Paula Lenz - Stained Glass Art and Needle Punch Textiles
Paula Lenz
My whole life I have been surrounded by arts and crafts from learning how to macramé at a young age to now working with glass and the fiber arts.
I have taken a different art class every summer over the last 10 years at a Fiber Art School on Washington Island in Wisconsin. It has really made me appreciate the process of different types of art. My medium of choice is glass. When I make a stained glass piece, I try to make the glass come to life by choosing the right colors, texture and embellishments. I have come to realize that when I am designing a piece my unconscious is the undisputed project manager in my work.
I also enjoy Needle Punch. Needle Punch sometimes called Russian Embroidery, is an old craft, which mimics the appearance of hooked rugs...but in miniature size. The basic concept is pretty simple; yarn is punched through the back of the fabric with a hollow pencil shaped needle allowing the floss to flow easily through it, creating a series of tiny loops on the front surface. I like to use Valdani hand-dyed floss in my designs and frame them to showcase the art they truly are.
I have taken a different art class every summer over the last 10 years at a Fiber Art School on Washington Island in Wisconsin. It has really made me appreciate the process of different types of art. My medium of choice is glass. When I make a stained glass piece, I try to make the glass come to life by choosing the right colors, texture and embellishments. I have come to realize that when I am designing a piece my unconscious is the undisputed project manager in my work.
I also enjoy Needle Punch. Needle Punch sometimes called Russian Embroidery, is an old craft, which mimics the appearance of hooked rugs...but in miniature size. The basic concept is pretty simple; yarn is punched through the back of the fabric with a hollow pencil shaped needle allowing the floss to flow easily through it, creating a series of tiny loops on the front surface. I like to use Valdani hand-dyed floss in my designs and frame them to showcase the art they truly are.
