Textillian Journeys, Dreamtime Atelier, Art Cloth Bundles and Life in General

It is Springtime here in the Bitterroot Mountains, that time of re-newal, re-birth, and for me, “re-imagining” what comes next…..At our “small-cabin-in-the-woods-ranch,” things are beginning to green up, we are having rain, wind, and “gropple”…(a new-to-me word meaning snow that looks like styrofoam beads)…..the unstable weather patterns here and around the country seem to be reflective of the wild times we are living in the midst of…..I am so incredibly grateful to have a place in nature in which to live, create, and reflect.

The last 2 years have been a real hiatus for me, working on our little piece of pine forest, taking a break from a 12 year demanding schedule of passionate heart work, and dreaming about what comes next.

the abo nini tribe

My new website is the beginning of simplifying and distilling things down to the “essence” of what is important these days….and at the very center of that, is my desire to be creative, work from the heart, and to put as much beauty and inspiration back out into the world as I possibly can. In pondering these “journeys” I began to envision myself as a “textillian nomad”…..one who has been wandering through the field of textiles for over 40 years….and then the name for my studio became clear as “Dreamtime Atelier”. “Dreamtime” is (simply put, the time of creation in the mythology of the Australian Aborigines)…..

Costumes created with abonini tribe/dreamtime theme for my husband and I.

I have been “connected” to the idea of “Dreamtime” since the early 90’s when I was compelled to create a “tribal group” of 5 figures, 3 feet high. This group was called “the abo nini tribe” and was created from the “hair unit” down, using vintage kimono, Guatemalan and Japanese ikat as well as my own indigo and discharged shibori fabrics. They took me a year to complete, and it was during this creative journey that I first came to know and trust my intuitive creative process. Every morning I would wake up knowing what came next in their creation…..These figures took on a life of their own and began to “communicate” to me who they were, (The Elder, the Shaman, the Tribal leader and the 2 “Spiritual Warriors”) and how each of them wanted to look….It was not until 10 years later when I saw a picture of an ancient Australian cave drawing almost exactly like my figures…that I realized I had been “artistically connecting” to some very ancient energy. I sold them 12 years later to a woman who ran a Dream Group in San Francisco.

My creative process is such that I never “know” exactly what is going to happen in the studio….I just need to be present and working with my hands and heart…..hence, “Dreamtime Atelier” and my excitement to open it for workshops to people who love textiles. As I move further into this journey, more workshops will become available. I am always available for private, intermediate, and advanced workshops as well. Please feel free to contact me.

Having a “shop” is a brand new feature of my website, and I am looking forward to using it as a way to put my “heart work” out into the world. The “art cloth bundle” is “an artful collection of treasures designed to stimulate a creative journey”….this part of my journey is manifesting itself as a way to keep creating beautiful cloth and offering it in small collections to “creative textillians” (Nuno felters, Art cloth quilters, Sewists, and Mixed Media artists)…..and anyone else who just loves beautiful cloth….I am excited to be able to share my first “artful collections” which are designed with nuno felters in mind, but will lend themselves beautifully to just about any other process as well……

I am excited to be back here again and will be blogging more regularly as I journey through this new and exciting time.

Namaste,

textillian nomad