I am a process artist. What does that even mean? What kind of bullshit art language am I throwing around? Let me explain what this means to me as an artis. The definition of process art is “where the pocess of making art is not hidden but remains a prominent aspect of the completed work.”
Once upon a time, many years ago, I decided I wanted to become a fiber artist. Although it is an extreme oversimplification, Malcolm Gladwell told us in his book Outliers that it take 10,000 hours to master something. I took this concept and applied it to my work. I spent 4-8 hours every day researching,
We are seeing a revival of natural plant fibers in the world of textiles. Once, we used a much wider variety of plant fibers than we do today. What happened? In the 1960s, synthetic fabrics overshadowed the market. Now, we are starting to see young artisans revisit natural plant fibers. There is something special about
Cotton is often thought of as a sustainable textile, but the truth is that it’s not as sustainable as you think. Cotton requires enormous amounts of water and pesticide to produce, and it’s not environmentally friendly to grow cotton. In this blog post, we will explore the truth about cotton and why it’s not a
The Ashford family has been a force in the fiber world for almost a century. Founded in 1934, Ashford Handicraft Ltd. has produced a large percentage of the spinning wheels still in use today. In 1987, Elizabeth Ashford founded The Wheel magazine as a way of promoting the crafts and connecting textile artists from around
The Fibershed movement started in 2010 as a way to create regional economies that could support the growing and processing of fibers within a 250-mile radius. The goal is to build a more sustainable and resilient system that doesn’t rely on imported goods or fossil fuels. Since its inception, the movement has grown exponentially, with
I often ask myself how I got to where I am in my life. I certainly didn’t expect to find myself wading thigh-deep in mud and spiders cutting down plants at a botanical garden. LOTUS I recently had the pleasure of reading The Long Thread special issue. Check out my review here. It inspired me
As you all know, I love taking time to review new literature that comes out in the spinning world. I just got my pre-order of The Long Thread and I am not disappointed. Long Thread Media recently published this collection of articles featuring a number of unusual fibers and spinning techniques. This may be one
Recently, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with an old friend Kris who, in some ways, has lead a parallel existence. She is a project manager by day and like myself, she managed to find her way to the spinning wheel some time ago. I’ve always known her to be a bit of a “Renaissance
On a whim, while browsing Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, I came upon Job’s Tears. Job’s Tears is a grain grass native to Southeast Asia. Job’s Tears are used in Chinese medicine, as a grinding grain for flours and breads and in soups. It is also used for beads. I searched for information on harvesting Job’s
