Studio Tour

Virtual Studio Tour

Welcome to My Studio!!!

I am a mixed media fiber artist, I dye fabric, fibers, leather, bone, etc., with natural dyes, stain them with rust and earth pigments.  My inspiration comes from the natural and man made world around me!

Inspiration tray of natural and man made objects:  rocks, shells, bark, lichen encrusted branch, natural dyed handspun yarn, antique wood spoon, etc.

Basalt columns protruding from the sandstone cliffs of Ledges State Park, Boone, Iowa inspired my Sandstone and Canyonlands Series.

Sandstone Cliffs with modern petroglyphs (graffiti) Ledges State Park.

Striatioins in the sandstone at Ledges State Park.

Hoodoos No. 2 inspired by the basalt columns at Ledges State Park.
Cutch on silk fabric, machine stitched.

Cutch dyed cotton fabric (natural dyes) fabric paint, ink, and shiva paintstik hand prints, machine stitching.

 American Robin eggs.

Queen Anne's Lace with Crow

Painted timtex, digitally printed crow, machine stitching.  

Local grain bins and silos inspire my work and greatly.  Corn, beans, squash (pumpkins) these are the crops that tie us today to our ancestors that once walked upon this very same land.  Both our ancestors and us today need corn and other grains for our daily nourishment.

Corn No. 51
Natural dyed cotton and silk fabrics, digitally printed cotton fabric, machine stitched.

I also bead both fabric and brain tan from time to time, beading is part of my Mi'kmaq heritage, as is the porcupine quillwork I am currently learning to master.

I have been collecting beads, bones, weathered bits of wood, shells, rocks, etc., since I was very young all at the encouragement of my mom. All are neatly organized and tucked away in oodles of storage bins.

Lane stitching 11/0 seed beads on smoked brain tan.  For me it is very important to know and teach the old ways of our ancestors so that future generations can know and appreciate the beauty of our ancestors.

My studio is far from neat and tidy!  I work in a smoke free pet friendly enviroment!

Bjorkboda Marsh a source of great inspiration!

Bjorkboda - in progress
Indigo, rust, and tannin dyed cotton fabric and jute fibers.  Machine and hand stitched.

More beading taking place on my sewing table!

My drawing table. 

My studio is in a state of perpetual reorganization.  I am currently downsizing my studio so is a wee bit of a wreck right now!!!  I live in an older home and since it is just the two of us we decided that I could use the living and dining rooms as my studio.  I also have a wet studio in the basement where I dye and paint fabrics.

A view of my wet studio in the basement.



I am truly blessed to be able to use half of my house as studio space!  I started out with a very small work area, a filing cabinet, and a couple of buckets in a corner as my studio some 20 years ago now!  I am truly blessed indeed!!!

To see more of my artwork check out my website: http://www.kbaxterpackwood.com/

To purchase artwork check out my Shop: http://www.prairiefibers.bigcartel.com/

Contact me at prairiefibers@hotmail.com

Some parting shots of my studios spaces ~

Pepper keeping watch while I stitch away on a work in progress - Hoodoos No. 3

Finally a shot of my sewing table and machine.  I work on an old wooden table, nothing special, that I painted white.  On the table is Bjorkboda in progress, and various wool and silk threads I dyed with indigo and other natural dyes.

Another shot of my sewing table. 

Natural dyed silk and cotton fabrics.

Wet studio - fabric paint on cotton canvas.

We recently got a new dog, he's 95 pounds and 10 months old and he LOVES paint brushes and pencils, so John built this lovely unit to store everything away from Oliver! 

The Crew!!!

Thomas and Pepper discussing something.

Angel asleep next to my sewing table.

Oliver chosing a paintbrush to chew upon.

John - the love of my life, the man who makes it all possible for me to be a full time artist!