www.alabamachanin.com
I love their products and their philosophy. They created hand-stitched garments with American-grown organic cotton, sustainably dyed in beautiful colors, and they're revitalizing a small Alabama city at the same time. There are also lots of options for those of us who like to sew our own garments.
www.callishibori.co.uk
This is U.K. fiber artist Jane Callender's site displaying her intricate, gorgeous art textiles dyed with indigo and/or iron. She also sells supplies through her site, offers workshops, and provides great information about the techniques she uses.
www.edbinkley.com
My very talented artist-husband; he's an illustrator and the Program Director of the Animation & Concept Development program at Madison College in Madison, WI.
www.indiaflint.com
India Flint and her artwork are deeply inspiring to so many of us in the fiber art world. She is, I believe, the mother of "eco-dyeing," and her fabrics dyed with the windfall leaves and jetsam she finds at each dye and workshop site become the color and pattern-makers on her earth-friendly, gorgeous, subtle, hand-dyed cloth.
www.lottahelleberg.com
An eco-dyer and eco-printer who is a self-described student of India Flint. But Lotta has truly created an engaging look that is all her own in her subtle, elegant leaf and plant images on fabric and hand-made books. I purchased one of her indigo-dyed hand towels that was printed with Queen Anne's lace. But it's so beautiful that I can bring myself to wipe wet hands on it. So it is draped in my studio where it is admired each day.
"Pollen from Hazelnut" by Wolfgang Laib
This glowing, meditative, thought-provoking installation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York can be seen on the March, 2013YouTube video: http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=e-_92MYcANk. You can learn more about German installation artist Wolfgang Laib in this March, 2001 article in "Art in America" : http://www.caroldiehl.com/WRITINGS/Writing_features/5.htm. To me "Pollen from Hazelnut" is a lovely, intriguing example of truly "slow art"; Laib spent 27 years collecting pollen from the woods near his home in rural Germany. I would love to have seen the installation in person.
www.robinatkins.com
Robin Atkins is a very creative, talented bead embroidery artist, writer, and teacher. She was my first bead embroidery teacher, and she and her website are great sources of ideas and inspriation. She is also the creator of the annual Beaded Journal Project, in which I participated the innaugural year (June 2007 - May 2008).
www.rickettsindigo.com
Inspiring lives, artwork, and household products.
www.weefolkstudio.com
This is truly a magical place. The blog of artist Salley Mavor is such a treat for the inner child, the lover of hand stitching, and someone seeking a gentle visual respite. Her work is sweet, gentle, charming, and exquisitely crafted.
www.woodlandridgeretreat.com
Read my blog posts from the summer of 2014 for details about this beautiful, inspiring, restful, rejuvenating place for fiber artists in northwestern Wisconsin (Downsville).
Seeking Insight & Sparking Creativity
One of the things that interests me as an artist is the whole creative process--from sources of inspiration, to the discipline to keep making art in the midst of all of life's demands, to the specific voice that comes through in the work of mature artists. The books and other media in this section I recommend because of the way they have fed my creative life and my inner life as well.
Craft in America
The PBS series, now in (at least) its third season. You can watch the episodes online if you didn't get to see them broadcast on TV. They are also available on DVD. I own the first two seasons (so far), and I have watched them and found inspiration and kinship in them many times and in many ways.
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp is a great example of an incredibly prolific, disciplined, creative woman. The book is also a very enjoyable read. I read it on my iPad while traveling to and from teaching at QSDS for the first time--a great combination!
Gift from the Sea by Ann Morrow Lindberg
I was given this book as a gift by my best friend from college, who was also the maid of honor in my wedding. She gave it to me just before Ed and I got married in 1986, and I read and loved it then. I'm rereading it in my late 40s and loving it all over again. I think it's especially relevant for women artists.
In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore
Take a look at his book, blogs, and TED talk. Amazon.com says of this book: In Praise of Slowness traces the history of our increasingly breathless relationship with time and tackles the consequences of living in this accelerated culture of our own creation. Why are we always in such a rush? What is the cure for time sickness? Is it possible, or even desirable, to slow down? Realizing the price we pay for unrelenting speed, people all over the world are reclaiming their time and slowing down the pace -- and living happier, healthier, and more productive lives as a result. A Slow revolution is taking place.
Mary Oliver Poems & Essays
Mary Oliver is one of the best examples I know of an artist who is able to find seemingly endless inspiration in the environs immediately surrounding her. Be sure to read her essays and prose as well as her poems; they're all wonderful.
Onbeing.org public radio program hosted by Krista Tippett
I stumbled across this program while driving through Chicago one very early Sunday morning and absolutely fell in love with it. Even if your public radio station does not broadcast it, you can listen to her thoughtful, insightful, and engaging interviews online.
The Power of Myth (book, DVDs, CDs)
By Joseph Campbell, interviewed by Bill Moyers. I've listened to this series so many times on my old cassette tape collection from the 1980s that I've practically memorized the whole series.
Rivers and Tides
The movie about the beautiful nature-based artwork of Andy Goldsworthy. It's a feast for the eyes and the spirit.
Teaching Company lectures
They have produced engaging, high-quality lecture series on just about every topic imaginable. The lectures are available for purchase and through libraries on CD and DVD. If you're interested in buying them, watch for sales. Everything The Teaching Company produces goes on sale at a substantial discount at least once each year.
TED Talks
Check out www.TED.com and watch "riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world"; they really are riveting and inspiring. Even if you don't have much time, check out the site. All of the talks are limited to 20 minutes (most are less), and they cover an wide array of topics. Several of my favorites are by Stefan Sagmeister--an amazingly creative designer and entertaining speaker.
The Zen of Creativity by John Daido Loori
My husband found this book for me in the gift shop at the American Natural History Museum while we were on a trip to Manhattan back in about 2003. The book has had a huge impact on the direction of my artwork and my life.