Snark & Soul: upcycled art and wearables

A RETURN TO ART After some time in the world of art, I pursued a career in mental health. Then came Covid-19 and quarantine. After purchasing a sewing machine to make covid masks for my family and clients, I discovered a whole new way to create. As a bonus, this making, with its mindful free-motion and unexpected or tongue-in-cheek elements reduced burnout in the therapy field. Now I practice the ADHD version of art production: randomly alternating between free-motion quilting and card making and newer ideas. I enjoy the use of scrap fabric or paper, and the practice of altering images and materials. In free-motion quilting, I use pieces left over from constructing other items in the making of new fabric. Then I often deconstruct that fabric by cutting it into sections that I then use to construct new items. The making and remaking seems to mirror life: we are rarely static beings. We absorb and are affected by our experiences, we alter ourselves and our path in reaction to new knowledge and influence. The result is a richness of experience, a combination of myriad textures and colors creating one life. The use of some materials also represents negative human impact on nature, but this reworking and remaking also implies hope for a future. CUSTOM AND MEMORY ITEMS I also offer custom orders, including memory items. If a customer has favorite but aging fabric items (quilts, clothing, tablecloths, jeans…) or fabric associated with a loved one who has passed (bib overalls, jeans, shirts, curtains, corduroys, graphic t-shirts…), they can request items to be created from these. This can allow the family to hold memories closer in a functional and healing way. Ideas include purses from denim, cords, or tapestry-like fabrics, lined with shirt fabrics and belt or necktie straps, scarves from a variety of fabrics, ornamental heart ornaments of pieced fabrics, free-motion wall or window art in non-representational designs of a requested dominant color or abstract representations of various land/water-scapes. Snarknsoul@gmail.com