Julie Crabtree, Foliage and Flowers in Fiber

Following an afternoon photographing the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA, fiber artist Julie Crabtree of Springfield, VT returned to her studio and began work in a sketchbook. A new series of pieces emerged, inspired by images from that afternoon.
Julie’s sketchbooks are an integral part of her process- an idea is put to paper, and over time photographs, words, stitches, swatches, and visual experiments come to form. A complex layering of stitching incorporating fiber, fabric, mixed media, painting and other experimental techniques emerge, depicting elements of nature both in detail and at a larger scale. Samples are created to test ideas, then the final piece can be made using a complex layering of fiber, fabric, netting, thread, felt, and other elements.  Each entirely unique piece is born of a process of experimentation specific to it.
The artist’s sketchbook will be displayed alongside the finished work so that the process can be seen and experienced.
A graduate of Mansfield College of Arts in Nottinghamshire, England, Julie spent many years abroad before moving to the US. She works from her home studio in Springfield, VT, and teaching workshops as time allows. Julie’s work has been collected nationwide and abroad and featured in several magazine articles and on PBS television.