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I’m a papermaker and paper artist living on Dharawal country within the Royal National Park in Sydney. My studio is downstairs under the house looking out into the garden and bushland with glimpses and sounds of the sea. It’s a purpose-built, functional quiet space with kitchen, bathroom and natural light, routinely visited by native birds and animals, and where my greyhound roaches on her bed while I work. I’ve furnished this space with cherished pieces of old and new equipment necessary for the traditional craft of western papermaking, some foraged, some custom made, some with the memory and meaning of family inheritance. My studio operates as the ‘wet area’ where papermaking and natural dyeing happens fed by water from my rainwater tank. As a horticulturist I also grow some native dye plants like banksia, angophora and native indigo, and sometimes cotton and linen for fibre, which along with my stock of fleeces I spin, weave, and knit in the ‘dry area’ of my house upstairs. I’m in love with organic fibres - plants for paper and dyes, wool from sheep - and like to imagine my studio space is the smallest sustainable traditional paper mill in Australia.    
   Can't live without... antique English press hollander beater my mother’s 1930s imperial kitchen scales moulds and deckles papermakers drying racks my splattered old kauri farm kitchen work table collection of old cooking pots portable hotplate for natural dyeing and cooking fibres on the studio deck my family’s old bone knives for printmaking and general use my brother-in-law’s old dental tools, same my nest collection mortar and pestle for grinding ochres Classic FM bird song plants - their beauty, fibres and dyes.
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I live in the rural town of Dereel, about 30km south of Ballarat and on the edge of the Enfield State Forest. I step through an antique door from my house to my studio and am embarrassed by my world of creativity. My space is light and bright, filled with inspiring materials and works in progress. A large table, once a workbench in a cabinet making business dominates the center of the room. I’m a diverse artist, working in many mediums and my large studio allows me space to spread out and enjoy everything I like to do.       Can't live without.. My large central table – 3.6m x 1.2m My antique draftsman’s table that is my drawing easel An electric pencil sharpener and a ridiculous amount of pens An art cabinet filled with amazing papers I live in Steenwijk, in the North of the Netherlands, in a house by a small lake. This part of the country is known for its lakes and canals. My studio leads out to the back garden with a lakeside terrace, where I like to sit. Water, birds and sunsets give me inspiration every day.      Can't live without... Opera music My old dolls who always look at me when I am at work A collection of old linen sheets I found in French markets, I use them as a background for my work My water soluble crayons A big collection of threads I live on an island north of Seattle, Washington - the house is a 10-minute walk to the forest in one direction or the beach in the opposite direction. In the house: a 12-foot-square studio space upstairs, packed with fabric, yarn, paper, wire, floor loom, frame loom, mixed-media ‘treasure,’ work-table, computer desk, shelves and WIP. From my 1 window I see cows in pasture, rolling hills, forest, sky. Design/display wall along adjacent hallway. Sewing table downstairs.     Can't live without... The messy beauty and big magic of all this color and texture. The little tools: stick shuttles, my grandmother’s sterling silver fork that’s now my weaving comb... Needles, pliers, adhesives, scissors, tweezers, binder clips, seam rippers. Kwan Yin statue... Images and figures of my muses, photos of me as a child. Good lighting. Clear plastic storage boxes. I live in Lewisham, in the inner west of Sydney, on the lands and waters of the Gadigal and Wangal people. My studio is in one fifth of a repurposed fibro hut at the Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville, NSW. The site is built over a seasonal wetland and served as an army depot from 1913 - 1975. My studio is quiet, bright and airy and frequently visited by local native birds.   Can't live without... My collection of found, inherited and often unusual materials and tools The sunlight An old overhead projector My mum’s early 1980’s Elna sewing machine My stereo Nicole's Social Media
WEBSITE INSTAGRAM Nicole will teach for Fibre Arts in September 2023...here for that information I live in Brisbane, in a 100 yr old Queenslander house. The natural timbers in the house and my tropical garden give me inspiration everyday. My studio is also my office, creative space and teaching workshop space. Every time I walk into my studio a feel a sense of calm, joy and possibility. There is a lot of my old work that inspires me. I still have the 1st dog I ever felted to remind me of how far I have come. But the big windows and doors that fill the studio with light are my favourite thing.      Can't live without... * Extra large rice bag to felt on * Ashfords wild carding machine * Beautiful Aussie and Kiwi wools * All my creative students and lovely customers that brings so much energy and light I live in Wonthaggi near Bass Strait. My creative space which is the centre of my universe. A converted office space in our house that has external access so I can open the stacker doors and listen to birdsong as I create. Space/time disappears in this room as I consider colour, form and texture for inspiration.     Can't live without.... Peace and quiet to create. Visual access to colour at all times. Our house is full of my art. My solid wooden high set felting table that my husband designed and constructed. My vast bead stash for jewellery and bead embroidery design. I sell my jewellery in a few art galleries. My computer and IPad so I can see what is going on in the “outside world”. The unbending loyalty of dogs. My dye pans and set up outside. Keeping in touch with fellow creatives around the world. My five year plan. Working on my second book for the intellectual stimulation in these truly isolating times. Jane's Social media
WEBSITE NEW BOOK: “Budget Cook Grow” Available on my website and through other sites – see HERE for suppliers My studio in rural Ohio leads to the back garden, which is green, tangled, and largely overgrown. I look at leafy trees in the summer and snow piles in the winter. I can see the sky from where I sit. The dog is always underfoot. Luckily, there is enough room to dance around. have studios in Southeastern Ohio and the San Francisco Bay Area, California.      Can't live without.... –My growing collection of natural brushes, bracelets, thread, wooden spools –The Old Pie Safe holding my paints and such –Lots of horizontal space to spread out, my white wall board –Encouraging words from artist friends/wax art goddess –My dog Muse, Harper Barbara's social Media
WEBSITE INSTAGRAM 2nd INSTAGRAM Barbara will be teaching for Fibre Arts in Septmeber 2023.. more info soon! I live in the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico. My studio has been a dream in the making for many years. I imagined it before we even found our home. The space where the studio would be built was originally a basketball court. I would sit in my visioning chair and imagine it completed. The garden completes it.      Can't live without... The light from my skylights My large worktables Slat walls for hanging art The garden filled with bird songs A separate space for my computer work and research. I divide my time between Santa Cruz, California and the Sierra Nevada Foothills in California My studio is on the lower level of my home – below the main living area. I love that it is separate so that when I’m down there I feel miles away, but I can also pop up and down the stairs at any time.      Can't live without... Music Old European linen Japanese needles Collection of threads |
