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Post by smartworks on Oct 7, 2021 21:31:33 GMT
I'm Sonya Mackintosh, and have been in love with the textile arts since my BA at RISD (many moons ago!...). In 1994 I founded my studio, smARTWORKS, where I have been designing contemporary knit scarves in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. I'm originally from England and am passionate about sourcing high quality natural fibers that draw upon the heritage of fiber arts in both the UK and America. I also began as a weaver and then moved into knitting, but my knits are heavily influenced by my weaving origins!
I'm drawn to textures, colors, and patterns found in nature, and so my designs are often nubby and three-dimensional with a mixture of fabrics and tones. I have taken to felting many of my designs to emphasize their texture, provide structure, create softness, and sometimes even a canvas for embroidery. I studied with artists in Turkey who specialized in natural dyes, and I am still drawn to those colorways personally.
I am inspired by other textile artists and artisans who work with felted designs -- like the bugs of Claire Moynihan and the birds of Laurel Roth Hope -- as well as mixed media artists who incorporate felted fibers and embroidery in a more improvisational and abstract manner than I do -- fearless!
Looking forward to connecting with other fiber artists -- especially since I haven't been traveling and seeing folks at shows as I once did.
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Post by lyn on Oct 7, 2021 21:43:49 GMT
Hello Sonya! Welcome to the forum.
If you care to, you can add your website address to your posts (go to 'profile' / 'edit profile' / 'personal').
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Post by MTRuth on Oct 8, 2021 11:26:31 GMT
Welcome Sonya, I'm glad you joined us. Feel free to share photos of your work and join in the conversations. I would love to see how you're incorporating felt into your pieces.
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Post by Shepherdess on Oct 8, 2021 17:24:52 GMT
Welcome to the forum. I would love to have a look at your website or Instagram or Facebook or whatever you might use. it sounds like you do some interesting work.
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Post by smartworks on Oct 8, 2021 22:43:26 GMT
Thank you for the warm welcome and tips about the profile signature! Hopefully I set it up correctly and you can find my website and instagram details there...
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Post by lyn on Oct 9, 2021 6:58:41 GMT
Your scarves are beautiful!
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Post by MTRuth on Oct 9, 2021 9:41:54 GMT
Thanks for the links. Did you ever sell wholesale at the handmade only shows in Philadelphia? I used to own a fine craft gallery and we went to the Philly show every year. I think I remember seeing your scarves before.
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Post by Pandagirl on Oct 11, 2021 15:31:48 GMT
Welcome!
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Post by smartworks on Oct 14, 2021 18:51:00 GMT
Thanks for the links. Did you ever sell wholesale at the handmade only shows in Philadelphia? I used to own a fine craft gallery and we went to the Philly show every year. I think I remember seeing your scarves before. Yes -- I did! The last time I did a wholesale show was in 2015. I was at the Philly American Made Show in 2013 (and I also did the NY Gift for many years). It's so nice to reconnect. Time flies...I still do some consignment orders with galleries, but I generally don't do wholesale anymore. My booth went through several iterations -- always tried to balance the desire for a beautiful booth with the pragmatics of setup/take down (especially when I was working alone). Here are two photos -- an early and later booth setup. In the later booth I started using wooden boxes that did double duty for storage and shelving. Heavy but worth it.
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Post by lyn on Oct 14, 2021 20:56:19 GMT
Wow! Beautiful display. I would have been drawn to it instantly.
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Post by MTRuth on Oct 15, 2021 14:57:44 GMT
I thought I recognized your work. I sold the gallery so I no longer buy wholesale either but we were in business from 1998 until 2020 so went to the Philly show every year. And yes, time flies!
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