Virginia A. Spiegel

Natalya Aikens

When I look at the studio photos from Natalya Aikens, I see a direct reflection of her artwork. Natalya’s website is bilingual and her art reflects the Russian fairytales, folklore and decorative traditions of her birth city of St. Petersburg. Her artwork is instantly recognizable and, according to Natalya, “The focus of my materials and techniques is on recycled elements; vintage fabrics of personal history; sheer, translucent effects; intense hand stitching and machine work; computer manipulation.” Visit Natalya’s blog for updates from her studio as well as many beautiful photographs under “Wordless Wednesdays.”

1.  How do you find/make time to be in your studio?
I really can only be in the studio during the school day, so I make sure to schedule all my errands and “to do’s” either into one day a week or in the morning so that I can a have bulk of the school day in the studio. I am not always successful, but I keep getting better at keeping regular studio hours and keeping distractions at bay.

2.  Describe your studio in five words.

Functional, cluttered, organized, cozy, conducive to inspiration… can we count the last three as one?

3.  If you could pick only one thing from your studio to represent your art practice, what would it be?

My book cabinet that holds my favorite research materials which are books on different aspects of Russian and Slavic cultures and decorative arts, books on different art styles and movements, books by and about inspiring artists, my journals and on top a collection of glass weights, glass jars with mementoes, icons and postcards.

4. What is the best/worst space you have ever had as a studio?
The dining room table in my parents house was probably the worst. Having to forever clear it for dinner was not conducive to my creative flow…but that was eons ago. The best place is now, it is a converted garage that is part of the basement of our house. Two large windows were cut in to let plenty of light and there is a door off to the side so I can step outside as needed for a breath of fresh air or an extra dose of nature.

This is a detail of one of the three Fiber BONUSES Natalya is donating to Foto/Fiber 2012. Each of her Fiber BONUSES is a different colorway and contains hand painted dryer sheets, an ATC, color coordinated unique bits and pieces from her personal scrap selection, ribbons, yarns, buttons and threads. You may choose Natalya as your Fiber BONUS artist of choice on February 15.

5.  What would make a “dream studio” for you?

Taking over the adjacent playroom from my kids and spreading out! I wonder if they would notice if I slowly start encroaching on their space?

6.  What would you advise someone setting up a studio for the first time?

Take advantage of any space you have, whether it’s big or small, and just start creating in it and and adjust as necessary. It’s not the space or place that matters, it’s the work that’s created in it!

7.  Any unique features/studio pets you would like to share?

No studio pets in my house, but my children are occasionally inspired to spend time in there with me and I alway enjoy watching what they create and how they eek out a space for themselves among my clutter.

8.  Any exhibits or special projects we should know about?
I have several exhibitions coming up in Winter/Spring of 2012:
Piecing It Together at ArtsWestchester in White Plains, NY from January 28th to March 28th.
Russian Art II: Fiber, Paint, Photo - a two person exhibit at the Mahopac Public Library in Mahopac, NY from February 2nd to 28th.
My work will be at two venues during FiberPhiladelphia – Synchronicity at the HighWire Gallery from March 30th to April 27th, and Softer Edges: Fiber Artists and the Urban Environment at the Fleisher Art Memorial from April 2nd to 28th.
Links to all these exhibits are on my website.

***Please join us on February 15 and 16 for Foto/Fiber 2012, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.  Our goal:  Add $7000 to the $215,000 we have already donated to the ACS.***

Cynthia St. Charles

Cynthia St. Charles is known for her art quilts that exemplify her love of nature and her beautiful work with surface design techniques such as pole wrapped shibori, rust dyed, and discharged pieces.  She has been published several times in Quilting Arts magazine, including the latest cover.  Her blog, Living and Dyeing Under the Big Sky,is updated daily with her latest art and adventures.

1.  How do you find/make time to be in your studio?  
Since my studio is on the lower level (walk out basement) of my home, it is easy to start my day there with my first cup of tea.

2.  Describe your studio in five words.  

Spacious, salvaged, whirlwind, colorful, productive.

3. What is the best/worst space you have ever had as a studio?
When I first began art quilting, I had a small table (2 x 4′) for my sewing machine in the laundry room squeezed between the door and the washer.  There was a 4′ square design wall above the sewing machine.  I did my dyeing on the floor between the dryer and the kitty litter box.  That was the worst.

My current studio is the best workspace I have ever had.  I have a wet studio with a dedicated washer and sink.  My regular studio is very spacious and although it is furnished with salvaged retail store displays for storage and work surfaces, it is extremely efficient.

5.  What would make a “dream studio” for you?
My current studio would be a “dream studio” if only I could make it more private.  There is no door separating it from the rest of the house (and no easy way to install one in the arched entryway).  The only lower level doorway to the outside is in my studio, so it gets a lot of traffic, which I resent.

6.  Any exhibits or special projects we should know about?

My work is on the cover of the December 2011 / January 2012 Issue of Quilting Arts.

I am curating the first ever group show for the Montana-Idaho region of SAQA.  The show, called Broad Spectrum, opens at the Rynkier-Morrison Gallery on the campus of Rocky Mountain College in Billings Montana on February 17, 2012.

Of course, Cynthia’s two Foto/Fiber 2012 Fiber BONUSES will have something to do with chickadees. Cynthia sent this note,”I did my studio pillaging for Foto/Fiber and can now say that each bonus will include not only one of the special postcard series, but also a hand carved printing block, monoprinted fabric, block printed fabric, and some of my hand dyed specialty yarns – all from my hand.  More if I can fit it in the envelope.”  Thanks, Cynthia!  Cynthia will be having more about her Fiber BONUSES on her blog.

Please join us for this fundraiser for the American Cancer Society on February 15 and 16. 100% of the proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.  Here is the donation page if you want to check it out before February 15.

Pamela Allen

I have always appreciated Pamela Allen’s artwork for its sensibility and its sense. Pamela is an award-winning Canadian artist well-known for her dynamic art quilts full of color and meaning. She was a nominee for Professional Quilter Teacher of the Year in both 2008 and 2011. She is featured in the book, Masters:  Art Quilts.  Pamela offers both a DVD and workshop entitled Think Like An Artist. Pamela’s Fiber BONUSES for Foto/Fiber 2012, opening February 15, will be completed works of art.

1.  How do you find/make time to be in your studio?
For me studio work is my job so if I don’t go in regularly then my boss would be really mad.

2. Describe your studio in five words.

Comfortable, chaotic, creative,challenging and cheerful.

3. If you could pick only one thing from your studio to represent your art practice, what would it be?
My junk drawer.

4. What is the best/worst space you have ever had as a studio?
The best was a two story loft in an old woolen mill.

5. What would make a “dream studio” for you?
Anywhere that’s air conditioned!

6. What would you advise someone setting up a studio for the first time?

Be happy with almost any private space. Its ALL yours and no one elses.

7. Any new exhibits or projects we should know about?
I offer five five online workshops:  Think Like An Artist; Still Life is Boring – NOT!; About Style, Pattern and Color; Figures and Faces; and Four Quilts, One Subject.  

A detail from First Nation, one of Pamela’s three Fiber BONUSES for Foto/Fiber 2012.
On February 15, you will be able to choose a photo and then indicate you would like one of Pamela’s BONUSES.
OF COURSE, 100% of your donation will be made directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.

Leslie Jenison

Leslie Tucker Jenison is one very busy artist.  In addition to exhibiting internationally in galleries and juried exhibitions, she also teaches and curates as one half of Dinner At Eight Artists along with Jamie Fingal and has appeared several times on Quilting Arts TV.  Her blog is eclectic and interesting; a recent post is about her daughter’s huge textile installation for an outdoor wedding. Her artwork is inspired by the textural beauty found in the patterns of natural and man-made environments. Leslie’s three Fiber BONUSES for Foto/Fiber 2012 will include a “mailart” collage.

Eclectic, Messy, Colorful, Cocoon, Inspiring

3.  If you could pick only one thing from your studio to represent your art practice, what would it be?

My window, because it represents both a literal and metaphorical source of inspiration to me.  I can look outside into my garden and be inspired by nature, and my studio IS a window into who I am as an artist and a human.

4. What is the best/worst space you have ever had as a studio?

My old dining room table in my first house was the worst (I always had to put everything away after each work session!), and my best space is my current studio.

5.  What would make a “dream studio” for you?

My current space, revised to include a better wet work area and more appropriate supply storage.

6.  What would you advise someone setting up a studio for the first time?
Take into consideration things like access to water, storage, light, and work surfaces.

7.  Any unique features/studio pets you would like to share? 

My schnauzer is my studio assistant-companion.  She steals supplies from me if I need to pay more attention to her!

8.  Any exhibits or special projects we should know about?

Yes!  The 2012 Sketchbook Challenge, our newly-formed group: 8 That Create, Dinner At Eight Artists, and the Sketchbook Challenge book (available for pre-order).

Leslie’s three Fiber BONUSES ready to be mailed to lucky patrons of Foto/Fiber 2012.  Each one has a framed mixed-media “mailart” collage and the equivalent of 2 fat quarters of hand-dyed, screenprinted cloth (cotton, silk, or a silk-cotton blend). See more details of Leslie’s Fiber BONUSES on her blog.

***Share the news about Foto/Fiber 2012, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, and be entered to win great prizes!***

Vivika Hansen DeNegre

Vivika Hansen DeNegre was recently named Editor of Quilting Arts magazine.  Vivika’s artwork has been shown in exhibitions throughout the United States and is in many private collections. Recent public acquisitions of her work include the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Quilt Study Museum, as well as Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Medical Center. I’m excited to have Vivika join us for Foto/Fiber 2012, one of many of the Fiberart For A Cause fundraisers for which she has donated artwork.

1.  How do you find/make time to be in your studio?
I love the time spent in my studio, and value every minute that I can be creative.   As a busy working mother of four children and avid art quilter, those moments can be few and far between unless they are scheduled in advance.  I routinely plan to spend about an hour a day creating in my studio, with bigger chunks of time set aside on the weekends to pursue my passions.  Sometimes the best laid plans need to be set aside, but I try!

2.  Describe your studio in five words.

Colorful, calm, cheerful, natural, quiet.

3.  If you could pick only one thing from your studio to represent your art practice, what would it be?

My pincushion… Isn’t it great?  This is a piece of felted wool that was sliced to make a wonderful pincushion, but the best part is that it doubles as a cover for a jar that holds slivers of fabric and yarn which I use in my nest collages.  It really does represent my aesthetic:  I love repurposed fabrics, practical designs, and clever juxtapositions of texture and color.

4. What is the best/worst space you have ever had as a studio?

I like where I am now and would absolutely call it my best space.  I converted a spare bedroom to studio space, and it also houses my home office.  What could be better than making art quilts or writing about them and promoting the work of others all day long?  I am thrilled to be working in this industry, and my office/studio environment constantly reminds me how lucky I am.

5.  What would make a “dream studio” for you?
I’d enjoy having a modern space with awesome task lighting, a wet studio, and several sewing machines ready to go.  The reality is, you don’t really need a studio to be creative, but it is certainly a luxury that I’d rather not live without!  Let’s not forget that my dream space would come with an assistant who would anticipate my every need, clean up my piles of thread, and keep my scissors sharp…

6.  What would you advise someone setting up a studio for the first time?

Invest in good lighting, a sewing machine that will last a lifetime, a sewing table that allows your machine to sit flush with the top, and a large cutting mat.

7.  Any unique features/studio pets you would like to share? 

My trusty pug Elvis is my studio mate.  We rescued him several years ago, and he is forever greatful to have a family that loves him, a patch of sunshine, and a quilted dog bed designed just for him.

8.  Any new exhibits or projects we should know about?
Last June I made a prayer flag every day and posted about them on my blog.  A number of artists expressed interest in joining me in this endeavor, and I started a group blog (theprayerflagproject.blogspot.com) where anyone from around the world can express their hopes, dreams, and prayers in the form of a prayer flag.  So far, these flags are flying in the back yards and studios of more than 30 participating artists.  Join us if you’d like!