About the Artist or Work:
Val Sivilli has fully realized the true power of the T-Shirt. Her work
enjoys a depth and a resonance that few artists have. Civilian’s images
have a hopeful, positive edge that is never too sweet or too simple. Val
is a painter & a print maker. She prints objects, bodies and text
onto fabric. Late one evening, about 20 years ago, she ran out of
fabric. She printed onto some of her old T-Shirts, the only fabric she
could find at 1AM. Thus, one fateful night, Civilian was born. The
popularity of these shirts created a dilemma. Val has an MFA from Mason
Gross School of the Arts. Like most art majors, she had absolutely no
business training. Luckily , her T-Shirts sold very quickly and without
much effort. Val reluctantly hopped onto the T-Shirt train as it was
leaving the station. She gradually allowed that train to take her
wherever it wanted to go. Civilian, by the fact of its fast and easy
success, has taught Val how run a small, local business. Civilian
helped to connect Val with her community on a very deep level. Val
has owned and operated Civilian Art since 1992. She has a full
screen-printing shop in her studio. Civilian creates images for many
community based projects as well as for many local businesses and
events. She designs the graphics, writes all of the lyrics, and prints
all of her own T-Shirts. It is a labor of love for the last 20 years.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Making good art specifically for a T-Shirt is a true challenge. T-Shirt
art has it’s own voice, it’s own demands. Creating both wearable and
provocative images requires a deep connection to the human spirit. There
is a level of responsibility to this art form unlike any other form of
art. It demands respect for the individual who will wear it. T-Shirt art
has become the single most popular and accessible art form in the world
today. Rarely has any art form been collected by as many people as the
T-Shirt. The art world, in all of its grandeur, can only dream of being
embraced by the public with the same passion that the T-Shirt has been.Favorite Restaurant or Shop in Doylestown:
The BookShop and Lilies of the Field and The State Theater.
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