Monday, September 3, 2012

Featured Artist - Elizabeth Blanton/Yellow Elm fiber art and accessories




My name is Elizabeth Blanton, I'm the owner/designer for Yellow Elm fiber art and accessories. I fell in love with felt and the felting process after taking a fiber arts class in college and have been making felt accessories ever since. I live in the United States, specifically in the sunny town of Greenville, South Carolina, and have been married for just over three years. 

Each Yellow Elm piece begins with bright ideas, colorful thoughts and a natural material called wool roving. The process of wet felting dates back thousands of years and transforms the roving into finished felt. The fibers of the roving are torn apart and then arranged in a crisscross pattern. Then, the roving endures a boiling bath and rough scrub, but it’s all for the best—the fibers interlock and begin to dry and shrink. The felt forms, ready to be embellished with decorations like beading and lace.

The accessories boast a balance of both classic and modern appeal; the ancient process ensures a unique and natural quality while the design is original and current. 

I am a graphic designer, so for me personally I love to have a hands-on outlet like Yellow Elm. It's nice to be off of the computer and working on something artistic that I can actually touch and hold—it adds a whole new dimension to my creativity. I also love to support other handmade artists. It's super cool to know that everything handmade that you buy has a true human touch behind it. It adds so much meaning.

Lately I've found a lot of inspiration for my Yellow Elm pieces in nature. My husband and I spent a lot of time outside hiking, and there is so much inspiration to be found! I've been pulling color schemes and design ideas from space photos and photos from the US National Parks. (An example of one of my recent space pieces can be found here: yellowelm.com/blog/2012/07/starburst-headband/)

Links to my Shop:
Etsy Shop    : www.etsy.com/shop/yellowelm
Blog            : yellowelm.com/blog/
Facebook     : www.facebook.com/YellowElm
Website      : www.yellowelm.com/
Twitter        : twitter.com/YellowElm

Pieces of Art





Elizabeth Blanton



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