If you are a creative, how often do you spend time truly thinking about what influences your work? Lately, I have spent a great deal of time alone; no schedule, no commitments, and removed from my studio. I have always known that nature is my muse, but I’ve also realized that the everyday plays a …

Repetition is the spice of life for Korean-American artist Ran Hwang. She practices an art of obsessive accumulation, deploying buttons, beads and crystals with a fierce exactitude. Impaled on pins, these tiny sewing notions coalesce into culturally laden imagery of plum blossoms, Buddhas and architectural edifices. Some of the slow, painstaking work of pounding her …

Patternalia: An Unconventional History of Polka Dots, Stripes, Plaid, Camouflage & Other Graphic Patterns by Jude Stewart “This is going to be fun,” I thought as I flipped through Jude Stewart’s book Patternalia for the first time. The book’s graphic style and layout were ideally suited to a book about pattern. Skimming over a few sentences suggested …

I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Rena Wood during Arrowmont’s Winter Pentaculum, and learning about Rena’s practice as an artist and arts educator. What fascinates me most about Rena’s work is the subject of memory and the use of slow and labor-intensive textile processes.  Rena, please tell us a bit about yourself and …

All That She Carried by Tiya Miles This book is all about a small cloth sack, where “she” in the title is not the maker, but becomes the carrier. As the book unfolds, we learn this sack carried not just past, tangible things, but it has become a means, a carrier of stories. All That …

Autobiographically driven, my work combines a variety of sources and materials. From figurative and digital imagery, to hand- and machine-woven fabrics with drawing and painting, the sculptural pieces I create are infused with the emotional, often humorous themes of heartbreak. Weaving and sewing are meditative, even when the result is uncomfortable—capturing romance’s physical pain. Conversely, …

Surface Design Association is excited to announce our final Journal of the year: Traditions & Techniques in Beading, Winter 2022 edition of Surface Design Journal.  “This issue takes us on a journey across time and space—from contemporary North America and Uganda to China in 2700 BC, to planets and stars billions of light years from …

Thank you to everyone who made this year at SDA possible! We are fortunate to have such passionate staff, board, volunteers, committees, and members who continually help us grow, learn, and expand. The past few years have been extremely trying on so many people and I am continually impressed with the hard work and dedication …

This year, we were so lucky to have a wide range of books reviewed for SDA’s Book Club by contributing authors, Faith Hagenhofer, Vivien Zepf, and Katie Taylor. Here’s a combined list of all the reviews, as well as where to purchase each book. Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes reviewed …

My solo show, A Perception of Failure is currently on display at Mobius Gallery in Bothell, Washington. This is the 4th time I have displayed this work in a particularly critical light. The exhibition would have occurred in 2020 but the pandemic forced me to wait 2 years to be this vulnerable once again. When …