OK, one last textile artist before we move on! I have such a thing for textile art, and I’m interested to hear what you all think about these! Karen’s work is a little bit different from other contemporary embroiderers who use embroidery in their art, in that she doesn’t stray too far away from tradition. Most of the colors combinations she uses don’t read as very contemporary, and yet some of her pieces (like the bottom one) are very collage-like. My favorite is the one just below. Wouldn’t these be pretty as a belt on a wedding dress, or even a cocktail dress (she has some all-white ones too)? Of course, they’d be beautiful in a frame as well. Karen has an etsy shop and a blog if you’d like to see more. I found her via flickr.

embroidery by Maurizio Anzeri / via The Treasure Trove

So I guess we’re going to have a textile art day! Sandrine Pelletier works with materials like lace & latex, which is a delicious combination of words, right? She was a favorite of one of my college professors, and I was surprised to search for her name on Mint and not come up with a post. I like this line from her bio: “more Edgar Poe than of the works of of our grandmothers.”

Embroidery by Jazmín Berakha / via embroidery as art

i wish i could pick up one of each! these quilts would brighten up my bedroom, and the hand-stitching makes me want to pull out my zakka sewing book. quilts from sally campbell, who has an interview here.

Lindsay Preston sent over her portfolio last night, and I love every single thing in the art category (although she’s got some great illustration and design work as well). Above, “Studies for G8 Countries,” a piece reflecting polls and statistics concerning the various G8 countries. The sticks are proportional to bottled water consumption, population size, chess grandmasters, or cigarette smoking. The colors represent ethnic groups, religion, GDP consumption, and export locations. I love it.

This next piece is a group of Krupenichka dolls:
“Krupenichka dolls are a traditional Russian craft, and child’s toy. Each year, the dolls were made and filled with seeds from the first crop of each year, as an act of premonition for a yielding harvest. They were always made without faces so that evil spirits recognized them as inanimate objects and thus did not posses them. This made them harmless playthings for children. These dolls were made without sewing or gluing the fabric, rather wrapping the fabric around itself and typing it in knots. In “Fairy Tales” fabric Doll patterns (used to make stuffed dolls of the Fairy Tale heroines Snow White, Goldilocks, and Little Red Ridding Hood) were used to create Krupenichka style dolls. While these dolls are faceless, their faces are emblazoned with sewing instructions for making the stuffed dolls depicted on the fabric.”

Pieces of a fallen oak branch, separated and shrink-wrapped.

It Bag, a “commentary on marketing strategies, and the ability to bend any cause / issue into a sales pitch for their product.”

I love the pattern this installation creates.
“This piece is an exploration of the ritualistic craft of Namkha (God’s Eye) making. Namkhas were made to achieve understanding of the unknown, as portaling devices to commune with ancestors, or made while under the influence of peyote, thus achieving enlightenment and shamanic power. In our present culture, this craft is appropriated by Christians, preschools, boyscouts, etc. as a simple craft often symbolic of the process of prayer or devotion to Christ. The fallen branches used in this piece were found on the ground, and none were broken down to the size they are now.”

Lots more on Lindsay’s site.

Also seen on Picdit & Pitch Design Union. Thanks for sending, Lindsay!

In a couple weeks 2009 will be coming to a close, and I want to thank each of my holiday sponsors. Of course, there were many other sponsors throughout 2009 who aren’t listed here, and I’m grateful to those artists, small businesses, and designers as well. Running Mint is time consuming and couldn’t be done without their support. If you’re looking for some last minute Christmas gifts, I think you should check these good people out:

[1] earrings by creativ*bee [2] wooden salad bowls from shoestring home [3] coasters from SITE [4] ornaments from pepper sprouts [5] earrings from vespertine

[6] calendar by niseemade [7] pillow by chakra pennywhistle [8] napkins by flytrap [9] vintage cup from solstice [10] stationery by postal press

[11] stationery by two brunettes [12] jewelry by alex keller [13] paintings and prints by samantha french [14] prints by 3 lambs graphics [15] accessories by felt gallery

[16] here’s looking at me kid [17] oh so beautiful paper [18] clover & bee [19] harry taylor photography [20] oh darling! photography