Get your fiber!

Last Saturday I attended the Omaha Weavers and Spinners Guild's annual fiber art show and sale. It's their 15th, and I think I've attended almost all of them, most with my daughter-in-law Kristi and The Two Beauties (aka granddaughters).  We pore over the colors, textures, patterns, and designs. The hand-dyed yarns urge each of us to start knitting on the spot, never mind that we don't know how. We're saved from that dilemma because none of us can ever choose one favorite yarn! Texture is so alluring-- I can see from the way Kate touches a thick blue rug that she know how luscious it would feel under bare feet. And what is labeled a needle-felted wrap is really a cloud embracing your shoulders. This is a great place to bring a gift list.  It's also a place to see the range of possibilities in fiber art: functional hats, scarves, and socks; plus woven paper folded into a basket; needle-felted gnomes that made Chloe laugh; a sheer silk panel, hand-dyed and printed, that might be  a stole or could be hung, delicate as birdsong, in your bedroom. And it's a reunion-- seeing the artists, browsers, and shoppers every year, sharing a sense of joy in a celebration of creativity. The girls remember past purchases and gifts, and are inspired in their own efforts. This winter the Guild is planning a second event, February 3-28, at Gallery 92 West in Fremont. Opening reception is Feb. 9 from 2-5. See you there!

Another fiber event to note: Mary Zicafoose has a solo show at the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery in Lincoln. Mountains & Ghosts: New Ikat Tapestries & Prints will be on view December 2 through January 17. Mary will give a public lecture titled “Designing a Life: Weaving and Art” on January 15 at 6pm, with a reception afterwards. (See RHTGallery site for details and gallery hours.) * Contact me for carpool! In Omaha, Mary is represented by Gallery 72.

 A couple of group shows opening December 6:

"6 x 6" All Member Show at the Artists’ Co-op.  Agneta Gaines and  Shea Wilkinson are dedicated fiber artists definitely worth looking for. Shea's art quilts can also be seen, along with Mary Zicafoose's work, in Gallery 72's December show, Something for Everyone / Everyone for Something.

And --

HotShops Winter Open House, December 7 & 8  Be sure to stop in Studio 208!

Open Studios at 2869 Bondesson, December 13 (5-9) & 14 (10-6). Includes work by Layna Bentley and Jay Rich.

Upcoming articles:  I'm writing about these artists for the following publications:

Agneta Gaines -- Vavmagasinet (Swedish), spring 2014
Shea Wilkinson -- Fiber Art Now, spring 2014

Mary Zicafoose -- Artland, fall 2013; Surface Design Journal, spring 2014

An annual highlight, like this Guild show, is a fun time to say "Hello" to old friends and meet new ones. This year Jeanne introduced me to Sue, who'd read one or two of these random blog postings. We talked, finding things in common, and were reminded how often friends lead us to people, places, and ideas. I've spoken before of walking a road, and it's times like Saturday afternoon that I reach a scenic overlook and see that the road is really an intricate network of interlaced paths, occasional thorn hedges, enticing rabbit holes, welcoming way stations, and a center that shifts constantly, because we shift constantly. Only the statues don't move (until they're pulled down to make room for new ones). Each person we meet, Sue said, carries a unique fragrance (Is she a gardener?). We're attracted by our differences as well as by our similarities. Like the textiles on display, we are such an array of colors, textures, patterns, and designs that I'll keep coming back to see old favorites and discover new ones.


P.S. Note that colored type contains a link!