Morna Crites-Moore * Wicked Waif

http://www.mornacrites-moore.com

There is a soft spot in my soul for old and worn items, especially textiles. I find great pleasure in recycling abandoned articles of clothing into new works of art. I have a special kinship with old woolens, particularly old sweaters, which I turn into felted wool through a fulling process of repeated agitation in hot, soapy water. The resulting wool felt is thick, luxurious, and available in all the  rich colors which seem to find their way to me via thrift stores, yard sales and caring friends.

My household motto, passed down from my grandmother, through my mother, and now from me to my daughter, is waste not, want not.  I find it very difficult to throw anything away because I can imagine a potential use for almost any object. My studio overflows with stuff waiting, ever so patiently, to be used. It can be overwhelming at times to have so much in the way of raw materials. I actually work best when I have a limited amount of materials to work with. Nonetheless, when I handle my many vintage textiles - velvet, silk, lace, wool - often incorporating found objects, metals, jewels, and antique buttons into the creative process, I am quite happily in my element.

The making becomes a meditation and I become lost in the process.

The outcome runs the gamut from small art quilts, to penny rugs, garlands, ornaments, flags, purses, pincushions, scarves, cuffs, small samples of sewn folk art, dolls, and so on. I never know what direction I’ll head for . . . it’s a mystery.

Artist's statement:  I'd like to set dreams free - yours or mine. I'd like to create things which are so meaningful they may just break my heart, or speak to your soul. Through my work, I hope to know us both better ..... to become closer to my core truth, to meet you (and you, and you), to learn about and honor this earth we all share.

I like it when my work speaks as well as when it listens.


Location:  Redding, Connecticut, USA
Online shop:  Wicked Waif Fiber
Blogs:  
   mornacrites-moore
   mornacrites-moore (tumblr)
Social Media:  LinkedIn
Memberships:
   SAQA - Studio Art Quilt Associates 
Languages spoken:  English

FLYING GEESE - recycled wool sweaters 

and vintage buttons, 16” x 16.5”

Tags:  "recycled sweaters" "felted wool" "vintage textiles" "buttons" "flags" "dolls" "little quilts" "penny rugs" "make do" "wicked waif"

Leisa Rich

 

www.monaleisa.com

I am a fiber artist working in 2D, 3D and installation format using free motion stitching as my primary method. In addition to my conceptual, non-functional works, I also make unique items for body and home for my Etsy shop and stores and gallery shops. I also teach at arts centers, run the after school art program at a private school in Atlanta and conduct workshops and arts events. I have been featured on the PBS artist special “IN CONTEXT”; featured in the books, “The Best of America Sculpture Artists and Artisans” Kennedy Publishing and “Quilt National 2009” Lark Books and exhibit locally, nationally and internationally. I hold MFA and BFA degrees in Fibers and a Bachelor of Education in Art.

Artist's Statement:  At age four, while in the hospital for deafness, my mother made Barbie doll clothes for me to dress my Barbie and Ken in. One dress in particular, made of a fiery red satin, provoked my infatuation with the tactile qualities inherent to textiles and fiber, and my interest in working 3 dimensionally.

I am involved with continuous exploration and development of the ways which man-made materials can be formed into work that references nature or natural systems and how, when I magnify these human-made “systems”, they form a new reality. This attempt is in response to my dissatisfaction with the impact of human behavior on the natural world. I am seeking to create a unique world of my own design, made from that I shun and that I embrace.

In my 3 dimensional and installation works, I address this by looking at items usually ignored: a small stone kicked aside while walking, a bit of broken glass, a fossil, a shard of twisted metal, a shell, leftover plastic, a microscopic cell. I transform those simple, ordinary objects into the extraordinary in order to give them greater significance. Using the power of scale—from minuscule to gargantuan—I portray and bring to notice an important essence I see in each object.

The 2 dimensional, somewhat Neo-Surrealist fiber pieces I am creating interject personal storytelling into a broad visual commentary on that dysfunctional society. My wall works at first glance might be likened to that of a painting - an initial impression of color and form -but the viewer of my work is usually confused by a texture unlike that in painting and is then sucked in for a closer look. I want that element of hidden surprise to grab, so that they are drawn in to my story.

Feminists might postulate that my use of fabric and the intricacy of the stitching in the works harks back to the days of quilting bees, when women shared stories, solved the problems of the day and bonded tightly as they worked with tiny stitch. As society has become more complex and humans increasingly disconnected from each other and from nature, artists like myself end up holed up alone, a stranded worker bee…transforming what I can, a bit at a time.

I live and teach in Atlanta, Georgia. I have been married for 24 years, have two beautiful daughters and I will soon become a grandmother for the first time!

"Amoeba Mushroom" Fiber Sculpture by Leisa Rich

Location:  Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.

Online shop:  richmade

Blog: monaleisa.posterous  
Other social media: Twitter

Memberships:  

   South East Fiber Art Alliance
   Surface Design Association
   American Craft Council

Languages spoken:  English 

"No Sense Crying Over Spilled Milk: Reason #2 LUST"
2D Fiber Art by Leisa Rich

Tags:  fiber, art quilt, embroidery, sculpture, stitching, quilt, 2D, 3D, installation, free motion stitching

Marion Coleman Textiles & Mixed Media

"Hot Flash", Art Quilt by Marion Coleman

www.marioncoleman.com

As a textile and mixed media artist I enjoy making public art, teaching and working on community projects.  I am particularly interested in creating work addressing themes about women, aging, memory,  history and other social themes.    Much of my work is representational but I also enjoy working with bold colors and ethnic fabrics.

Artist's Statement:  For over thirty years I  worked in youth and family services and during the last two decades I have combined this experience with fiber, stitching and color to create work that explores color, memory, social change and community. 

As a youngster I was taught to sew and crochet by my grandmother.  That learning was the beginning of my art making which has now led to designing and fabricating contemporary quilts and mixed media art.  I continue to use a variety of fibers, threads, paper, paint and found objects to present ideas that interest me. My work is both color and concept driven.    I combine established strip piecing techniques associated with African American quilts but may include extensive stitching, slashing, burning, paper, paint, plastic, beads, buttons, recycled materials or just about anything that strikes my fancy. I continue to add to my collection of old photos as I explore memory, history and culture.  In addition to the early influences of the women quilters in my family I have also been drawn to the work of numerous  artist/story quilters. 

I am presently working on a jazz series as a secondary thread to my portrait series about women over 50. 


Location:  Castro Valley, California, USA
Online shop: Marion Coleman
Blog: Marion Coleman
Memberships:
   American Craft Council
   Studio Art Quilt Associates
   Surface Design Association
Languages spoken: English

 "Neighborhood Watch", Memory Series

Art Quilt by Marion Coleman

Tags:  public art, portraits, representational art, art quilts, community, recycled

Something Else Studio

www.somethingelsestudio.com

"I'm living my Dreams :)  As a full time artisan I have the sheer joy of getting up each morning and working in my studio to create wearable art in the form of purses, pockets  and renaissance inspired accessories.  I have many more ideas then I have time to create them, so I look forward to bringing to my festivals new items and new designs each season.  When I set off to college as a returning adult student seventeen years ago I had every intention of becoming an Art & Skills For Living school teacher, but somewhere along the way I ran off and joined a very talented group of gypsies know as renaissance festival artisans!  It is a lot of work to create, promote and manufacture your own designs for my festivals and websites, but it's an adventure I wouldn't trade for anything.  So follow your dreams and BELIEVE in the magic of our own creative soul. 

~ I am a self-supporting artist. With hard working hands & a creative heart I have crafted into reality my dreams with imagination and perseverance. Thank you for supporting my journey ~"

Find me at Sterling Renaissance Festival, Sterling, NY  USA  and The Maryland Renaissance Festival, Crownville, MD  USA.

Artist's statement:  "In 1995 I opened my design studio where my love for art, history and imagination could all take flight. I works out of my home studio creating enchanted accessories for  Renaissance, Faerie & Art Festivals.

With the focus on accessories as wearable art, I design a very unique look that transform the wearer from function to Fancy.  Each One-of-A-Kind creation brings it's own enchanting finishing touch, all handcrafted with extra attention to every detail.

I have been creating for 30 years, gaining experience with medieval design by making costumes for Renaissance Festivals. I have spent time doing quilting, fabric dyeing, crewel, beadwork, and photography, all of which I employed when my son decided on a medieval-themed wedding. Now I use all of my diverse skills to offer you all the services of a medieval guild.

I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art with a focus on graphic design and drawing. I love working in mixed media with painting, textiles, murals, photography, and plaster relief paintings on wood, resulting in dimensional artwork. Some of my painting become interactive as viewers open doors or press buttons to interact with the artwork."

-Jannelle Olmstead

Location: Palmyra, New York, USA

Online shops:

   Something Else Studio

   SEStudio on Etsy 

Memberships:

   Arts Cultural Council for Greater Rochester
   American Crafts Council
   Etsy Fantasy Artists Team 

Languages spoken: english & ren speak :)

Wearable Art by Something Else Studio

Tags:  purses, pocket, bag, wearable art, fabric painting, mixed media, fantasy, whimsical, original designs, historical

Angel Fire Designs

"A Pair of Kings" by Patricia Gould (2009, 34" x 43")
www.angelfiredesigns.com

I have exhibited my wall art and my wearable art extensively in the US and abroad. I was invited to exhibit my work at the 2009 Florence Biennale and my quilts have also been exhibited in Taiwan and in Hungary as a result of an artist's residency I was chosen for in 2005. Three of my landscape quilts were purchased by New Mexico Arts for Art in Public Places and my work is in private collections in the US and Europe. My quilts have been published in magazines, books, and exhibition catalogs and I won a Niche Award in 2008 and was chosen as Artist of the Month by the Artist's Magazine in 2003. Two of my quilts are in the online collection of the Library of Congress.

-Patricia Gould

Artist's statement: With a BA in Fine Arts/Art History, and sewing since the age of eight, it’s no surprise that I chose fiber art as my passion in life. A true fabric addict, many different types of fabrics find their way into my quilts and wearable art and I never met a color I didn’t like. Travel was a very important part of my upbringing and my family visited almost all the National Parks in the US and Canada before I was out of school which gave me a deep appreciation for our precious Mother Earth and her creatures. Since 1993, I have been making landscape art quilts, drawing inspiration from trips to China, East Africa, Russia, Antarctica, and extensive travel throughout North America and Europe.

I’m drawn to a few subjects in nature that I find perpetually intriguing by themselves and my voice is whispering a tribute to the incredible beauty in both the subtle and violent forces of nature, only touched by the hand of humans on rare occasions. I’m obsessively drawn to trees, rocks, all forms of water, and animals; I portray these subjects as if they were asking to me to reveal their messages to the world. My fiber pieces are dramatic portraits of Earth and I hope to draw the viewers into these scenes to share the exhilaration I feel and to cherish the wonders of the place we call home.

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Online shop: angelfiredesigns, Angel Fire Textiles

Memberships:

   Studio Art Quilt Associates
   Surface Design Association
   American Craft Council

Languages spoken: English

 "Coastal Symphony" by Patricia Gould (2009, 51" x 37")

Tags: Landscapes, Mixed - Media, Animals, Wildlife, Water, Trees, Impressionist, Inspiring, Light, Nature 

Loriemccown

http://artpluscraft.blogspot.com

I am a professional artist working mainly in paint, fiber, paper and yarn. I love all  things fiber. I hold an art degree from Cal State Long Beach in California. All my work is personal and influenced by folk art, stories, music and history. I adore ancient civilizations. I incorporate  meaning in my work, from the colors I choose to what is depicted on the surface. I prefer to not let the medium dictate what I do, but have it serve the greater meaning of what the piece is about. I'm not a 'gadget' girl, I like direct application of whatever I'm using. It's not about the medium for me, and I do not 'play' when it comes to making art. I am continually amazed at the beauty and talent I see around me.

Artist's statement: Artistic endeavors in paint, paper, fiber and yarn. Art heals in ways we never expect it to.

Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA

Online shop: Loriemccown (Etsy)

Blog: art plus craft

Social Media: facebook, twitter

Memberships:

   SAQA
   American Craft Council
   Surface Design Association

Languages spoken: English

"Unfurling"   32" x 42"  by Lorie McCown

Tags: art quilts, embellish, sewing, stitching, hand work, fiber, textile, color, context, content, meaning, beauty