Artist In Residence- North Prairie, WI

With a sign that inviting, you can't help but get excited about what new project awaits you when entering the threshold into Mrs. Engelking's elementary art room! Come peek with me into the project we created and the time I spent in south-eastern Wisconsin April 9-10th, 2018.

 I was approached in January about doing a school-wide felting project with her, and right away I began asking questions to start planning a proposal:

• How many students? A: 350 from K-6 grade
• What's your scheduling like/ do you have flexibility A: We're flexible in a day and a half timeframe
• What size/ scale are you thinking? A: Budget dependent, we decided 4' x 8' finished size nuno felt
• What are some themes or ideas you'd like to see incorporated? A: We're in North Prairie, WI so.... prairie? 

Typically when approached by elementary schools, I go straight away to wet felting. She wanted to do some needle felting, as her older kids had gotten lucky and been doing some in their classes already. I told her I would work on a proposal and a sketch. 

When I start brainstorming, all those factors from the questions and their answers will be building blocks in how we put together a fun, successful and inspiring cooperative fiber art project. Each one I've done is different than the other. I LOVE the challenge of that and the more I've done, the more I've learned and been able to apply to the next project. 

I broke down the design into components for each grades with a wet day (did I say wet! I mean WET!) followed by a blissful dry day of needle felting. 

• Kindergarten - Clouds and Sky
• 1st- Blending of colors for grass
• 2nd- Blending of colors for water 
• 3rd - Felted grasses 
• 4th- Rocks and Leaves 
• 5th- Flower petals and assembly (needle felting)
• 6th- Sparkly bugs and assembly (needle felting)

We arranged to have each grade rotate through the art room, divided into three, 12-minute stations. One station the kids got to watch our dvd about the animals, shearing and art made with the fiber. Then, they traveled to the teacher's station where they made an individual component for the art piece. Last, they came to my station, where we put those pieces on, did agitation, and talked about my art. It all ran very smoothly, thanks to engaged teacher support and assistance, and some wonderful volunteers and terrific kids. 

By the end of the wet day, we had used a BUNCH of towels which our awesome, helpful volunteer offered to take home and wash and we were wiped out! Despite it being very cold, I decided to trek around downtown Delafield, WI where I found some treasures...mostly window shopping...which I find equally enjoyable and far less dangerous! I also enjoyed a quiet dinner at The Seven Seas overlooking Lake Nagawicka. 

The second day began with a wonderful breakfast at the lovely B&B I stayed at, Ped'lars Inn in Wales, WI . The owners were very accommodating to my crazy schedule of arriving late and leaving early and it was very charming. I highly recommend it!  

The whole experience was terrific; wonderful people, beautiful creativity and breathtaking results! Here is the finished piece and a fabulous video about the entire project that Mrs. Engelking put together. Thank you Prairie Elementary for having me and for making beautiful art together!  

Hidden Treasures

Hidden Treasures

Women's Journeys in Fiber 2017

Theme: Boxes

What hidden treasures will Peter find today in Mr. McGregor’s garden? Carrots of course! He’s been sniffing around for a treasure since he slipped under the gate and into the carefully tended rows of Mr. McGregor’s vegetable box.

Beatrix Potter’s imagination birthed a classic we know and love, but did you know what a strong and passionate woman she was as an individual? She took earnings from her book and purchased a farm. Her work in cultivating the preservation of the Herdwick sheep led to her purchasing lands surround her farm and creating open space for future generations. Not only did she capture the magic of her surroundings, but she helped us to fall in love with it and the creations of her dreams. She left her mark in the world in the form of something beautiful and lasting.

Her life and story is such inspiration, and she will forever be a role model for ingenuity, artistry, and truly, a hidden treasure. 

Author’s note: I’d like to thank the dozens of bunnies and the countless vegetables on our farm, Big Rock Organics, that provided inspiration and models for this project. Throughout the season, it planted the seeds for the fruit of this projects as I tended and picked our lovely produce for markets and CSA boxes. 

You will find this exhibit at the Fine Art of Fiber Nov. 3-5th at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin Janurary-March and the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier in March. Check out the website to learn more about the group and their goals at www.womensjourneysinfiber.com

Mississippi Adventures!

I was approached to teach at the Mississippi Art's Commission's Winter Institute  where 160 educators would gather for art enrichment. I was thrilled! Their theme was Elvis Presley, as it was held in Tupelo, MS, his birthplace. 

The experience was incredible, with a stunning nuno felt piece created by the educators themselves, great food and people and sweet Southern hospitality. What a privilege and joy to share my passion for fiber art with the folks down South! 

I've put together memoirs of the trip along with my reflections. It shows the preparation and thought process behind the piece, the place I went and people I met, and stories galore. Check out the photo album and memoirs!

A New Year, A New Nest... Part Three of Three

Last but certainly not least in my series is our brand new classroom remodeling! For years I have looked longingly through the pages of the Where Women Create magazine. How I have yearned to have a space that was organized, chic, beautiful, light and practical in which to create. Not just for myself but for others. I wanted a place I could be proud of! 

Well my wish came true this January. I took a week off work to tackle this project, and to get my wisdom teeth out. The way I figured it, I would not think about the impending doom if I had a good project to keep my mind off it! (Don't you just love my logic!?!) I was counting on spending my swollen-like-a-chipmunk-healing-time sorting, organizing and creating the SUPER CLASSROOM! So in preparation, I began to disassemble,. and some friends came to help paint the base coat. 

Thankfully, my surgery went well and I wasn't in enough pain to keep me away from the project. I was a little loopy from Advil but that probably helped dull the pain of unpacking ten years of fiber art UFO's (unfinished objects), collections of fiber and fabric, class supplies and more. It was like a bomb went off in here. By the time I surfaced from beneath the piles, we were finally making progress in creating bins of labeled supplies. It was actually happening. 

Enter my creative husband and his dreamy storage unit, and this room was finally starting to shape up! He designed several nice features: put our door on sliders to save a ton of room, gave me a slim closet for table storage and easy access, and ample shelves just the size I needed them. Now I had a real workable unit where both students and I could access supplies quickly and easily. It's saved so much time and effort and looks very classy. I feel like I finally have the art studio I've always dreamt of. 

The second phase of this project was to paint the focal wall. A friend had offered to teach me the lazure painting technique. I wanted to have a wall that was full of soft, welcoming color and this was a perfect way to achieve that. The technique uses layers of color, giving you a watercolor effect. She and I used Golden Acrylic Medium mixed with an equal amount of water and a dab of acrylic paint added. This, being very much liquid, is brushed on quickly with one brush and brushed again with a dry brush. Layer after layer is added to give you depth and movement of the colors. We used about 8 layers I believe. It took a whole day to add the layers. There is some glitter added to the last layer. 

The effect is stunning, mesmerizing, dreamy and enchanting. I'm so glad we did this! It's such a magical room now, where creativity seeps into our souls and beauty is crafted from the heart. It's a room that is happy and cheery, bright and spacious. People want to come and sit and be. 

Thank you to all who helped make it possible! I feel like our nesting is almost complete for this year. What a better place the world can be if we just beautify the nest around us. If we make it warm and spacious and welcoming to others. I hope to leave you with that thought as we embark on the next chapter of 2017. 

The creation of.... Shibori Soiree

Many times, I get inspired from a single piece of fabric. In this case, that piece took me down a long path but the destination was worth it! (And the journey was not too bad either!) 

July. I was up in Milwaukee for the Handweaver's Guild of America Convergence event. I had one day to enjoy seeing the vendors and to see my fashion show garments on display. My husband came with, and we made a nice few days vacation at Kohler Andrea State Park. It was the perfect time to renew the creativity that was in summer slump. 

I walked past a vendor with tupperwares of fabric. Why are we drawn to tupperwares of fabric? It beckons to us... whispering "dig thru for treasure" and we are lured in. What tempted me was the fact they were Italian lambskin remnants that had been shibori dyed. And they were big enough to make a back panel for a vest. And they were reasonable. Very reasonable. In fact, reasonable enough to make me wish I hadn't gotten just one. Dang! 

October. Fashion show is nearing. I must get working. In a nuno felted yardage class I was teaching for the Haute Couture Club of Chicago, I thought I could "wing it". I created a beautiful piece of gray and chartreuse nuno felt. 

It's beautiful isn't it? It's a shame I didn't bring the leather piece with me. It is chartreuse. And that leather is definitely more in the mint range. Not chartreuse in the slightest way. Call me anal or perfectionist, but I am very particular when it comes to color matching. I don't like matchy-matchy... which is a good thing because you can rarely hit it perfectly, but I am a stickler for having value and saturation work together.   

Since I did want to bring the shibori component into the nuno felt, I knew I was going to do some dyeing. I figured a little of this and a little of that and my color would come out perfectly. Well, in the end I did get a color but the journey there was not direct. We all have those times of problem solving, don't we? Road blocks in our creativity that can either spur us to brilliance or send yet another project to the closet of UFO's (un-finished-objects) 

Late October. Time to get busy. Looking at the fabric, it starts to take on a life of its' own. I start early one morning (I love creating in the quiet morning hours) with a Chobani Tropical Escapes yogurt and a cup of Earl Gray tea by my side. Breakfast of... champions? Starving artists? The crazy? 

With a vintage mannequin and a mouthful of pins, I start to pin the fabric together. A tuck, a pleat, a few pins here begins the process. I don't work with patterns so my style is a unique blend of working with the fabric I have created and finding the best way to wear it. After an hour, I have a sample to carefully try on. (Carefully as the pins are very pointy!!!) Following the first trial, I begin the cutting and re-pinning. Then comes a second trial. Succeeding this is finally the sewing machine for my side and shoulder seams.

One of the beauties of nuno felt is the fact it doesn't fray. And even though my two fabrics were very different, they contained similar properties. This makes assembly easier in part. Once it was together can the final touches of adding closure snaps. The vest can be worn several ways, either with a shawl collar with a pop of color or a more demure closed style featuring the shibori patterning. I love giving versatility to a garment.

This piece was featured in the Fine Art of Fiber Fashion Show at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in early November.  It is also featured in my holiday wearable art boutique at Esther's Place

What a journey! Every piece I create has a story and a journey. As an artist, each piece of art has a little piece of us. When these garments find their new home, they also have a unique history of how they were born. I feel it makes something just even that much more special!

Shibori Soiree
Shibori Dyed Nuno Felt and Lambskin Vest
Size Small
A meeting of two entirely different fabrics comes together harmoniously in this vest for a piece perfect for every outing. Soft and supple shibori dyed lambskin makes a stunning back of the garment. The theme is carried into the front with shibori dyed, nuno felted fabric. A truly unique piece inspired by a singular piece of fabric. 
 

The Creation of... Midnight Echoes

Sometimes I need to change it up. I get stuck in creating old classics- styles that are loved and adored and sell well. But there are new classics to be found and discovered! And that was my ambition with this piece. 

I needed something new and interesting. Trendy and chic. Where do you go for inspiration? PINTEREST!!!! Yeahhhhh.... five hours later and a few dozen pins for things like chocolate caramel brownies, felted flower brooches, diy kitchen hacks, and more, I came up with the "it" item of the season. The sleeveless blazer or long vest. Bridging two seasons and many decades of fashion style, it's cute! 

My goal was to make a more artistic version of this style. A lot of nuno felted vests seem to be one size fits all and have a flow and swing to them. I wanted something more tailored and heavier, like a wool fabric rather than a gossamer nuno felt. 

I did calculations for drawing out a resist- a piece of plastic that goes inside the piece so I can create a seamless garment. When calculating, it has to be a third larger to allow for shrinkage. Basically, my resist looked like an extra large hospital gown. But I've done this enough times to not lose faith.

Starting with a ginormous piece of bubble wrap and two large tables set up in my studio, I set out for this adventure with gusto. First layer: charcoal silk gauze. Second layer: turquoise merino wool laid in thin wisps in one direction. Third layer: blend on the drum carder shades of turquoise into navy into dark green into charcoal into black with bamboo and firestar intermingling. Fourth layer: embellishments of yarn, silk pieces, bamboo and more on the bottom of the front panels. 

I was very fortunate to have some help from my friend Jodi on the wetting and rolling process. This is quite the process, and many towels get used. It's a real exercise rolling as many as 1200 times or more to fuse the fibers to the silk fabric. This agitation forms a new fabric and causes the overall shape to shrink. 

At the very end, I cut the front down the center to make the vest. This is such a nerve-wracking moment. You know you have to do it, but cutting an intact piece still causes beads of sweat to form on my brow. But it's always best to cut at the end so you form strong felt, so it must be done. A little more rolling, slamming and kneading and it's transformed into a sleek, styled garment! 

Now for the finishing touches- the collar, beading, shaping and more. These little details can really make the garment. Sometimes these details are the last to go on, or even get foregone for lack of time or patience, but you know the true artistry when you observe them. 

This piece has been in the Uncommon Threads Fashion Show in St. Charles, IL and Fine Art of Fiber Fashion Show and is available in the boutique at Esther's Place.  

Midnight Echoes
Nuno Felted Sleeveless Blazer Vest
Size Small/ Medium
A fushion of hand dyed silk fabric and layers of wool blended with bamboo and firestar, this elegant piece is perfect for every occasion. Wear it with skinny jeans and a tee for an afternoon of shopping or with black leggings and accent jewelry for a night out. The contrasting shawl collar and pockets add to the fine detailing. Light yet warm, it changes with the seasons. 
 

The Umbrella

This is my 2015 project for the Women's Journeys in Fiber, and our exhibit just finished up at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, where this photo was taken. What a fitting theme umbrellas were for 2015, with all the rain we had! Here is my story behind it, and a palette of inspiration.... 

What is Your Umbrella?

Natasha Lewis

Wet is my adjective for the summer of 2015. This season we have encountered a lot of rain! Small drops, big drops, it is all the same. Morning sprinkles or midnight thunderstorms, we have seen all that this wet precipitation has to offer.  Squalls that come out of nowhere or storms that build on the horizon that we watch rolling in, they pour down the rain never the less.

 Interrupting our progress, interrupting our plans; it comes and we can do nothing about it. As the wet drops come plummeting down from heaven, one tiny bead at a time, they nourish the parched. But too much, too quickly and it causes difficulties; makes simple things challenging and shapes our world with its force and power.

 What can we do but run for cover in a rainstorm? When we have not a shield, we become drenched and are left gasping for breath as we feel the rain soak us through and through. Yet under protection, we can be sheltered from what goes on around us. The rain can pour and yet our shelter, though small, can provide a sanctuary from the storm as it passes.

 How many times have we stood beneath an umbrella hearing the plunking of rain drops, watching them roll down and drip off its’ edge? In that moment, we feel uttermost gratitude for that refuge, the only thing that stands between our own comfort and the world’s harshness.  

The rain in our lives can come at any time- it can soak us, chill us, flood us out, unless we have our shelter.  What is that shelter for us? Does it look radiant, filled with a wellspring of joy, hope and faith? Or is it a community that embraces and upholds us until the rain passes? Do talents deep within us blossom and flourish with the rain and build for us a refuge we run to? We can find so many places to seek quiet while the storm rolls on.  We don’t have to stay alone in the rain, getting drenched. 

 Today, whether you are experiencing sunshine or in the middle of severe storms, we know rain is to come. When you start to feel those first few drops fall, what is the umbrella you want to be holding?