Fiber Arts – One of the greatest studio classes offered at Marywood!

In my last post I went in depth with a project that meant a lot to me as an artist and a human being. I would have never been able to go on that journey if it weren’t for my outstanding Fibers class. For me, being  in Art Education, this class is part of my general studio requirements, but that isn’t the case  for other majors. I’m thinking we may need to change that…the benefits of this class are well worth the extra time.

My class consisted of only 3 students (which was equal parts good and bad). The benefit of such a small class was that we had our own working stations and could spread our projects out on the floor and work on them. This freedom is something that I, personally, really enjoy and like to emphasize with my own students. Us artists need room to breathe! We worked a lot in our sketchbooks, brainstorming ideas, collecting found objects, etc. The whole thing was really free and taught a lot of important lessons for those of us pursuing a career in art. We need to brainstorm, work through problems, and collect what inspires us. This class taught me that.

The coolest thing about this class, and why I feel it’s so important for all majors to take, is that it has a large focus on commercial art; ways to print on fabric, embroider, and mass produce our pieces as home decor, clothing, etc. Living in a DIY society these skills are important to know, especially coming from a local, very successful Fiber artist. The instructor for this course, Valerie Kiser, has much to teach and shows passion and drive in everything she teaches her students. Her feedback is both constructive and encouraging, making you feel accomplished and fulfilled. Check out her products on Etsy!

I would also like to share some of my work from the course to hopefully get your creative juices flowing. Have an interest in Fiber art? Come explore the Fiber Jungle!