By Sherri Ellington Lamar Arts is hosting 16 fiber artists from Barnesville, Milner, Atlanta, Griffin and Macon during its show Fantasy in Fiber, which will be held through Oct. 31 at the Barnesville Depot Gallery. ’You can see a whole coral reef made of yarn, a bicycle built for two wrapped in colored yarns from Yarn Bombers of Macon and many unusual wall hangings of hand woven silk and wool,’ said Lamar Arts member Eleanor Stecker. ‘Also featured will be children’s garments by Susan Lindsey of Barnesville; hand stitched quilts by Margaret Miller and needlepoint holiday stockings by Nelda Corson, both of Milner.’ Other artists include Leisa Reich, Lucinda Carlston, Karen Nelson Cox, Nancy Shepherd, Judith Krone, Susan Hanberry Martin, Karen Tunnell, Annie Vincent, Connie Walker, Emma and Lawrence March, Yarn Bombers of Creative Yarns and Lynn Pollard. ’We were thrilled to find Nelda and Margaret right here in Milner,’ said Stecker. ‘We’re also amazed at the talents of local fiber artists Karen Cox, Nancy Shepherd, Susan Martin, Connie Walker, and Susan Lindsey. We’ve also been fortunate to find and work with Susie Gough, presidency of Southeastern Fiber Artists Alliance. Through her we found artist Leisa Reich, a very experimental artist using recycled industrial materials in very surprising ways.’ Carlston creates contemporary quilts in very controlled designs, using tiny squares and triangles. These pieces are made of recycled Japanese silk kimonos, among other materials. Krone is a weaver and designer who made a midlife decision to go back to Georgia State and get a master’s degree in fiber arts. She has three looms in her studio and is the creator of four beautiful weavings which cascade down a wall and puddle on the floor. Anne Vincent has created breathtaking shawls and wraps. Her pieces make use of layers of color. Lynn Pollard, a native of Augusta and weaver, is exhibiting works created by dipping watercolor paper in vats of indigo dyes. These pieces are reminiscent of Blue Ridge Mountain vistas or sand dunes. ’We’re also indebted to Karen Cox for finding the Yarn Bombers who work through Creative Yarns of Macon,’ said Stecker. Member Angela Preston is putting together some material on Carters Mills and Barnesville’s participation in the textile industry ‘“ a whole other tradition of fiber and textiles playing a significant part in Barnesville’s history. ’The design of the show itself is Angela’s work,’ said Stecker. ‘Her expertise is to bring together all these differing styles and approaches to fiber, textiles, yarn and creating the overall look of the show. Hanging an art show that creates relationships between widely differing pieces of art is her expertise. She’s the unsung hero of conceiving the idea for the show and bringing it to fruition.’ One piece, not mentioned in the card, is an antique quilt made by Preston’s husband’s grandmother. ’All this work shows how just plain folks can take materials that are right at hand, and create family heirlooms and works of art,’ said Stecker. The current Lamar arts exhibit, Fantasy in Fiber, displays an amazing range of works using fiber, says Preston. ’Cotton quilts, both antique and contemporary, composed of common fabric scraps, show creative recycling through the years. Abstract art pieces composed of fibers and recycled bits are fanciful while a stunning reuse of silks becomes a precise grid of lustrous colors,’ said Preston. ‘Misty landscapes are created from papers carefully folded and dipped in dyes. Felted fiber is formed, dyed, edged and shaped into richly colored shawls and wraps. Floss and yarn are counted, knitted or stitched into utilitarian or decorative items. Large weavings display a skill that that has been practiced through the ages, refined for today’s aesthetic.’
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