Our Founding Member Portfolios

Linda Arandas is a mixed media artist who draws her inspiration from nature.  Along her journey into the fiber arts she has explored macrame, needle felting, weaving, fabric collage and embroidery.  Linda has found that fiber arts are a form of mindfulness and she is especially fond of the meditative process of stitching.

https://instagram.com/linda_arandas

Mimi’s Paper Collage artworks start with her own hand-painted papers that are collaged and sewn together to create whimsical designs.  Her painting process includes stamping, resist work, and direct application.

Deb Deaton is an award-winning fiber and mixed-media artist who enjoys sharing her knowledge through the unique and exciting classes she offers throughout the country, introducing students to the amazing world of art. Her work can be found at Cactus Wren Gallery, Tubac, AZ and Southern Arizona Arts Guild Gallery, Tucson, AZ

I started sewing 60 years ago when I was 22.  Putting little pieces of fabric together was fun, until it wasn’t anymore. I moved on from that fiber art into non-traditional weaving and the various ways of playing with roving. For friends who would like to learn to weave but “have no room for a loom”, I’ve come up with a variation on a pin loom, which they can make for themselves, and then teach them the basics of simple weaving.  

For me, the inspiration and then the creation are what bring me pleasure. Following rules and perfection are secondary.

My work is related to nature and landscapes through color, pattern, and design.  I dye fabric and develop texture through various surface design techniques.  Images of the places I have visited, and the impressions and traces of people, geology, and wildlife find their way into many of my quilts. 

She grew up in Upstate New York and is planning to return to the east coast in 2025. She is inspired by the natural world and feels creation, along with her creative style of realism, make for a perfect fit.

Her jump into fiber work began in her early teens as she started to create macrame pieces - wall hangings and flower pot holders. Creating this decorative functional art from fiber was just the beginning. There was a gap in her creating as college, followed by full-time work, did not afford her much time to create. After going back to school to receive a degree in Nursing and working for one year in Syracuse, NY her career path led her to Fairbanks, AK.

In Fairbanks Barbara met a woman who would reintroduce her to fiber. This time fiber came in the form of fabric and the technique was Quilting. After twenty-one years of quilting all styles and sizes of quilts, she stepped into the realm of art quilts. This opportunity came as the answer to a prayer. The answer was a request for a commissioned piece. This first piece was a full-size art quilt of an African Elephant. The technique of Collage Quilting was the basis for this and subsequent fiber art pieces. She had this first piece appraised and through the process she was encouraged, by the appraiser, to submit one of her pieces into competition. The thought of doing that was very intimidating, but she persisted. In 2023 Barbara submitted her first piece, Grace Under Pressure, into the Road to California Quilt Competition and it was selected as a semi-finalist. This recognition was confirmation that she was doing what she was meant to do.

As her passion for this style of art grew, she began to teach it in Arizona. She fell in love with teaching this technique to quilters and non-quilters alike. For her the process is true joy.

Krista has always loved the tactile nature of fibre.  As a fibre artist she ‘paints’ with fibres of all sorts to create stunning artwork.  Cotton, silk, wool, linen and non-woven fibres; commercially printed, hand dyed, inked, or painted are used.  

Krista loves artwork where the image is recognizable to the viewer but has something unique and special about it.  There could be a change of scale, a different colour scheme, a close-up of a small section, a repeated pattern or shape; any element that makes the work come alive and provides interest.  Krista feels art needs to intrigue the viewer, make them want to look closer and spend time with the piece.  

Krista is proud to be a founding member of both Textile and Fibre Artists of Manitoba (TFAM) and Fiber Arts Center Arizona (FAC AZ) and belongs to the international organization Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).