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Die Spur Der Steine, 74 x 90 cm (29 x 35 inches), ©2008 Isabelle Wiessler

By far the most interesting aspect of keeping a blog is meeting new people, both nearby and from the other side of the globe. It has opened up a whole new world for me, mostly online, but sometimes in person.

This week I was fortunate to have a studio visit from a friend I met through my blog. Isabelle Wiessler, an artist from Gundelfingen, Germany, and her husband were travelling to the U.S. to visit her daughter, who is working in a nearby town, and to see some of the sights in Colorado and neighboring states. She e-mailed me before coming over, asking if I ever had open studios. I don’t live in an area with many other artists, so I’ve never had an open studio, but I replied that I would be happy for her to just come for an informal visit some time while she was in the area.

I was somewhat apprehensive as to what I would talk about, since I’m not the most outgoing of individuals. But it turns out I need not have worried, because Isabelle is warm and friendly and genuinely interested in everything relating to textile art.  We had a lovely conversation about our different working methods as I showed her my studio setup and my work. I also learned something more about what it’s like to be a textile artist in Europe versus here in the United States. We here are very fortunate to have so many opportunities to exhibit our work.

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Verfall, 70 x 104 cm (28 x 41 inches), ©Isabelle Wiessler

While I was looking at her web galleries, I was especially struck by this image. It looks like something I would have photographed myself if given the chance. Isabelle uses a lot of different materials in her work, including Tyvek and Lutradur, as well as dyeing her own fabric. She also includes a lot of embroidery and handwork. Beautiful!

(Images posted with permission of the artist.)