In the American southwest the importance of water, now and into the distant past, is not only a necessity, it is part of the very fibers of culture. Indigenous peoples who have farmed the land for centuries must now fight for the right to use what had been always theirs: water to irrigate their bean fields and other crops. This piece is a reflection of water running into brown, parched fields via historic irrigation ditches; let us not lose sight of the rights of those who came before us.
This piece is wet felted using blue faced Leicester; top merino roving; yarns spun from cashmere, alpaca, and merino; and Teeswater lamb lock accents.
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Bean Field WarsThis piece is fully reversible.Fibers include blue faced Leicester, top merino, Teeswater lamb locks, and yarns spun from cashmere, merino, and alpaca.
It’s fall in Santa Fe, and that means in the chilly evenings when I walk outside at night for one of my many peaks at the Milky Way, the smell of mesquite burning in a few home fire places is in the air. To say it is a magical experience would be trite; the scents of Santa Fe in all seasons are simply unmatched.
This piece is inspired by the mesquite and turquoise that are so tightly linked to this region. They feel like “home” to me in many ways, along with roasting green chiles, the smell of pine in the air, and blue corn. Wear this warm wrap with its pull-through design and you’ll feel these things, too.
The fibers used in this fully reversible piece include hand painted blue faced Leicester, a Mikado art yarn, and top merino. This piece is wet felted and shrunk for optimal drape and warmth.
Turquoise and Mesquite.Fibers used in this piece include hand painted blue faced Leicester, top merino, and Mikado art yarn.This piece is fully reversible.
When I first visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium several years ago, I fell in love with the kelp forest exhibit there. I am, admittedly, enthralled with all things “water”, but the kelp forest and its ecosystem inhabitants hold a special, magical place. I can almost believe that mermaids exist, for if they are going to be swimming and causing mischief anywhere, a kelp forest would be an intoxicating location.
“Neptune’s Repose” is the first in a series with the colors, images, textures, and visceral feel of the kelp forest ecosystem. A fine iridescent blue/green silk is nuno felted with a variety of fibers, including Teeswater lamb locks in an intoxicating green for fringe and kelp accents, hand-painted blue faced Leicester roving as kelp, steely blue and shiny mohair locks for schooling sardines, mulberry silk hankies for sheen, and an aquatic mix of blue faced Leicester, silk, and merino for accent.
This reversible piece, with its “painting” on one side and crinkled texture on the other, reflects the two-sided nature of the inspiration. The colors and fibers provide the final character of both sides, yet in very different ways, like the mythic nature of Neptune himself, and the nature of our ocean habitats.
Christina Keibler Art 