sfennell's Profile

Bio

I love color and my favorites are the various combination of indigo and white typically found in Japanese textiles. Japan was my childhood home for roughly 16 years. For nine of those years I lived in Kagoshima in southern Kyushu. My neighbors were weavers, and my best friend’s mother was a silk weaver. Her fingers were always stained with a dark blue pigment. I don't know if that was related to indigo or other dyes. There were many like her in that small alleyway, so the sounds of the loom and watching the weavers work with their fabric on a daily basis was something I took for granted.

Field clothing worn by day laborers and farmers, dishware and other everyday items dyed or stamped with indigo were commonplace.

I work in cotton as well as silk. The farmers and day laborers wore cotton year round. Summer kimono are often made from cotton or linen. So, it feels natural　to work with these fabrics. However, silk also has a strong appeal because of its texture and strength.

On some mornings, the weavers would stretch their long swaths of cloth in front of my home for rinsing and drying. In some areas of the country, they are hung. Now, I hang my pieces from my own backyard clothesline.

I’ve studied art at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore, and learned about Surface Design and Fiber arts through studies at Meredith College in Raleigh.

Currently I work through the Artist In Schools program teaching children of all ages about Japanese culture and language in the public schools (previously taught Japanese language at Broughton HS). I also work in my home studio exploring the many varied aspects of shibori, indigo dyeing and other surface design techniques.

My site: susanfennellstudio.com or just call it "ATORIE."

Female

Favorite Materials

paper, rayon, linen, cotton, silk, indigo, watercolors, dyes, paints, brushes, needles and threads