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Randall Darwall/woven silk shawl

Randall is probably the best known weaver in the United States today. When he first started weaving, he didn't consider shawls and scarves to be art. He only snuck them on the loom in between serious pieces. He was surprised by how much he liked making them. They presented just the right kind of blank canvas for which he had been searching. A scarf is a color sketch that can be extended, varied, and developed or a chance to tryout a structural idea with new silk yarns. He likes scarves best when there is something surprising in them.
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Pat Littlefield/
Paper Pulp Collage

Pat grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina. She attended Florida State University where she studied music and art. After two years, she transferred to the University of South Carolina from which she graduated with a B.A. in Art, cum.laude, Phi Beta Kappa. While attending graduate school at East Carolina University she began to study weaving. This was the beginning of her interest in fiber. Fiber

In 1975, she turned her efforts entirely to her fiber work and developed a line of fantasy soft sculpture. Further study and experimenting led to papermaking. The result has been the intricate collage/constructions which reflect both her painting and fiber background.

Papermaking is an art that traces its roots to China. Any type of vegetable matter can be used to make paper. Pat's work is made primarily from abaca, a plant similar to the banana plant. The abaca is purchased as semi-processed linters. These are hydrated and beaten into a pulp. The pulp is dyed and placed into small containers. Each paper piece is formed by placing layers of the colored pulp over each other until the piece is finished. Flax is also used in the process. Twigs, reeds, tampico grass, muslin and other materials are sandwiched between the layers of pulp.

Most of the colors and compositions in the work are derived from observation of the immediate environment - mountains and sky, buttes and adobe architecture, flowers of the garden and field, forests in shadow and light. Pat's hope is that each piece gives a lifetime of pleasure and thought provoking observation.


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Luann Udell/Lascaux Series Quilt

Luann began working with fabric by creating traditional pieced quilts, but quickly felt the confines of this medium. A new applique technique, more closely resembling paper collage, allowed her to express more freedom and exuberance in her work. Her latest works are small, colorful and lively, with intricate patterns. She then embellishes them with her own handmade polymer clay artifacts. Her current series of quilts feature images of fish and Lascaux cave art. They are influenced by actual archeological finds and prehistoric paintings.
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Barbara Willis/woven scarves

Barbara is a favorite local weaver. The inspiration for her one-of-a-kind pieces comes from art that excites her -- the impressionists or contemporary artists, or things that she sees in nature. She works with the "feel" of the art or image, sometimes dyeing her yarns and winding color after color on her warping mill, composing each warp, thread by thread. Somewhere in the process the luminous colors and textures take over, and the work comes to life.

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Barbara loves to see people wear and enjoy her work. She believes that one of our earliest experiences in life was finding warmth and comfort in soft cottons and blankets. She hopes that her work brings that feeling back for wearers of her work -- of being wrapped in something soft, colorful, and comforting.
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Glenn Johnson/Yarrow & Delphinia

"After painting and sculpting for several years, I started weaving in the seventies, creating mostly primitive off-loom three dimensional pieces, with names like Raku and Gizelle. It was all about the contrast and textures. Then I built a tapestry loom, for somebody else, but by the time I was finished, it was mine. Two floor looms later, I still like combining different disciplines. I have woven pieces that I have painted over, and I have stuffed and stretched and assembled woven components. I still paint and sculpt, but I love weaving. I love fiber and I love that it exists in 3D.
To produce the weaving that's shown, I started by painting the warp. Then I wove the piece and stretched it on a frame. To add the finishing touch I did crude embroidery over parts of it. I am very fortunate that I donıt have to support myself with my artwork. And I don't have to produce a consistent collection of pieces to present to gallery directors or show producers. I have my own gallery. I can experiment all I want and I can chose to show anything I wish to share with my customers."
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