I'm delighted to be participating in the Around the World Blog Hop! The movement is literally spreading around the world introducing artists to each other as comfortably as if we were in the same room.
Artist Roxanne Lessa invited me to participate so let me introduce you to her! We met in the cyber world of Facebook and had the good fortune of meeting face to face at a SAQA conference in VA last spring. Roxane is a full time studio textile artist and teacher. She is a 2012 Niche Award Winner and exhibits her work all over the world. Her work is in several private collections and she loves doing custom commissions. Most recently Roxanne completed two segments for Quilting Arts TV series 1500 which will air on PBS in early 2015! For more info go to http://roxanelessa.com
As part of the blog hop I've been asked to answer the below questions AND I get to introduce you to 2 artists I admire! I know this is a long post but stick with me and be sure to scroll all the way down to meet Julie and Mary!
What am I working
on?
As a fabric surface
design artist I work on a number of projects at a time. Typically each fabric
design has multiple layers which require some type of down time in-between and I’ve
come to realize I’m not very good at being idle! Right now in the studio I have
buckets of ice dyed fabric in the works (the ice is melting), there are lengths
of fabric hanging on the line waiting for the fabric paint to cure before heat
setting and I have some wrapped/clamped fabric soaking in an Indigo vat. While
I step back and wait for the magic to occur my free motion machine is out and I’m
working on a whole cloth piece that is screaming for random circles to be
stitched into the design!
How does my work
differ from others of its genre?
Each
artist strives to have their own signature look. Being a total color junkie I
align myself more with impressionism and feel an emotional
connection to color vs. realism. My fabrics have a subtle feel that allows the
viewer to pull out what elements speak to them.
I create
fabric for other artists/quilters to use in their work. In the sea of overwhelming
fabric options my goal is to catch the eye of someone who needs that truly unique
one-of-a-kind fabric to set their finished piece apart from the pack! I feel
honored when people send me photos of their completed work and tell me the
story of their journey!
Why do I write/work
what I do?
I’m
totally wired to create and was fortunate to grow up in an environment that nurtured
individuality. As a fabric surface design artist I feel drawn by the sheer joy
I get from each added layer and finally the big reveal of the finished art
cloth. My work feels happiest when I’m incorporating elements of nature into
the design. I don’t mean literally but rather symbolically. I may notice a
color combination in a flower garden and use those colors in the next dye bath
or while out for a walk the textures of the path may catch my eye which leads
to a series of texture inspired fabrics.
How does my working
process work?
For me
the most unique results come when I declutter my brain and immerse myself in
the process. If I can tune out the outside world and embrace the development of
the design then the progression flows like magic. If I try too hard to force a
design the piece will feel strained and I’m never really satisfied with it. The
studio is my happy place and you can find me there in the wee hours of the
morning with my coffee pot, music and sleepy cat (in that order). I do my best
to keep the studio free of outside stress… as much as anyone can in life and when you wear a respirator to work people tend to give you some room!
I now have the pleasure of introducing you to 2 other artists that I have a profound respect for!
I met Julie through our participation in The Printed Fabric Bee (a group of professional surface design artists creating custom fabric collections). I also had the pleasure of meeting Julie face to face at SAQA's conference in VA... a total treat!
Julie holds a BA in studio art from Wesleyan University and a certificate
degree in scientific illustration from Rhode Island School of Design. Although
a graphic designer for 18 years, her first love has always been working with
fiber. In 1994, Julie established her business, Thread Born Dolls specializing
in one-of-a-kind soft sculptured figures and doll patterns.
Julie
has exhibited her work in numerous Washington DC area galleries as well as in
nationally traveling exhibitions. She is a member of F.I.N.E. (Fiber in Nearly Everything), an
exhibiting group of seven mixed media fiber artists as well as a longtime
member of Potomac Fiber Arts Guild and Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery. In
2010, Julie received the Margaret Conant Grant to explore using common
household materials (especially those from the kitchen) as fabric resists. She
continues to use the kitchen as a resource for all sorts of surface design
techniques on fabric. Her newsletter, Julie B Booth
Surface Design News, focuses on the same topic.
I've had the pleasure of calling Mary a friend for a few years now. She amazes me with her boundless energy and diverse interests. We met at a local SAQA meeting and had an instant connection. We are founding members of the Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective (a group of dedicated fiber and mixed media artists exhibiting throughout the state).
Mary says she is still doing what she enjoyed as a kid: looking at things under a microscope, writing letters, stitching fabric, and playing music. She is an M.D. pathologist who writes, creates contemporary textile art, and plays the violin.
Mary is the author of Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana and more than 20 original scientific papers. She has also written for Quilting Arts Magazine and Country Living.
Her artwork has been juried into numerous local and national exhibits and has been featured in the Cheshire Herald online,Natural Awakenings Magazine, and Quilting Arts Magazine. In 2012 her art quilt, "Hexaggeration I" was selected to be part of the permanent collection of the Kresge Art Museum at the Michigan State University. In addition her textile art has been included in the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) national exhibit, This is a Quilt! and the SAQA-CT regional exhibit, Local Color.
Mary is a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and Heritage Quilters of Wallingford. She is a founding member of The Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective (CTFAC). She plays music at Neighborhood Music School in New Haven.
To see more art and learn about her process go to her blog: http://marylachmandesign.blogspot.com
or look for her on Facebook at: Mary Lachman Design or Moth at the Window
