“I can see the common thread— the visual reflection of my yearning for place, for being at home hiking through strange, new woodlands, for visiting fantastical places as my ink traverses paper…as I methodically, slowly weaving time on my loom —”
About
After living in the forest within the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina for nearly a decade, Amber returned to her childhood homeland in the Midwest. She currently is working out of a small light filled studio in South Minneapolis, MN. Amber’s artworks and her studio space are an intimate, visual invitation into that often elusive and fantastical sense of belonging we so often yearn for. As you stand in front of one of her drawings, slip on one of her wearable textiles, or run your hands over her woven cloth, she welcomes you to connect with her deep knowing or feeling for sense of place, home and shelter. Woven, stitched or drawn, all her works in some fashion capture elements (sometimes unbeknownst to her!) of her home -- the magical colors, flora and fauna, rivers and lakes, and the friends and family that she surrounds herself with.
“Weaving takes time. Good design takes time. Art creation is a constant drawing out from within. The work, in all its bit and pieces, is my search toward finding myself, who I am creatively. Everything that comes off the loom or is intricately ink drawn on paper represents that physical effort and time...I think you get a sense of those intangibles when you touch a hand-woven piece or stand in the presence of a delicate layered drawing”
Amber’s education led from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to the Eugene Textile Center and the John C. Campbell Folk School. She has committed to sharing her skill by joining the weaving department at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN beginning in February 2022. She’s created works for the Walker Art Center and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Her works have been shown all over the globe—from New York to Tokyo to Paris. Last year she began exhibiting her textile artworks in galleries including Blue Spiral in Asheville, NC. She has won several awards for her innovative product design, most recently North Carolina’s “Our State Magazine Style Award”. She has been a visiting artist at Penland School of Craft several times. While Amber may not be sure where her career in textiles may go, she is driven by something profound.
