Textile Art vs. Fiber Art -- Which words do you use?

Work by Nancy Crow

I have long defined my work as fiber folk art and it is usually a comfortable way for me to talk about what I do in my studio. Because I communicate with my collectors over the Internet, I have learned that art lovers in different parts of the United States and abroad use other words to describe the kind of objects/art I create. Outside of the conversation about the relative value of art as opposed to craft, which is a subject that often carries a bit of tension, I've been thinking about the choice of calling myself a fiber artist over a similar term, textile artist. Have you ever thought about a geographical or a perceived sophistication difference in the words used?

In common usage today, any type of artwork which uses pliable, organic elements as the major material can be labeled as either fiber art or textile art, and I notice when I do an Internet search that a large variety of examples come up when either term, fiber or textile, is used. However, I am noticing that there seems to be a difference between artworks that are created using traditional needlework techniques like stitching, weaving, spinning, felting, or quilting and those artworks that are made using a more expansive toolkit, like combining fiber with other mixed-media, adhesives, heated tools, or non-organic structural elements. Another clear reference to the word textile can be seen in ancient textiles to those of the 21st century, where a lineage of makers/artists created yardage of fabric, each baring the fingerprint of the artist.

Work by Miriam Schapiro

How does any of this history or word play make a difference in my profession? I believe that the way in which a person thinks about him or herself is a foundational element to whatever it is they do to earn a living. I am a professional artist, meaning my creative process is undertaken in a manner that addresses my economic goals and traditional business practices. When I use certain words to describe my artwork, words that feel apologetic or self-limiting, this has an impact on not only my own self expression but also on the manner in which the public views my work. I do sometimes feel hesitant to tell others I am a fiber artist, as if I am a poor cousin visiting the art world. Does this ever happen to you?

I believe that the art community, and especially the textile art community, has a strong heritage of skills that are passed down through both professional communities as well as domestic circles, and my work as an artist in in keeping with those who came before me. That means I can stand with some of my favorite artists who broke free of traditional and perhaps limiting art world boxes and now represent innovation in the fiber and textile arts--favorite artists like Nancy Crow and Miriam Schapiro come to mind.

Work by Georgianne Holland

When you consider making, buying or talking about fiber art, I hope that you also hold an expansive view about what it can mean within the larger artistic community. Beyond gender, beyond education, beyond cultural boundaries, there is a space for creativity using pliable organic fibers that speaks to humans in a very textural, seductive and accessible way. I have grown to think highly of all of this manner of communicating beauty and ideas, as I'm sure you have as well, and it is my hope that others will also help us sing the praises of creativity, using whichever words and mediums  ring most true.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Find my work at www.NestleAndSoar.com

Weaving Wonders and Why I Must Try It

I have decided I would like to try weaving. My father had an upright rug loom that he experimented with when I was in high school, and I recall watching him pass the weaving shuttles back and forth while listening to classical music. Some of the textiles in the Denver Art Museum's collection are extraordinary examples of Navajo Designs from 1840-1870 that took my breath away! Imagining the functional uses of these garments and home furnishings that were handcrafted by women from naturally dyed fibers, and yet today look as vibrant as ever, as well as quite sophisticated in design, is inspirational to me.

The weaving community in Colorado is an energetic group with many people who make incredible textiles. I have attended a few of the Rocky Mountain Weavers' Guild Annual Fiber Art Sales, and am looking forward to the next one at the Englewood Civic Center October 24-26th.

The best place for me to take weaving classes, based on where I live, would have to be Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins in Boulder, Colorado. They are preparing for their 21st birthday as one of Colorado's premiere fiber arts destinations. This will be a wonderful wintertime activity for me!

The kind of loom I want to use is a rug or tapestry loom, much like the one my dad had many years ago. I think I will start my weaving exploration doing tapestry weaving with David Johnson. Perhaps I will work my way into other kinds of weaving as well.

Ulrika Leander, Royal Oak, Maryland

I am not sure yet how weaving tapestries will become a part of my art career as a fiber folk artist! In my Nestle And Soar studio I am beginning to move away from pillows and spending much more of my time creating one-of-a-kind fiber art for the wall. Perhaps the foundation of a new handcrafted needle felt series will be hand-loomed tapestry? If you know of a fiber artist who is already combining these two specific mediums, I'd love to hear about him or her! For today, I'd like to share with you a tapestry weaver whose artistry I admire. Ulrika Leander of Contemporary Tapestry Weaving creates fiber art that is quilterly and colorful--I love her work!

Weaving is a wonderful fiber art and I am looking forward to this next part of my artistic adventure. What have you planned for your next adventure?

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Building Value in American Handmade Fine Craft

I wrote this article for ArtsyShark, a wonderful resource that inspires artists to build better businesses. I encourage you to visit ArtsyShark and see if any of their resources will be of service to you.

The concept of fine craft, as well as fine art, I think we can all agree, include words like excellence, standards, and quality. When I hear of a master-crafted item, I think about something out of the ordinary or beyond the usual.  I think of an object that inspires awe.

My background in American-made craft began in the mid-1970s when I was part of the team that published Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine in Colorado. Much of my workday saw me helping people focus their love of sewing and playing with color into either a serious hobby or a legitimate profession in the quilting arts. The flourishing quilt industry of the 70’s was yet another cycle of the growing love affair Americans have had with handmade soft goods for the home that, if not master-crafted, were at least laboriously made with great love and attention to detail.

My mom, Bonnie Leman, who was the founding editor of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine, helped her readers improve their quilt making skills, and encouraged them to seek out that awe-inspiring result. She also invested heavily in helping them believe in the value of their handmade fiber arts. This resurgence of improving excellence across an ever-growing body of quilt makers in America was in full swing when big-box stores like Sears began importing bed quilts from China. I observed that anyone who had ever attempted to create a quilt knew that these quilts were not inspiring, they were heartbreaking. In a commercially-driven attempt to profit on the growing demand for quilts in American homes, the value proposition of these objects as an art form was trashed, at least temporarily.

It was interesting for me to observe at this time that the women within this industry, who had spent the past 10-15 years helping one another grow in their expertise as fiber artists, be put in the position to belittle the quilt-making efforts of other women in China. 

My own value system was challenged by this “us vs. them” mentality. I also observed that the glut of these cheaply made quilts made an economic impact on professional American fiber artists, as well as specialty fabrics stores and entrepreneurs across the United States. In fact, I suggest that the fiber arts in America as a broad class of industry are still recovering.

Now that the Internet has so drastically changed the way that people shop, imports into our neighboring stores is only one part of the supply chain. Professional fiber artists in every country have had to learn how to promote the value of what they make to the entire world.

So what can artists and craftspeople do today to both build value and express the value of what they love to make? 

• Concentrate on the absolute value of your creation. For professional fiber artists, that includes quality materials, expert finishing techniques, and professional-quality photos. We sell not only an object, but we sell how that object makes our customers feel.

• Recognize both your expertise and your vulnerabilities. Speak to yourself in terms of valuing your artistic life. Treat yourself with respect at all times. Additionally, reach out to others. We can be the support other artists need on any given day. This can take the form of emotional support, being a collector of their work, and as a supporter of the arts.

• Balance competitive energies with consensus-building. When I market my fiber folk art, I have to both remember and forget that I do not compete with the soft goods sold at Target. I am aware that my customers have a wide variety of choices, so they will likely know about the $9 pillows at Target, but my ideal customer is not interested in filling her home with cheap imports. Instead of thinking about competing on price, I build consensus and community as part of my marketing efforts. I proudly express the quality of what I make and I seek to have that message resonate with my “just-right” audience.

•  Use the power of the Internet to express the benefits of supporting wholesome, handmade fine craft, in America and beyond! This effort helps the individual artist as well as it helps the entire arts community. We can work together to create awe-inspiring results, and this adds to the healthy future of our beloved creativity!

I would love to hear what your experiences are of buying or making craft and how you see the value of handmade items in your part of the world!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Fiber Art for your Walls

Every wall has a story to tell. Are your walls white and empty? Does your current color theory include any shades you didn't even like in the 1970s? Or, maybe your colorful home is ready for a fresh addition? Adding unique art to your walls is a super-quick and satisfying way to wake up your walls. Being brave about adding color to your home can begin with a small leap of faith.

We hear it all the time that adding sparkle to a room's decor is the "cherry on top" when it comes to decorating. The accessorizing phase of decorating can certainly be a lot of fun, but sparkling elements are not required. For instance, wall art does not need to be shiny, under glass, or loud any any way to add the spark your room deserves. Textiles are a great example of a sparkle-worthy item that lends interest, emotional impact, contrast, and style to your home. [Original fiber art wool tapestry, Winter Sunset, 2012, Georgianne Holland.]

As you select wall art made with any artistic medium, keep in mind the 60-30-10 guideline for color in home decor. Your selected dominant color should take up around 60% of your room's space. Choose a secondary color and use it in about 30% of the room. Your pops of color choices can then take up the remaining 10%. These percentages seem to make for rooms that are both well balanced and relaxing. It is even said that keeping the darkest tones near the floor, medium values of your colors on the walls, and the lightest shades near the ceiling of your room also add to the balanced results. [Inspirational room is a Jodi Cook design.]

Once you get the overall colors of the room set up, adding art to the walls becomes an easier task. The overall colors in my home are tans that lean toward gold, a chocolate brown, and a soft robin's egg blue. In individual rooms, I have added interest by decorating walls with some pops of orange, and in other parts of the house, a bright apple green. I have taken my basic scheme from nature (no surprise there, I suppose) and I do use a variety of textile arts in my decor: hand-stitched quilts, a beloved embroidery made by my mom, and needle felted wool in warm earth tones. I love using textiles as decor because they add a warmth and satisfying texture that helps me feel cozy in every room of the house!

Some of my favorite pops of color in any room of the house are the people who share that space with me! They are the true works of art that I value. I predict that you are a work of art yourself and don't particularly want to have a home that is cookie-cutter in any way. I love using one-of-a-kind textile art in my home because opening my home to others is a great joy of mine, and folks seem to enjoy walking from room to room, looking for unique, hand-crafted items in an exciting range of colors and textures.

How would you describe your favorite wall art of all time? I would love to hear from you. Visit the Nestle And Soar wall art collection today to see my ever-changing collection of fiber art for the wall.

Thanks for stopping by, Georgianne

You're Crowding Me!

Things are feeling rather crowded at Nestle and Soar today. A huge mess is developing!



When large shipments of raw materials arrive, I always have the need to spread it all out and survey the bounty! It's supposed to snow here in Colorado again today, so staying in and sorting piles of wool and refurbished vintage frames is my plan for the morning.


It may be gray outside, but it is bright and cheery inside the studio. I suppose working with lots of red and orange helps!


I guess no one likes feeling crowded. These sweet birds are making me think spring...stay warm where you are!

Thanks for stopping by, Georgianne

Buying Art Online -- What to look for and how to have FUN!

I truly thought that after all my kids launched, I'd have tons of time to visit art galleries and take long lunches with the ladies. My youngest is 23 years old and that daydream has not yet materialized!

In today's online economy, the Internet has significantly changed how folks look at art, and making a day of it going door-to-door with your girlfriends, hoping to find the "just right" piece for that weird little hallway corner may be old school. With many thriving online boutiques and galleries available (even on a yucky, rainy-weather day) I can enjoy an artful browse day and night.

My Favorite 3 Tips for Buying Art Online

Number One: Find out how they will ship your art to you

Using the Internet, I can see the work of thousands of artists from around the world! Each artist who endeavors to sell in this manner must by necessity become a direct-to consumer packaging expert. There are lots of ways to package art made using a wide variety of mediums, and while some artists have the best methods figured out, from my experience, you will also have those who use tattered old liquor store boxes (which they have cut down and re-taped using an entire roll of clear adhesive tape!). Opening those makeshift boxes is like breaking into Fort Knox! So know how the artist you like will handle your shipping needs.

Number Two: Communicate with your artists

I always look for an email address to communicate with the artist before I purchase. I like to educate myself about the artwork that I like. I also believe in asking questions. I can tell you from experience that you will make the artist's day by asking him or her to tell you a little more about what they made. Very exciting. I also think it is wise to feel confident about every purchase and know that you can reach this artist and expect professional communications.

Number Three: Measure First

Maybe you are like me and think that you can "eye-ball" measure everything? I've gotten into trouble using this method, which really isn't a method at all because it is so random. For an expensive piece of art, I like to make a quick paper pattern of the art piece I am considering and tack it to the wall. I then walk around and look at the space from other parts of my home. Is that the size you really want, or are you trying to sell yourself on something that you just love, but realize that it doesn't really fit your space? Perhaps you need to consider a new space for the art you love and keep looking for the right-size art on a later day?

I have thoroughly enjoyed selling large wall pieces of my eco-chic wool fiber art to folks in many countries, and over time, I've learned all of the customer-oriented ways to package and deliver art. It is thrilling to sell directly to each person who contacts me, with my art going directly from my hands to their home. Perhaps the Internet helps make our huge world a little more cozy, after all?

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy your art-buying efforts! Georgianne

Studio Scene -- Storage and Organization Fuel Creativity

Horizontal filing and drawer labels are my best time-saving tips. 
 The large drawers are filled with handmade fiber art pillow tops and I love them because they keep the fiber art smooth, flat, and organized.

The handmade fiber art pillows I make are shipped in a muslin pillow case
and tied with a lovely ribbon.
I think of it like a designer dress being stored in a zipper bag!
I label each one with a photo for easy reference: this helps my team fulfill orders!

Early morning light from the window...my studio table while I am alone and all is quiet.
That's the sweet spot in my day!

Keeping organized may seem boring, or at least, it used to bore me. I thought that a messy desk meant I was happily busy, but now I realize that it simply slows me down. I'm glad I've taken on the ritual of cleaning up my office and my studio during the last 15 minutes of each productive day. That way, when I begin again in the morning, I am energized!

What do you do to fuel creativity in your space?

Thanks for stopping by,

Georgianne

Studio Scene -- Nestle and Soar Supports the Arbor Day Foundation

Fantastical Wool Tree Folk Art Pillow, ©2010, Georgianne Holland

The love of trees is a huge motivator for my work here at Nestle and Soar. Do you see this time of year large oak trees that stand over 40-feet with their intricate, leafless canopy, which looks like lace to me, against the blue sky? I love happening upon old trees like this in winter, and they take my breath away! Because of my love of trees, and my love of needle felt pillows, I sought out the work of the Arbor Day Foundation and their Plant a Tree Program. 

When folks purchase one of my tree pillows at www.nestleandsoar.com, I arrange for a tree to be planted in their honor in an American national forest. These trees are young saplings that will add to the health of the national forests that we all love and can visit. The life cycle of forests along with diseases that kill trees make human intervention through planting an important part of forest management. I like to think that this contribution on behalf of my customers adds to the new relationship we share: as they enjoy their tree pillow they will remember that the planted tree will forever connect us as it grows to create shade, give a home to songbirds, creates oxygen, and marks the change of seasons. There are so many benefits to planting trees!

The Beauty of Trees

• Trees keep our water clean, reduce soil erosion, clean the air we breathe, and fight global warming.

•  Planting trees is something we can do to beautify our community and help the environment.

• It is important to know the type of tree we are caring for; this enables us to plant the right kind of tree in the right place.

• Trees are one of nature’s great wonders!

•  Trees are touchstones…do you remember climbing a tree as a child and feeling powerful and free?

•  Tree pillows are a family heirloom: they can signify special events like weddings and the birth of a baby.

• Fiber art tree pillows are handmade in limited editions in Colorado. Natural beauty surrounds the Nestle and Soar studio, and this natural beauty informs these tree pillow designs.

• You can support the Arbor Day Foundation at Nestle and Soar…it is easy and satisfying. They not only plant trees in forests but also provide environmental education and support tree programs throughout the United States.

I would love to hear about your favorite kind of tree or memory of trees in childhood! Comment to this post and I will be sending out a tree-lover's thanks to you!

Thanks for stopping by,

Georgianne

Cherry Blossom Bird Needle Felt Pillow -- New Design from Nestle and Soar

Cherry Blossom Tree Decorative Pillow, ©2012 Nestle and Soar

I am pleased to introduce you to the latest original needle felt design from my fiber folk art studio, Cherry Blossom Tree, a handmade tree pillow. I had a great time creating this wool on organic linen accent pillow. Handmade embroidered pillows are one of my favorite mediums, and this limited-edition design really puts me in a good mood!

 

I was an 8th-grade class chaperon to Washington, DC for my daughter's school years ago. This was my first experience seeing Cherry trees in person...I loved it! I remember being absolutely exhausted at the end of that school trip, yet these trees have always been a happy memory for me. I knew that one day I would try to recreate their beauty in my art.

Bluebird is ready for her close-up!

I like to think of my handmade tree pillows as soft art for the home. No two pillows by Nestle and Soar are exactly alike, even when I am following my original designs! Next up on my work table is a yellow version of this tree with a Cardinal in residence. I have always loved red and yellow together, and red birds of any species are among my favorite. What color bird would you like to have in a blossoming tree like this?

 

The blossoms in this tree are hundreds of French knots sewn by hand with Paternayan-brand 100% wool yarn. The sweet bluebird is young and ready for Spring weather and nest building; or so she says. I personally think she is mostly ready to enjoy her point of view. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, Georgianne

Embroidered Pillows at Nestle and Soar Studio

Folk Art Flower Pillow on linen, Georgianne Holland ©2011

When I was a young woman setting up my first home, I didn't really know what I was doing, but I did know what I wanted: a superior home with elegant decor.

This was a tall order for a time in my life when my furnishings consisted of hand-me-downs and cinder block/pine board bookshelves!

The dreams of youth are a great way to start building a life, and over the years, I have learned to make home decor as well as learned how to earn money to buy the wonderful decorative elements that grace my home. One good example of this is the hand embroidered pillows I make at Nestle and Soar, like this Folk Art Flower Pillow. My taste in home decor now leans more toward finely crafted fiber folk art than it does anything gilded or elegant, and in my way of thinking, this is superior in every way!

The wool felt circles used in this decorative pillow design are stacked and hand-embroidered. The bright colors are very popular in home decor today. This design is my fun take on the ever-popular Penny Rug design in folk art, where concentric circles are hand embroidered into delightful designs. I've added bead work and buttons to some of the hand embroidered pillows I sell in limited edition at www.nestleandsoar.com. Each month I offer a unique assortment of colors, types, and sizes of decorative pillows. 

Spring Tree Needle Felt Pillow, © 2010

Do you also dream of decorating a first home or redecorating your long-loved home for the new year? My clients are stocking up on decorative pillows and pillow covers that reflect their love of nature. I've seen this same trend everywhere! What isn't everywhere are handmade bird pillows and tree pillows that are handmade in America in limited editions. Making special home decor using time-honored needle art skills is the joy of my professional life as a fiber artist! That is also one of my favorite ways to focus my Needle Felting fine craft at Nestle and Soar. The handmade bird pillows and tree pillows I create come in ever-changing designs and are an absolute thrill for me to create!

Setting up a home is not new to me, and perhaps it is not new to you, either. Do you agree that sometimes, it is not the big-ticket item that makes a home cozy and special, but instead, it is the little things that make home comfortable...and that works whether you are making your home feel superior for the first time or the 100th time!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne 

Releasing clutter from our home and our mind

As I will be spending more time today decorating our home for the holidays, the topic of clutter of the home and the mind is a bit comical. This time of year, it seems that life is cluttered with things, obligations, and if you are like me, a half-finished project in almost every room!

This is also the time of year when I begin thinking about what I'd like to do better (or perhaps stop doing) in the year ahead. Making resolutions has not worked well for me, but thinking through my situation always seems to have rewards.

The clutter in my mind is actually more of a problem than the pile of unwrapped gifts or mismatched socks. When do thoughts tip the balance and become clutter?

• We've always done it this way!
• I dread doing this, but I said I would, so I will.
• Who would I be without "my story"?
• I couldn't live without [fill in the blank] in my life!
• Some force on my part is necessary to speed up the process.
• I'm not sure God can handle this...It is time for some supportive worrying.
• If I could just fix this one thing about myself,  life would be perfect.
• If I could just fix this one thing about [fill in the blank], life would be perfect.

It is important to me that the creative process of my Nestle and Soar studio be safeguarded, and perhaps you, too, have a creative life that can become bound-up with physical and mental clutter. As I make my plans for a prosperous, healthy, and joy-filled 2012, here are my clutter-busters for the new year:

• Try a new technique or use a new material in my folk art every month.
• Say yes with enthusiasm to only the projects that are exciting to me.
• Take time every day to listen to the hopes and dreams of other creative people.
• Give away art supplies and materials I do not use.
• Trust in the creative process and when I feel rushed, take a walk around the block.
•  Notice moments of supportive worrying and call a friend to chat (or roll over and whisper in husband's ear). Create a quiet corner in my studio for reflection and meditation.
• There is nothing that needs to be fixed, as nothing is broken. Trust the creative process.
• People are not gracing my life as projects I'm supposed to organize. Write down three things I am grateful for about each person I decide to judge. When I feel judgmental about a fiber folk art project I am working on, set it aside for 48 hours. Laugh.

I hope that the next two weeks of your life are cluttered in just the right ways! I'm proud of the mess I'm making all around my home and folk art studio, for as my son use to say, this mess is a Sign of Life!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Handmade Bird Pillow and the Audubon Society

Western Tanager Hankie Pillow, © 2011 Georgianne Holland

I have on my calendar "Go to movies" almost every month, which hasn't been a date I've kept with myself in a while. I'm excited to say that The Big Year starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and my favorite, Steve Martin, is coming to theaters! I will not wait for this movie to come to my pay-per-view. The Big Year is about birding and while thumbing through my beloved Audubon magazine, David Yarnold reminds us that like in the movie, birders (and the Audubon Society) are a very social group. That works for me!

I have been working to make the birds I depict in my handmade bird pillows more easily recognizable, as I know that true birders know their species! Often in the past, the birds I depict are figments of my imagination, and when I see a photo of an unusual bird found in the wild, I think that they are so varied in color and shape, my imaginary bird is like a rare species. Will the Audubon Society let me get away with this? I hope so, because I'm having so much fun!

The Hankie Pillows series that I began in September of this year is a good example of my work to capture well known bird species in a fiber folk art manner. They are called Hankie Pillows because I begin the exercise with a pristine vintage hankie that was created by an unknown woman sometime in the 1940s. Collecting these vintage hankies has been part of the fun of this series! Often these hankies have embroidered flowers stitched as decoration, and I always choose hankies that have tatted lace on the edges...a fine needle art I've never learned to create. I place a vintage hankie on my work table and then decide what species of bird I'd like to needle felt: today's example is the Western Tanager in bright yellow, orange and brown. I'm very fond of creating birds with big, round bellies. I also like creating tree branches for my birds to perch on. Jacques Deval reminds us that "God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages." I love birds in trees and I also love birds recreated onto pillows. Sometime next week, I plan to love birds in funny movies...would you care to join me?

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

You can visit my website to see more of my handmade bird pillows at www.nestleandsoar.com