Thursday, July 15, 2010

Into the Woods

Into the Woods by Sharyn Sowell for The Quilt Shoppe

When our Clothworks rep introduced “Into the Woods” by Sharyn Sowell, my first thought was that it wasn’t “me” or “us” (whatever that means.)  But something about it kept me glancing, and the more I looked, the more I fell in love with it.

It’s simple, woodsy, artsy, and has a gentle elegance to it.  You can almost feel the silence in the forest.

A little bit about Sharyn  (taken from her bio at Clothworks)…
Confined to a fishing boat with a pair of restless toddlers and two avid fishermen, Sharyn used her husband’s Swiss army knife scissors and the childrens’ lunch bags to cut out Noah’s ark and a zoo full of animals. Merely trying to amuse the boys, Sharyn never suspected she’d just fallen head over heels into a love affair with scissors and paper. Thousands of sheets of paper later, Sharyn’s deft scissors flash, revealing a sparrow’s wing, violets in a grassy meadow, jazz musicians or children at play with the fairies.
Today, her work can be found on tableware, greeting cards, needlework kits, gift bags, fabric and more. Sharyn’s original designs always begin with just scissors and a single sheet of paper cut free hand. She embellishes the cut paper with calligraphy, watercolor, pastels, type from her antique press, and digital enhancements. Sharyn’s work has been featured on NBC-TV & the Style channel, in Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion Magazine, Victoria Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Romantic Homes and more. Victoria Magazine has named her Artist-in-Residence for 2008. Sharyn’s images are featured on products from companies like Hallmark, CR Gibson, Lenox, Demdaco, Sunrise Greetings, Costco, Robert Kaufman Fabric, Dritz, York Wallcovering, Lark / Sterling Publishing and many more. Through Larson Juhl, prints of her work are available at galleries worldwide. Her work has been seen in galleries and museums across the US. Critics call her work “striking... imaginative.” In a tiny cottage studio, Sharyn surrounds herself with snips & scraps of paper, printing presses, pots of ink and glue, old family photos, birds’ nests and other everyday wonders. “My work celebrates the miracles we see each day if we open our lives to simple pleasures,” says Sharyn, who agrees with Hans Christian Andersen that “real life is the best fairy tale.”

Yardage and a quilt kit are avialable.

Into the Woods Quilt Kit #ITW-KIT

Into the Woods - Forest Green #508-20

Into the Woods - Forest Aqua #508-32
Into the Woods -Deer Green #509-21

Into the Woods - Deer Blue #509-33

Into the Woods - Bird's Nest Green #510-20 Into the Woods - Bird's Nest Aqua #510-32
Into the Woods - Stripe Green #507-20 Into the Woods - Stripe Aqua #507-32

4 comments:

KaHolly said...

Wow! She's quite gifted! Goes to prove you just never know where things will lead!! ~karen

Needled Mom said...

Wonderful bio!!!

Carrie P. said...

Wow, what talent Sharyn has. Pretty neat way to create things. The fabric is great. I especially like the birds.

Sharyn Sowell said...

You've got me blushing! Thank you so much for the kind words. I would love to meet each of you... Thank you from the bottom of my heart! And if you get to my area you must stop for a quick little studio visit.