I am so very grateful to everyone who takes time to visit my blog. I so enjoy your comments and as I watch my views grow I am always amazed to see that this world we live on is very small when we all come together for a common purpose. Sharing our love of fiber, color, design is a true celebration of the beauty of life and our uniqueness. I am often so busy and find myself nose down in a bit of needlework. So I thought I'd take a bit of time to introduce you to each other and to the makers and creators who have been inspirational to me. There are too many to list, but I so want you to meet these amazing artists and bloggers. I think you will be inspired too.
When I take the time to get to know the people who come to see my work it is like sitting down to a cup of hot tea with friends. I simply need to do it much more often.
If you are like me and forget to stop and smell the Internet roses once in a while, let me offer you a cup of warm inspiration. You will have to pour your own tea. Lets get to know eachother lots better!
Amanda left a comment on my stitch tutorial page. So I clicked on her blog Amanda's Crochet Blanket Adventures and I nearly started to drool! She is a master of color and design in the world of crochet. Oh my! Here are a few of her works. Oh if I only had more time!
I recently discovered Jackie, an amazing pinterest pinner.I was so surprised to see my works among so many lovely works of fiber art. If you would like to see some very amazing pincushions, give her boards a look. I warn you...you'll be there for quite a while! https://www.pinterest.com/jcfelix/primarily-pincushions/
I recently met a amazing fiber artist and blogger, Kim from Sarah Lizzies, who also lives a world of beauty. She introduced herself to me and when I went to her site I was floored! She found me through Cynthia Crane, one of my favorite blogging friends.
Kim and Cynthia have both mastered an artful way of life, from their lovely gardens to their prolific studios, their blogs are like living postcards of what most of us imagine for ourselves. I would be afraid to show you the mess my studio has become. These artists open their beautiful worlds wide open for us to come and dream. Take a look at both sites and you won't want to leave!
Here is a bit of Cynthia's ceramic works. I have a sweet little house of hers that sat at my mom's bedside table. It gave her much comfort and joy while she was with us. Thanks Cynthia! I am showing you one of her beautiful yarn bowls as a lead in to one of Kim's knitting masterpieces. Enjoy!!!
Cynthia's Yarn Bowl
Kim's Knitting Project
Let me not forget Vicki from 2 Bags Full who kind of put us all together. She is another creative living artists. Move over Martha Stewart! If you need a little pick me up just check out her latest post on her Winter Nests. She offers some beautiful poetry on winter and snow along with amazing photos of her Snow Birds Nest. Living in icy Wisconsin, I certainly needed a reminder of how beautiful it can be.
I have only been doing serious embroidery for about 7 years. I loved working with fabric but I needed something to add to it. I wanted use fibers the same way I used paint.
When I discovered Sue Spargo, I was so inspired. I love her use of wool, beads and embroidery. I loved how she added layer upon layer of wool, printed and dyed fabrics and then embroider and beading.
But her primitive, folk art approach to fiber art is what truly appealed to me. I loved that she added detail without fuss. She has a modern look while using traditional techniques.
Here area few of her pieces that I love.
Old to New
You will find that the artists who bring a new look to traditional technique is a reoccurring theme in my list of influential and inspiring artists.
The second most important element found in my collection of favorite artists is their willingness to explore their unique vision. You can see a bits of who they are and how different they are from the artists around them. I think that is something we all need to strive to add to own own works. While imitation is a great exercise while you are learning, you need to celebrate what makes you YOU and let that shine in all you do.
Mandy Pattullo is one of my all time favorite fiber artists. I love her modern-primitive esthetic! It speaks to my love of antiques and my desire to stay young and relevant as I move forward in my fiber art education. Yes, we never stop learning. Take some time on her blog and enjoy her unique and rich vision of the art of fiber. Find her Etsy Shop, MandyPattullo here. Find her blog at Thread and Thrift and her many works are on her website here- Mandy Pattullo.Com.
Here are some of my favorite series from her talented hands-
These are just a few of my favorites. Mandy is from Northumberland in the UK. I find inspiration from around the world, but I think I will have to visit the UK, as so many of my favorite artists are from across the pond, way across! If nothing else I am going to plan the shopping trip of a lifetime. When you see the work of Viv, aka Hensteeth, (Etsy shop here) you see what I mean. I wish I could find treasures like they find here in Wisconsin.
These artists are very technical in their approach to fiber art, yet, their work is modern.
They are experts at their craft without being stuffy or stiff. I wish I knew how they did it.
First, the amazing Salley Mavor. She is a fiber artist who creates amazing illustrations using embroidery and stumpwork to the max! I love, love love her birds. I have struggled to create the affect she is so adept at. It feels like she is magical with a needle and embroidery thread.
Inna Bird is a ribbon embroiderer who I recently discovered via her Etsy Shop, Silk Ribbon Creative. Oh, her work is so lush and lovely it makes me dream! The next edition of the Summer Garden I make will include some ribbon embroidery. Inna dyes her own ribbon! No wonder it is so amazing.
While she rebuilds her website, you can find her Facebook Page here. I'm going to include some of amazing soaps she creates. Don't they just make your mouth water?
I can't leave out Carla Madrigal from MadrigalEmbroidery on Etsy. Her work taught me to draw on "me" when working. She has a unique vision. She works on lovely materials, which are often recycled. Her stitches are humbly amazing. I hope you find her work as inspiring as I did.
Sara Lechner from The Fabric of Meditation, (Etsy Shop here), led me to wool. I am grateful for her inspiration. I love wool. I love to embroider it, felt it, sew it and now spin it. I urge you to click on the provided links. Her works remind me of Marc Chagall. She comes from Argentina but her years in Austria are evident in her extraordinary esthetic.
I could go on forever. There are painters and illustrators who have inspired my work. There are fine artists from the past, such as VanGogh, and contemporary artists on Etsy, such as BalletArt that also give me so many things to think about as I design new works. Here is a link to one of his butterfly prints. It reminds me of fiber art in pen and ink.
There are quilters such as Jeni Baker from In Color Order She got me hooked on Vintage Sheets. Wish she still had her color classes online. They were amazing. Click on the link to find some of her tutorials. She designs fabrics now with that same fun color sense. Try her Mini New York Beauty Tutorial here.
Well Blogspot is giving me fits. I don't know if I can load any more images on this post.
Ohhh there are so many more to show you!!!
I hope to feature more of your art and your blog here in the future. When you leave a comment, please don't hesitate to invite me to take a look at your art. We need to share. I think its an essential part of the creative process.
I hope you enjoyed this post, as much as I enjoyed putting it together!