Sharon Richardson

Artist Statement 

My pursuit of arts and crafts began early, learning sewing in grade school with mother's teaching and assistance.  Over the years I learned a variety of skills such as embroidery, needlepoint, crochet, knitting, quilting, and finally fabric paint and dye for surface design.  The way various art forms are pursued, the more interest there is for any other possibly related art connection, not to mention better available skills.  For example, quilting began in the tradition mode and grew to be very modernistic and pushed me over the edge to use surface design to create my fabric for stitching and/or quilting or piece of fabric art.

I used random and personal designs for my early artwork, creating fabric designs with stitching and attachments.  For inspiration I surveyed a huge variety of books and authors, like Linda and Laura Kemshall, Jane Dunnewold, and many others.  For my earliest formal training I attended a summer school art session just before the 9th grade.  I attended ComplexCloth by Jane Dunnewold in 2005, and again in 2008.  I was subsequently selected to attend 2-1/2 years of training by Jane Dunnewold in Art Cloth Mastery starting in 2011.

Memberships

• Surface Design Association

Education

• Art Cloth Mastery, 2011-2013, Instructor: Jane Dunnewold, San Antonio, TX
• BS Accounting, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, MN
• AA Architectural Drafting & Construction Technology, North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, MN  

Blue and Orange I, II ,III

                                        

Detail

Detail

                                                 

Jeannie McMacken

Jeannie McMacken's cloth art is layered, rich with thought and meaning. Transitioning from a career that relied on the written word to communicate, her visual storyboard approach to art combines theme, mood, and detail to whisper a thought, make an editorial statement or scream an injustice. In addition to several technique classes, she is a graduate of Jane Dunnewold's  Art Cloth Mastery Program in San Antonio. Her two and three dimensional work will be exhibited in a solo exhibit in Port Townsend, WA (summer, 2013). 

 Artist Statement
 
After a fast-paced career using words, I’ve found new joy applying colors and marks to cloth to tell stories. My muse is Nature and I’m endlessly intrigued by her capriciousness. Society gives me plenty of material to work with as well.

Typically my art employs different types of cloth as a foundation canvas, and dyes and paints are colorful mark-makers. Several techniques, including fabric manipulation, screen and mono printing, shibori resist, and color discharge, combine to create the layered richness found in my work.

When I study life and nature, I search out the tune, the lyric, the poem. The intention of my art is to take emotional snapshots of those moments, interpret them, and honor them using my creative lens.

Torn  2013  Sold

                                                 

I Don't Understand You   2013   Sold

Linda Nelson-Johnson

Linda Nelson-Johnson is a retired professor of interior design; most recently teaching at Washington State University and previously at Arizona State University where she is professor emeritus.  Her focus as a fiber artist is combining dyeing techniques, screen-printing, image transfer, beading, layering and transparency with the traditional quilt form.  Nelson-Johnson’s fiber art has been published and won awards.  Reflections of Summers Past was published in $100,000 Quilting Challenge (2007) and awarded Viewers’ Choice at Quiltfest 2008 where Autumn Day and Pretty Van Gogh were also awarded first and third in Contemporary Art (2010).  Shipley Corner was awarded Best Theme Award at the Sam Davis Home Quilt Show (2010) and was also featured in Quilting Arts Magazine Calendar 2010.  Life is Like a Box of Christmas Fireworks was awarded Judge’s Choice and published in Cloth•Paper•Scissors (2009).  Her fiber art has been exhibited in national quilt shows including American Quilter’s Society Expo & Contest, Road to California: Quilters’ Conference & Showcase, Machine Quilters Exposition, International Quilt Festival and Quilt Market & International Quilt Festival.  Nelson-Johnson’s fiber art can be seen at http://lindanelsonjohnson.com and she can be contacted at LnJStudio@gmail.com      

Artist Statement

I consider myself a teller of stories – past, present and future.  A reflection of a life-long love affair with textiles, I use the tradition of American quilting to tell the story.  Throughout history the quilt has been a teller and a keeper of stories.  As such, I consider the quilt the perfect format for story telling.  Observers will find their own meaning within each piece and translate the stories I strive to tell through their own unique set of filters, thus linking past and present.  Various dyeing techniques, screen-printing, image transfer, stitching, beading, and layering are all characters in the story.  My vision and various processes determine my creative story telling.  The vision drives the process and the process is dependent upon the vision.  The object, the quilt, projects the story, today, as it has throughout history.

Autumn Sunset  34"x 15" SOLD

"Autumn Sunset"

As the orange autumn sun sets, barren trees are silhouetted against the darkening sky.  A dyed silk organza overlay featuring stitched trees with cut openings is hung 1” in front of the dyed, silk screened and quilted background, creating a three-dimensional scene.  

Purple Was Her Color  36" x 12"  NFS

"Purple Was Her Color"

The puzzle, that is life, begins simply as a child, each piece fitting together neatly and colored with the primary colors of mom, dad, and siblings.  As life progresses it gets more complicated, adding teenage relationships followed by marriage, symbolized by the addition of secondary colors.  Tertiary colors enhance the puzzle of family life with children, grandchildren and eventually great grandchildren.  For those with Alzheimer’s, it is at this time in life that the puzzle pieces begin to misalign.  The color wheel of life, memories and people fade to white.   

Techniques:

Hand dyeing
Screen printing
Machine quilting
Reverse applique
Lamination
Layering 
 

Materials:

Cotton
Silk organza
Rayon and Trilobal Polyester variegated thread 

                                        

 

Colors of Autumn   16" x19"   $150

"The Colors of Autumn"

The color wheel of seasons turns to the warm side of the wheel in the autumn.  Rich reds, tangy oranges, golden yellows and soft browns flutter through the air.  As the colorful leaves float to the ground, tree branches are left barren, foretelling the cool colors of winter.

Techniques:
Hand dyeing
Stenciling
Thread painting
Reverse applique
Machine quilting
Layering

Materials:
Cotton
Silk organza
Trilobal polyester variegated thread
Rayon thread

Joan Pao

Joan Pao is a mixed media artist.  She first explored tapestry weaving as a complement and balance to work as a scientist.  A series of evening design classes sparked the need to create which was different from publishing a scientific paper. Though tapestry weaving was enjoyable, it was slow and precise. The satisfaction of working with dyes and paints and the freedom that came with the techniques, filled the need for color, design and diversity in her work.  Pao’s work appeared in numerous publications including Fuller Craft Museum, Academy of Art, Shuttle, Spindle, and Dyepot, and Fiberarts, and is in private collections. She has an award from the Handweavers Guild of America . She has exhibited nationally.  Pao has served on the Board of The Textile Study Group of New York as Treasurer.  She also was a Board member of New York Guild of Handweavers.  She has recently completed Jane Dunnewold's Artcloth Mastery Program.

Artist Statement         

Creating art cloth spontaneously without preplanning is my way of working. I do have a concept, idea or colorway in mind. As the steps evolve, I use whatever is appropriate in terms of dyes, paints, thread and cloth for the particular piece.  I keep an open mind which enables me to observe new ideas and techniques.  My work is mostly abstract.  I leave the interpretation to the viewer.

Cinnamon Sensibilities

43" x 23"   NFS

  

Blues Etude

43"  x 23"  NFS

  

Signage

43"x 23"   $1000

Mary Jo Stipe

Bio
After a successful career as a design writer and editor, Mary Jo Stipe returned to her first love — making art. Following a workshop with Kerr Grabowski in 2008, she put aside canvas and paint in favor of silk and fiber-reactive dye. In 2013, she completed the Art Cloth Mastery Program, a 2-1/2 year study of textile-related techniques and surface design with Jane Dunnewold in San Antonio, Texas. Stipe is a member of the Surface Design Association, Studio Art Quilt Associates and the Art League of Long Island.

Artist Statement

Inspiration for art can come from anywhere: a dream, a poem, a random conversation overheard on a train. For me, the seed of an idea typically takes root in my own backyard, amid the trees and leaves I see when I step outside my door. Although I enjoy exploring a variety of subject matter, from the human figure to everyday household objects, I always return to plants, trees and leaves. I feel a kinship with Ralph Waldo Emerson who once wrote: “The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.” Through my artwork, I hope to share a frisson of that wonder with others.

Winter Blues   28 X 45 inches   NFS
Silk broadcloth, fiber-reactive dye, textile paint, silver leaf.

Three Leaves  12 X 36   NFS
Paper lamination on polyester organza, textile paint.

Feather Leaves    22 X 24    NFS
Monoprint on silk broadcloth, fiber-reactive dye.

Tara Ritacco

Tara Ritacco is a textile professional and a mixed media artist, recently completed a 2 ½ year Art Cloth Mastery Program.  Her 13 years with Disney costuming allowed her to developed custom textile for entertainment venues in the theme parks world-wide and for Disney on Ice. Ritacco is currently exhibiting work at Visions Art Gallery in San Diego, California and at the A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.  

Trestles   2012

 "Trestles"

 Silk organza, silk/cotton charmeuse, Tatsumaki and Arashi Shibori, draped, hand and machine sewn. By capturing the transparency and the movement of water, I made “Trestles,” named after the famous surf location near San Onofre.  This silk organza and silk charmeuse dress represents fashion inspired by the ocean waves at Trestles and fashion designer Alexander McQueen.  The outer fabric was pleating and dyed on a rope creating a textured fabric (Tatsumaki Shibori-meaning tornado). The lining was pleated and dyed on a tube (Arashi Shibori).  The hand dyed fabric was then draped and hand sewn into an evening dress and finished by machine sewing.

Isthmus   2013
 

" Isthmus"

Silk/cotton charmeuse, multi-layered screen printing with thickened dye embellished with crystals.  Machine and hand stitched.  “Isthmus,” named for the primitive side of Catalina Island, brought calmer aqua-blue colors in this 11 color dye- printed dress.  Front and back necklines are accentuated with layered silk and crystal beads.

Life Patterns   2013

"Life Patterns” 
  
Silk Habotai, embellished with antique buttons.Vintage pattern covers were transferred onto silk.  My mother’s patterns on front and the patterns she made for me as a child on the back. 
 
This piece is in gratitude. 

For more information on sizing and availability, please contact Tara directly at tara.ritacco@gmail.com.  Customized colors and sizing available.

Lynn Rogers

Artist Statement:

Rhythm, harmony and balance all come from music and enhance my work.  The natural world is where I find inspiration and spirituality. I believe that what you put out into the world comes back many times over, so I strive to find meaning and authenticity in all that I do.  I seek to create art that informs but can also cause change by providing new ways to think about a subject.

I strive to look beyond the surface.  My work can be viewed and appreciated, but taking time to observe closely yields more images and information.  In all things, sifting carefully through the layers helps one arrive at the core.

Pueblo Bonito 30" x 36"   NFS

                                     

Newspaper Rock  40" x 35"   NFS  
                                                                        

Arid Agua   43" x 32"  NFS
 

Jacque Davis

Jacque Davis has a long history in the textile arts beginning in the late 80’s when she learned traditional quilting, followed by many years weaving fine laces. Her work has traveled to many juried exhibits, won numerous awards, and has been purchased for private collections throughout the United States and Europe. Her longtime love of color, texture and stitch is evident in her richly colored and densely stitched art. She teaches many of her techniques to students in her home studio. She has studied discharge dyeing with Bob Adams and has recently completed a two and a half year Art Cloth Mastery Program in San Antonio, TX. Jacque's work was juried into the Artcloth Network in spring 2013.

Artist Statement
Every person’s mind builds images while asleep or day
dreaming. This language helps us to process and 
communicate our thoughts and feelings. Even as our
 dreams are uniquely ours, they have a thread of the 
everyday world in them. It is this thread that allows 
us to recognize the common language spoken in dreams. 

Cloth, paint, and thread provide the perfect tools to
 capture the evocative nature of the dream world. Cloth, 
soft and familiar to us all, provides the foundation. Thread connects the layers and lies visible on the surface, and paint can highlight or shadow an image adding another layer of interest. 
My art work is a celebration of our connection to one another.

Life   22 x37   575.00

                                                     

                                

Fall Away  24.5 x 32  550.00
                  

               

Fall Away ...detail 

https://www.facebook.com/JacqueDavisTextileArts

Mary Vaneecke

Mary Vaneecke is an award-winning artist, author, and teacher. Her mixed media art on textiles has been exhibited at regional and national shows throughout the US, and in Europe.  Her work and articles have appeared in Quilting Arts Magazine, Machine Quilting Unlimited, the Studio Art Quilt Associates’ Journal, and The Quilting Quarterly. 
Vaneecke began her art career with a round-robin quilting project in 1999. That quilt is still in pieces, but the project inspired her to open El Sol Quilting Studio five years later.  In 2010, her work Homage won the American Quilters Society’s Longarm Workmanship Award for a Wall-sized quilt in Paducah, KY. 

Artist Statement

“Life is chaotic, dangerous, and surprising. 
 Buildings should reflect it.” 
Frank Gehry, architect

I create to communicate my view of the world, and to remind myself to look for beauty in the chaos that is all around us.  But I must also admit that one reason I create is to control some small part of my life.  My work is solely my responsibility—a fact I find both exhilarating and daunting.  Finally, I make art to take up the intriguing challenge of a friend of mine:  Show me something I haven’t seen before. 

I hope you find my work surprising, chaotic, and maybe even a little bit dangerous.  I hope it’s like nothing you’ve seen before. 

Processes

I take plain fabrics (black or white, silk, rayon, or cotton) and alter their surfaces in different ways.  Some of my processes—bleaching, tearing, cutting and burning—are subtractive or destructive.  Some are additive—like painting, dyeing, stitching and laminating.  Others—like felting— are both.  In most of my work, I layer many techniques on a single surface.  My work has roots in the quilting tradition, so each work is layered onto other fabric and stitched to provided texture, dimension, and durability to each piece.

Off the Wall     39’’ x 26’’     $850     

          

                       

Free Radical IV      39’’ x 38’’      $1250

                         

Maelstrom         32’’ x 18’’      $500

    www.maryvaneecke.com                                                  

Nancy Young

Nancy Young is an accomplished mixed-media artist. In 2013, she completed the 2 1/2-year Art Cloth Mastery program in San Antonio, Texas. Young's work has been shown in the northeast, including New York City.  She was awarded first prize for sculptural forms at the Mid-Atlantic Fiber Conference and won a monetary prize for a soft sculpture at Convergence, the Handweavers of Guild of America's biennial conference. Her website is nancyyoungartspace.com. 

Artist statement

My current work explores the feelings of isolation and loneliness that can affect older women in our society. Some of the figures are shown alone and others are in small groups. Are they waiting for something to happen or someone to come? I don't know the answer to that question. 

The images in my pieces are based on my photographs, which are used for the silk screens and stamps that I use along with dye, paint, and hand embroidery on silk.  My intent is to create a platform for viewers to engage with these women. 

Alone I   24 x 42           $805

Alone II  25 x 41     $805

Alone III  29 x 42        $825