Julie Alden


Artist statement coming soon…

Mary Eischen

Art Quilting, Books, Apparel & Accessories

From Winona, MN, I find inspiration from the surrounding Mississippi River and Bluff Lands. Using a variety of fabrics with differing texture, I often manipulate the surface of the fabric or paper with paints and dyes. New stories are made through the use of repurposed and recycled fabric, text and visuals.

Helen’s Daughters

Handbags

Mariella and Char (sisters) began making handbags in 1989 in honor of their mother Helen, who inspired them to create, love life and have fun. Award-winning tapestry hadnbags, pocket books, totes and purses are made plain to fancy, everyday to occasional. Char and Mariella are always searching for unusual and limited fabrics and trims.  They also do custom-design handbags for special occasion.

www.helensdaughters.com

Amihan Huesmann

Apparel

By day, I am a physics professor. In my spare time, I feed my addiction to color and the creation of useful and beautiful objects. My designs are usually abstracts and asymmetric, but often inspired by the natural world of my work as a physicist.

Peggy Koop

Apparel

I use the finest silks, softest wools, and the sheerest cotton to create wearable art pieces you can immediately touch and wrap yourself in to enhance any outfit on any occasion.

The tactile and sensual qualities of my scarves and shawls come from the best various fusing techniques using silk, wool and cotton. My fabrics are carefully hand-dyed, enhanced with embroidery, print and silk screening.

www.mmkoopcollections.com

Dell Magnuson-Secor

Baskets

I have always been intrigued with art. My parents were a great influence and recognized my talents at an early age. Because of the encouragement of family and friends, I have een able to pursue my life journey. We all have God-given talents and it is an avenue He uses to express Himself through us. He is the Master Creator and we are his instruments. I often listen to Classical or Christian music when painting abstract work.

Lori Monson

Apparel

Surface design is created by layering dye color with immersion, shibori, silk-screening and stamping. This process evokes movement and dimension on silk before a garment is designed. I strive to put soul and emotion on the textile surface which transcends into a visual delight and art to wear.

www.lorimonson.com

Doris Morken

Handmade Paper

I love to paint and want to keep on learning and trying new things. At the present I am excited about learning to paint like the masters. It is a very long process-- like 100 hours per painting. My instructor explains that if you want to write great music you must first perform the works of great composers. If you want to paint like the masters, you study and copy their work. It is not being taught in colleges and is becoming a dying art; therefore I paint and paint and paint.

Renee Nation

Felted Vessels

My felted pieces (vessels and scarves) are (both) created by combining wool with other fabrics and fibers. I love to layer wool with silk, yarns, beads, threads… anything to add richness in texture and complexity of color.  For me being creative means being courageous enough to experiment with the techniques, and sometimes allowing the materials decide what they want to become instead of sticking to my original goal. Seeing the final result is, for me, much like the experience of taking pottery out of a kiln- there is always a little surprise and awe at how it all came together.

Jean Colette

Apparel

I believe that silk expresses, more than any other medium, our feminine nature… strong and soft. I want to create art that pleases the eye, lightens the heart and touches the spirit. What better way than to make a luxurious article of beauty that one can wrap oneself in?

Carol Gaustad

Apparel

Carol enjoys working with silk dyes using a technique similar to batik. She loves both the luminescent colors that are achieved and the beautiful results of blending colors. She also takes pleasure in working with pastels where she has the opportunity to again layer colors, only on paper instead of textiles. Carol has been working with pastels, watercolor and silk dying since 1980. She received her BA from the University of Northern Iowa in Art Education and has taken several graduate level studio classes through the Amana Arts Guild in the Amana Colonies.