A show to dye for
The Lincoln City Cultural Center supports local culture not just by providing places for people to view art, but also places to create it. The Fiber Arts Studio Gallery, a new space that combines working art and ongoing displays, welcomes Teresa Ruch Designs for an exclusive show and sale, running from Saturday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Nov. 29.
Ruch has a passion for color, which she expresses in handwoven, hand-dyed clothing that flows with color and drape.
She started dyeing yarns when she couldn’t find the colors she wanted to use. Now, she is able to share those brilliant colors with other fiber artists. She enjoys using fibers from plants that grow in poor soil conditions, give back to the soil they come from and do not use much water in the processing of the fiber.
This show will be mainly hand-dyed/hand-painted yarns and handwoven garments. Some are tencel, bamboo and rayon threads which are dyed before weaving. Others are woven into white fiber and dyed afterwards creating a riot of color and exciting, one-of-a-kind color blending. The colors are strong and fully saturated with complex woven structures. The rayon is woven in plain weave and sometimes includes a silk/wool blend that shrinks at different rates and gives a sculptured or gathered look to the shawls while maintaining the desired drape.
Ruch discovered the weaving loom while at Oregon State University and has been weaving ever since. She worked in the textile industry for 18 years as a sample weaver and jacquard designer for interiors, menswear, womenswear and contract furniture. She has a passion for all fibers and fabrics with a special collector’s eye for Asian designs and silks.
At any one time, Ruch might have four or more looms with different projects and hundreds of pounds of yarns in the stages of being dyed. She has taught at various colleges, schools, conferences and guilds nationally and in the Pacific Northwest and continues to give workshops.
The Fiber Arts Studio Gallery is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursdays through Sundays at the cultural center, 540 NE Hwy. 101. For more information, go to www.LincolnCity-CulturalCenter.org. For more information about the artist, go to www.teresaruchdesigns.com.