LIZ SPEAR & FRIENDS
A number of my garments contain pieces of handmade cloth or surface design techniques created by fellow fiber artists. These garments carry a special LIZ SPEAR & FRIENDS label and the collaborative partner is credited on the hang tag.
THE COLLABORATION
LIZ SPEAR & FRIENDS began in 2000 when NEAL HOWARD started gifting me with the woven ends of her scarf warps. Neal figured I might be able to do something with her beautiful remnants. She was right. Over the next handful of years I started using her woven and Shibori dyed silk fabrics in select areas of my garments. Once the collaboration began in earnest, both Neal and I found pleasure in the new possibilities, and the range of work that we exhibit jointly expanded in scope and creativity.
By 2004 my gallery of creative collaborators was growing. The handmade fabrics and surface design of the artists profiled on this page are incorporated into garment styles from my regular line. I now weave cloth to enhance fabrics from other weavers, quilters, a papermaker, and dyers and printers. Collaborating with fellow fiber artists has strengthened my inspiration and these art-to-wear garments are one-of-a-kind works of delight.
COLLABORATIVE GARMENT GALLERY
NEAL HOWARD
Neal is a master weaver who has been hand dyeing silk yarn, and hand weaving it into wearable art for 30 years. Her subtle color transitions, and rich spatial patterning, result in an unusual aesthetic with unmistakable panache.
To see more of Neal's hand dyed silk weaving CLICK HERE.
ADDIE PAGE
Addie is a fiber artist who works with bold color and contemporary imagery. She dyes fabrics to allow for a painterly control of color and appliques the fabrics to create fiber paintings. Addie's applique work is masterful in both its technique and use as part of her imagery.
KAREN SWING
Karen Swing began her textile career as a quilter and has now mastered clothing design and many surface design techniques including dyeing, painting and printing fabrics. Ultimately, she developed her own variations of BORO. Boro fabrics are traditionally created over time as patches are applied to worn areas of a garment. When those patches are worn through, new patches are layered on. Time gives Boro patching a unique look which Karen uses to embellish clothing and accessories with.
LAURA SIMS
“I print with a hydro-printing process best known as marbling. Though there are many lovely classical patterns I have chosen to develop bold images based on river stones, leaves and vines.”
CATHARINE ELLIS
Catharine Ellis has been a weaver and a dyer for over 40 years and she focuses on natural dye processes. Catharine is the originator of the woven Shibori process and author of the instructional book, Woven Shibori (Interweave Press, 2005). Her textile work is shown extensively in exhibitions and shows.
CHERY CRATTY
"Pulp paint is an almost unknown water based medium that I use to create realistic images in an impressionistic style. Pulp comes from cooked plants. The pure cellulose that is left after all the fillers and impurities are washed away form the base for my paint. Using the same high quality pigments used to make professional oil paints and watercolors, I create this pulp paint."
Chery created special fiber panels accented with quill painting for this Celebration Coat.
MURRAY JOHNSTON
"Mountains and sky, rocks, wood and water mingle to create an intriguing, inspirational resource. I see and hear and taste the land that surrounds me. To pull out the abstracted memories of place and time and piece them into rhythms that evoke a response is my primary goal. Colors and natural images are a universal language and the conversations I have with these works are a constant, exhilarating challenge."
B. JANE DOUB
"The fabric I create is flamboyant and useful. Structure, color, texture and function each play equal parts in the fabric design. The woven structure relates to the cloth’s function and enhances the color and textures; it must be sturdy yet fascinating. Working with a computer allows me to design and alter very complex weaves before I start weaving."
BETH ANDREWS
Beth's fiber art is inspired by her life long involvement with beauty, creativity, problem-solving and reverence. Beth says of her artwork, "It is like going on a trip where the destination is a mystery: exciting, scary, and full of opportunity."
For our collaborative garment, Beth sliced and diced a set of cohesive fabrics to create a unique pieced collage, which she then free-motion quilted to add rich surface texture.
LIZ SPEAR & FRIENDS line of art-to-wear garments are available at exhibitions and directly from me.