Juli Rae Vignola,
Fabric Artist

I am a Portland-based textile artist who creates art quilts inspired by the beauty and wisdom of Mother Earth. I love exploring line, shape, and color in unique ways that go beyond the straight lines and geometric shapes traditionally found in quilts. There is beauty in both the grand vastness of a mountain landscape and in the simple curve of a leaf, and I try to honor the diverse beauty found in nature. Each quilt is constructed with naturally dyed organic fibers using elements provided by nature: flowers, leaves, bark, roots, and seeds, many of which I grow or gather myself. Taking raw materials from the Earth and transforming them into something new connects to something deep and ancestral for me. I yearn for that connection, and I know I’m not alone. My highest goal is for my work to evoke the feeling of connection to the land and to each other, to remind us that we are not separate from nature but rather are an integral part of it.