Leisa Rich

Leisa Rich is a sculptor and artist who employs fiber, surface design, hand and machine stitching, human detritus and a variety of other unusual techniques and materials in her 2D and 3D constructions and Installations. She is an art educator with 35 years experience teaching all levels, and ages from 3 year old through college, in Fibers, Sewing, Painting/Drawing, Book Making, Printmaking, Clay, Resin/Molds, Encaustic and more. She holds Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Education in Art degrees. Leisa used to teach  at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center  for many years.  Her previous experience includes international fashion, set design projects for television and theatre, a successful wearable art business, Director of Art and much more.

All images  Copyrighted  by Leisa Rich

See more of her work at:
http://monaleisa.posterous.com
http://www.monaleisa.com

ANA TERESA BARBOZA

Born in Lima, Perú in 1980, she lives and works in her native city. She studied painting in the Faculty of Art at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PCUP). After having specialised in Painting at the Art Faculty of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Ana Teresa attended pattern designing courses at the Mod’Art International School of Paris (2007) and the Sofia Cenzano School of Lima (2009). These experiences gave her the tools that allowed her to grasp the concept of the human body and create her own interpretation.

Her first collection “Animales Familiares” (Familiar Animals) is structured around a human body, cut, reconstructed and embellished through the intervention of stitching and embroidery. Upon seeing her work, it is difficult to distinguish the boundaries between the human and the animal : both appearing to be as much bestial as fragile.

All images  Copyrighted and Stitched by Ana Teresa Barboza

Tara Badcock

Tara Badcock is a Tasmanian (Australian) Textile Artist whose work draws a thread between traditional hand embroidery & stitching techniques, free form machine embroidery, collage and sculpture. After studying for an Honours degree in Fine Art at the University of Tasmania, Tara spent several years in Paris & Europe undertaking Artists’ Residencies (featuring a stint collaborating on a suite at The Ice Hotel in the North of Sweden), and finding her feet in the world of stitch.

What she says about herself:" I studied Graphic Design (for the creative job prospects), and Lithography (on fabric – for my artist’s heart’s desire), at University in Hobart, a beautiful converted jam factory building on the wharf with views of mountain and sea. These were not considered true fine art subjects by the sculpture and painting departments within the Art School so I never really felt that I was able to call myself a ‘real’ artist, despite having my work shown in exhibitions within Australia and also internationally even when I was still studying, and working at the usual art-student-supplementing type jobs as a waitress and house cleaner."

All images courtesy of Tara Badcock

                Find out more about Tara on her blog:http://bit.ly/1t70aEL

              or take a look at her Flickr: http://bit.ly/1lb96bl

Orna Willis 

Orna was born in Israel and lived in Tel Aviv and the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Michigan. Orna's roots in two autonomous cultures, American and Israeli, are abundantly reflected throughout her work. Her father moved the family from Israel to the San Francisco Bay Area when Orna was 3. Life was good and they all prospered. Until one day in the 60's, when Orna's mother saw her teenage daughter returning from school in torn bell-bottoms, a too-close-for-comfort resemblance to the hippies who were making daily headline news. Since her parents had intended to return to Israel, it seemed the right time to do so. None too soon, as Orna's vivid imagination and zest for experimentation had already lured toward the counter-culture..

From her immaculate studio with sweeping views of a natural landscape, Orna now creates her spectacular designs, often borrowing the rich hues and vibrant colors visible from her window. It is here that along with creating her own art pieces, she also assembles a wide range of needlepoint design kits which you can see in wonderful detail on her website.

She create needlepoint art pieces for framed display, but also free hanging pieces, wearable art like cuffs, collars, necklaces, bracelets, pins and decorative embellishments on clothing, as well as wallets, pouches, handbags and even frames.

You can learn more about Orna, her patterns and kits on any of her web sites. Check out Adorn by Orna to shop for patterns and register for a cyberclass (like the one for these gorgeous Dolci Beads!). Visit  Orna’s inspiring blog for her thoughts on making thing by hand and her Adorn Atelier for a wide variety of handmade crafts including felting, paper cutting, wirework, knitting and more.

           Sources for info: http://www.stitchamaze.com/gallery-guest/ornawillis.aspx

                          http://www.caron-net.com/oct99files/oct99des.html

                          http://dmc-threads.com/interview-orna-willis/