Craft Show Artists 2010

Joyce Barker-Schwartz — Philadelphia, PA   |   jbsdesigns.net

Hand painted (acrylic) and hand woven canvas rugs designed for high traffic areas of the home, indoor and outdoor. Sealed with an acrylic finish, therefore, making these custom rugs very durable.

Laura Breitman — Warwick, NY   |   laurabreitman.com

I am committed to expressing how light interacts with form and the task of fooling the eye. Thousands of pieces of fabric are often contained in each work. Attention to detail is my way of capturing viewers, bringing them in closer so that details meld into shapes and colors - which is often the case when we contemplate an object. It is this type of meditation and study of individual elements that trigger the kinds of thoughts that sweep through our minds and take us by surprise. My work is meant to inspire these moments.

Deborah Foutch — Minneapolis, MN   |   deborahfoutch.net

I sew, paint, ink, take apart and recombine, tell stories with texture and dimension, using layers to reflect the visual abundance in which we live.

Amy Gillespie — Arlington, MA   |   amygillespiestudio.com

I work in the fibrous mediums of fiber and wood. The processes both contrast and complement each other. My background lies in fiber, but I've always been fascinated by wood. My creative process often begins at the lumberyard. In order to achieve integration between the materials, I allow the wood to set the tone for the piece. As I use a router to create the channel which houses the felt inlay, my mind is racing with ideas for the color, form and composition the felt will take. My process for wet-felting the wool roving is similar to murrini glass which involves layering and slicing. I further add color and fortify the felt by coating it with acrylic paint and gel medium before cutting it into cross-sections. Each cross-section is sculpted one at a time and adhered to the wood with acrylic gel medium paste. This is a fluid process in which each piece laid in influences the next.

Renee Harris — Cincinnati, OH   |   reneeharris.net

These one-of-a-kind narrative wall pieces are influenced by my love of illustration, folk art and nature. I use a number of techniques and materials in my work but mostly choose: hand felted wool fabric and cotton thread hand embroidery for surface embellishments. In addition, design balance and careful color choices are very important parts of my creative process in order to communicate my ideas clearly.

Meg Little — Newport, RI   |   meglittle.com

One of a kind handtufted rugs using many colors of wool yarn blended together in a looped pile punched into a backing cloth, latexed and lined. Meant to be walked on, but equally at home on a wall, my work ranges in size from doormat to room sized.

Natalia Margulis — Livingston, NJ   |   nataliamargulis.com

To be inspired by nature's sublime beauty I found a needle as a versatile instrument to recreate an embroidered textile, to investigate and express endless transformation of nature through changes of seasons from new life to decay. Fluid and transformable qualities of fiber allow me to reconstruct natural forms and textures, which fascinated me. Each piece is influenced by my desire to share and bring more meaning and joy into our lives. I am especially interested in creating illusion of movement, delicacy, light and shadow. Embroidered pictures by their softness and tenderness awoke deep feeling of belonging to organic world as through visual perception as physical tactility. Fragility of fiber is used to indicate the fragility of the world and reflects my passionate desire to save and protect it. Trying to expand the possibilities to express myself I include all kind of hand and machine stitches and often some elements of other fiber techniques. They are my tools to achieve the result.

Julia Mitchell — Vineyard Haven, MA   |   juliamitchelltapestry.com

I am a tapestry designer and weaver of 45 years' experience, my earliest influences being the work of the Japanese Ukiyo e woodcut masters, Matisse, Anni Albers and the Bauhaus ethic of process as relates to form. The work is exhibited extensively in invitational and juried group and solo shows, and is in many collections worldwide. I divide my time between developing new bodies of work and fulfilling corporate and private commissions. I combine traditional tapestry techniques with processes worked out over time to achieve the results that I'm after - the effects of wind, water, light and shadow on the natural world. My goal is to convey a sense of beauty and mystery in all things. I weave in a blend of wool, silk and linen yarns to achieve nuances of texture and reflectivity as well as subtle color shifts.

Michael Radyk — Athens, GA   |   mradyktextiles.blogspot.com

Looking beyond the merely decorative and aesthetic, I want my weavings to portray my response to the chaos of contemporary image culture and the ways in which our world view is organized and distorted. The acts of framing and veiling symbolize a way of looking. Veiling, windows, reflective and kinetic materials offer a carefully considered way of seeing. The goal is to create sensorial moments similar to those found in the quiet spaces of half-darkened rooms. While the surfaces that result are meant to explore materials that arouse the senses, there is a particular interest in the aspects related to light, vision and interaction. The interactive textile surface comes to life only when the viewer comes in contact with it, discovering what the textile may hide, distort or frame.

Carol Sobieniak — Boulder, CO   |   flyingcarpetstudio.com

I make hand tufted loop pile area rugs and flat woven tapestries. I believe in clean designs that are easily perceived. It is a quality of minimalism, like grace that may be defined as making the most impact with the fewest gestures. My motivating impulse comes from working with colors and responding to how they interact. I hand dye the yarn by mixing the dye pigments to create a custom palette with a richness in depth. The rug yarn I use is made with a beautiful NZ Romney wool, a long fiber that is perfect to accept the saturated color. From there the design is created and dictated by the colors on my shelf, new inspirations and a long history of designing rugs. The process of making rugs, flat woven or hand tufted is a repetitive motion and of a meditative nature creating a sense of pattern. My work reflects a desire for simplicity, balance and harmony.