I seek to drape the body with the same beauty and grace of the traditional Indian silks I love. For me, they carry a story and as I work with each piece I imagine the woman who wore it and the woman who will wear it in its new form; where it will take her and how she will feel. My pieces are made by my hand, using traditional felt-making methods. Beginning with luxuriously fine merino wool fibers, both the material and the item are made at once in a sculptural process involving just soap and water. I calm the bold prints with silks I hand-dye in my studio. I sculpt garments - building rather than sewing - and I strive to create finely finished pieces.
I have shown my work across the United States, including at the Smithsonian Fine Craft Show, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, the American Craft Exposition in Chicago. In 2018, I received the Ornament Magazine Prize for Wearable Art at the PMA Show, the Award of Distinction in Wearable Fiber at CraftBoston, and my work was shown at the Korean Bojagi Forum in Seoul.
My love of beautiful clothes is a direct result of my childhood in the 1970s - specifically National Geographic Magazine, I remember spending hours pouring over those magazines (they were in a cupboard in our family room, right under the goldenrod dial telephone) filled with pictures of pots of powdered dyes, batiks drying in the desert, and skilled hands. There were captivating images of women wearing exquisite garments and I tried to recreate their drape and pattern over and over. I fell in love with international textiles, hard, dirty work and all things pretty. An ardent Indophile, silks from South Asia are the primary inspiration in my work.
In 2010, armed with a degree in Art History, spotty experience in weaving, knitting and spinning, and over 20 years working to bring art experiences to the public, I began working with wool. I made it a point to study with the best feltmakers internationally. My talented teachers include Christine White, Andrea Graham, Diane Christian and Martien van Zuilen but there have been many other dedicated felt-makers and artists who have shared their craft with me.
I have shown my work across the United States, including at the Smithsonian Fine Craft Show, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, the American Craft Exposition in Chicago. In 2018, I received the Ornament Magazine Prize for Wearable Art at the PMA Show, the Award of Distinction in Wearable Fiber at CraftBoston, and my work was shown at the Korean Bojagi Forum in Seoul.
My love of beautiful clothes is a direct result of my childhood in the 1970s - specifically National Geographic Magazine, I remember spending hours pouring over those magazines (they were in a cupboard in our family room, right under the goldenrod dial telephone) filled with pictures of pots of powdered dyes, batiks drying in the desert, and skilled hands. There were captivating images of women wearing exquisite garments and I tried to recreate their drape and pattern over and over. I fell in love with international textiles, hard, dirty work and all things pretty. An ardent Indophile, silks from South Asia are the primary inspiration in my work.
In 2010, armed with a degree in Art History, spotty experience in weaving, knitting and spinning, and over 20 years working to bring art experiences to the public, I began working with wool. I made it a point to study with the best feltmakers internationally. My talented teachers include Christine White, Andrea Graham, Diane Christian and Martien van Zuilen but there have been many other dedicated felt-makers and artists who have shared their craft with me.
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Art Quilt by Ricë Freeman-Zachery