. Now I’m hoping the crafty art community will appreciate them more.

I am self‑taught. It took me all of last year — summer and winter — to create everything. I’ve been a hidden crafty artist my whole life, and I’ve finally decided to share my work because it’s too beautiful for my eyes only. They are truly 3‑[DEB]mensional. I’ve also drawn some of them and written poems about them. Here is a three‑line, four‑word poem about all of them:

"My art has flaws
Can stratch like claws
Yet have no paws"

— Debbie L. Gulley