DAMN COTTON 2017. RECLAIMED MATERIALS. HAND STITCHED ART QUILT. 26” × 45".
The Spring Equinox has arrived. The blooms and buds are everywhere.🌱🌸 GRATEFUL
PERMACULTURE. 2025. Reclaimed cloth & embroidery. 36” x 36”. This is a remnant of my old BlueFish Clothing apron. It began deteriorating about 6 years ago which is around the time I learned about boro, a japanese term for patching to extend the life of a garment. Patching as an art form was a more enjoyable approach but for every stitch, a tear, so unredeemable as a wearable garment. I thought to store it with my collection of unusual textiles but it kept calling me. The decomposing fabric, appliqued patches, and embroidery, made it an attractive textile but a backing was needed for longevity and durability. As I composed I thought of the green linen as the eco system of my human self. While wearing it over the years, my thoughts, emotions, design ideas, were captured in this cloth in all of those moments. A decades old memory textile, imbued with my life force. (NFS) Available for exhibition.
DEC. 14 - FEB. 15, 2025. WGSAC. 2520 S. WEST VIEW ST. LOS ANGELES, CA
We made it in! Thank you ;)
INDIGO DYEING IN TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND with Cynthia Sands
1. Indigo leaves and pineapple dye bath 2. Synthetic indigo dye bath 3. Shibori fabric swatches and garments 4. Sun dried fabric swatches
RISING. 2024. silk, cotton, felt, hand stitched. 12”x 12”.
@ INDIGO’S FRIENDS STUDIO. Interested in a studio visit or a 3 hour in-studio stitch workshop? Click the contact page and send us an email. Thank you. 🪡🧵✄
@ Schweinfurth Art Center - The Makers and their creations were awesome. Beautiful stories. Thank you.
STORY TELLING THROUGH THE ART OF CLOTH DOLL COMPOSITION - 2 DAY WORKSHOP & LECTURE @ SCHWEINFURTH MEMORIAL ART CTR, AUBURN, NY. SAT. DEC. 2 - SUN. DEC. 3, 2023
IMANI W. RUSSELL, INSTRUCTOR
Little ‘Dings”. Indigo’s friends.
Reclaimed cloth and things. sewn by hand. 2023
NEW WORKS IN PROGRESS
MANY HOURS LEFT TO BUILD THIS PIECE BUT TAKING A BREAK FOR PERSPECTIVE SAKE.
HOW WOULD YOU LIVE THEN?
What if a hundred rose-breasted grosbeaks flew in circles around your head? What if the mockingbird came into the house with you and became your advisor? What if the bees filled your walls with honey and all you needed to do was ask them and they would fill the bowl? What if the brook slid downhill just past your bedroom window so you could listen to its slow prayers as you fell asleep? What if the stars began to shout their names, or to run this way and that way above the clouds? What if you painted a picture of a tree, and the leaves began to rustle, and a bird cheerfully sang from its painted branches? What if you suddenly saw that the silver of water was brighter than the silver of money? What if you finally saw that the sunflowers, turning toward the sun all day and every day—-who knows how, but they do it—-were more precious, more meaningful than gold.
Words by Mary Oliver, Blue Iris, 2004
Be kind to yourself. Breathe deeply. Allow yourself to be in the moment by doing one thing at a time. Make space in between activities. You can do it. Hydrate. Meditate. Rest. See you in Autumn. Peace.
MY WILDFLOWER GARDEN - 2023 from seed to bloom photo credit: IWRussell
Welcome Summer soltice 2023
COSMIC FLOW 2021. RECLAIMED CLOTH. HAND SEWN. ON VIEW @ WELLSPRING MANOR & SPA. UPPER MARLBORO, MD Through December 2023
Surface & Collection. photo credit: iwrussell
Sketches of my solo adventure in the land of the rising sun. Tokyo & Kyoto - 4/2023 photo credit: iwrussell
I DREAM OF BLACK BALLERINAS
Janet Collins. Carmen de Lavallade. Judith Jamison. Raven Wilkinson. Virginia Johnson. Lauren Anderson. Debbie Allen. Joan Myers Brown. Misty Copeland. Hope Boykin. Michaela DePrince and …
Agile lifts. Arabesque. Attitude. Battement. Beautifully Balanced. Cabriolé. Chassé. Breathtakingly Bold. A la Seconde. Infinite extensions. Fearless movements. Pas de deux. Relevér. Labanotation. Choreographed in diverse orchestration. Jazz. Spirituals. Rap. Fifth position. Giving you COLOR and SOUL en pointe. Defiant execution. Demi plié. Pristine pirouettes. Merci. Merci. Mercy! Words - iwrussell
During my tour in Auburn, NY to view the exhibit, QUILTS=ART=QUILTS, @ the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, I also visited the farmland purchased by Harriet Tubman. Ms.Tubman lived in Auburn for 55 yrs. until her death in 1913. The property is managed by the AME Zion Church and the U. S. Park Service. Only photographs of the exterior buildings were permitted.
HARRIET TUBMAN’S HOME FOR THE AGED. AUBURN, NY photo credit: Imani W. Russell
photo credit: Imani W. Russell
DUST DAUGHTERS 2022. Mixed media - coffee stained cottons, acrylic, beads, hand stitched. Smaller versions of a larger piece. These works have SOLD however this series is in progress.
An experience of inspiration and clarity.
From the talented and knowledgeable instructors to the absolutely delicious meals, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is all about professional organization, respect, and creativity. The campus is beautiful.
Boro Stitch as a Brush Stroke with instructor Deborah Fell. photo credit: imani w. russell
Left: Artist Deboral Fell in our workspace. photo credit: imani w. russell
WELCOME AUTUMN
Cover page for cloth journal. Reclaimed fabrics. Hand stitched 2022.
FAREWELL SUMMER
Montauk Long Island, NY. Late Summer 2022 photo credit: IWRussell