Joan Edelstein

I have always been captivated by the visual and tactile textures of fiber; in raw form, in constructed, wearable form. Though I have worked in other media, it is fiber that invites me to self-expression. It is fiber that invites me to create In my work, I utilize all types of fabrics and fibers; natural fibers-silks, linens, cotton (but no wool-Can you believe it, a fiber artist who is allergic to wool...; synthetic fibers, rayons poly-blends, plastics. Brand new, right-off-the-bolt fabrics, and, the ones I love best: the pieces I cut from a skirt I found for $2.00 at the Goodwill Store; the trim off my Mom’s jacket that now has moth holes in it; the pleated metallic fabric from that dress my girlfriend’s mom wore to a wedding; the gorgeous silk charmeuse gleaned from a very stained, but glamorous 1930’s bed jacket I found at a flea market. I can’t resist any of it. My current body of work is the creation of mixed fiber collage scarves and wraps from the many kinds of fiber I mentioned above. I have been told that my pieces are works of art. I don’t know about that. I just know that I make them because I simply can’t help myself.