Wandering the Estes Park Wool Market, Gathering an Education in Fiber Arts

Wool vest by Una Walker

This wool vest made by Una Walker was on display at Estes Park Wool Market last month.

From raw, recently shorn wool to wearable wool art, I saw all the products that anyone who loves fiber might want at this year’s Estes Park Wool Market. While I was searching for Front Range artisans to feature on this blog, I met several who had come from farther away. What they taught me on the spot was fascinating – so much so that I pulled out my notebook and camera and tucked away my Front Range criteria.

First was Una Walker, California owner of Wooly Walkers, who made the vest pictured here. Punch needle rug hooking is Una’s business – she sells supplies, designs patterns, teaches workshops, and creates handbags, cushions, and anything else suitable to the heft and durability of a hooked rug weight. Continue reading

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Tapestry Goes Contemporary in the Hands of Fiber Artist David Johnson

Tapestry. If you’re like me, the term conjures up mental images of slightly faded Renaissance scenes on giant fabric wall hangings in museums and old mansions.

Visit the new tapestry exhibition on the sixth floor of the Denver Art Museum, however, and you may find, as I have, that those mental images start to fray. Creative Crossroads: The Art of Tapestry includes two tapestries that fit that stereotype. Nonetheless, the exhibition has numerous other pieces that are quintessentially contemporary art.

"Transformation" by David Johnson of Thornton, Colorado

How contemporary can a tapestry be? This 4′ x 4′ work by fiber artist David Johnson suggests the answer. “Extreme Fibers,” formerly titled “Transformation,” will hang in the Muskegon Museum of Art this summer as part of its “Icons in Fiber and Textiles” exhibition. (Photo provided by D. Johnson)

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Leather Craftsman Jeff Icenhower Finds a New Direction in the Arts and Crafts Movement

Walk into the workshop of most master leather workers and you will find belts, holsters, and any number of items used while riding the range of the American West. Jeff Icenhower’s workshop was no exception five years ago, when Jeff turned his longtime hobby into a business. Before long, however, friends in the Colorado Arts & Crafts Society stirred his interest in the leather work of the Arts and Crafts movement.

leather clock by Jeff Icenhower

This leather clock by Jeff Icenhower follows the style of the Arts and Crafts movement that began more than a century ago.

Jeff studied everything he could find about the movement. It started in England in the 19th century, he told me, as a revolt against the impersonal character of industrial production. William Morris, the icon of the Arts and Crafts movement, championed fine craftsmanship, simple form, and motifs found in nature. The mantel clock Jeff made (pictured above) exemplifies Morris’s points. Continue reading

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The Ancient Japanese Craft of Temari Inspires Fiber Artist Becky Margenau

temari balls by Becky Margenau

Intricate geometric designs stitched by Becky Margenau draw customers to her temari balls at Trimble Court Artisans in Fort Collins

Stitching has been a lifelong passion of Fort Collins artisan Becky Margenau. Fifteen years ago, after finishing hundreds of quilts by hand, Becky ran across a book with instructions on temari, a fiber craft that started developing 1400 years ago in Asia and now draws worldwide interest.

Becky soon discovered that stitching the colorful, intricate designs which are the hallmark of temari provided her with the same level of relaxation and pleasure that she had enjoyed in hand quilting. Just as temari evolved in Japan from a soft toy ball for children to a treasured gift for adults, temari in Becky’s studio has taken on new shapes and new functions over the years since she made her first temari ball. Continue reading

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Art Show and Festival Season Springs to Life along the Front Range

A new post appears on the blog every other Wednesday. Next post: May 20.

"Birches in the Snow" -- wool tapestry by Elizabeth Shoeman of Longmont, Colorado

“Birches in the Snow” by Elizabeth Shoeman of Longmont is on display through June 6 at Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley. This handwoven tapestry is one of 50 pieces of fiber art in Fiber Celebration 2015.

This year’s art festival season along the Front Range burst open last weekend. Four special events unfolded in addition to the usual First Friday art walks in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Fort Collins. Before May is over, at least ten more will entice art lovers to venues from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins and west to Estes Park.

There are several ways to make sure that you don’t miss out on the pleasure of seeing artisans’ work in person. First, check out the 2015 Calendar of Art Shows and Festivals here on the blog. If you looked at it a couple of months ago when it first came out, you may want to scan through it again. Twelve more events along the Front Range from May through August have been added since then. All events have links to websites with more information. Continue reading

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