Fiber Art....and Beyond

Welcome to the world of Jennifer Landau and my fusion of fiber, painting, and sculptural arts. Called Atelier Rue d'Oak in honor of our San Francisco home and my dubious handling of French in an otherwise bilingual family, this blog is dedicated to sharing my artistic journey.

To make beauty out of the ordinary and for others to discover a story or a memory -- or even just a good laugh -- is at the heart of what I create. Fiber Art. Costuming. Watercolor. Polymer Clay. At some level, the disciplines blur as I am driven by both concept and materials.

Working in the Costume Shop of a small theater troupe lead to masks of felted wool and polymer clay milleflore patterns. And in my latest work, completed just this week, the sketch of a fence post has been transformed into a small art quilt.

As I deepen my portfolio, I invite you along for the ride. A series of "Sprites" are in the works, such as the Rose Trellis and Sun-Tipped Mountain Sprites seen below.

This series explores the notion of the spirit or presence in nature, sometimes guiding, sometimes mischievous. Heads and hands are of polymer clay attached to "fulled" knit wool. Fulling is the process of shrinking fiber with water and agitation, creating a felt-like result. Wonderfully organic, sometimes unpredictable, shapes come from this technique. Some of the Sprites, like the Rose Trellis, are mounted on wire or wood supports. Sun-Tipped is incorporated into an art quilt, where layers of fabric, machine felted wool and batting are stitched together. Beads and other embellishment are an integral part of each piece.

My work is shaped by the artisan skills of felting, knitting, sewing and embellishment, along with drawing and painting. Illustration and graphic facilitation have pushed me to get to the essence of composition and message. From watercolor I bring the discipline of layering and light, and cartooning is my sense of whimsy bubbling up. Through fiber and found objects I have found both canvas and palette for new forms of beauty and function.

Thank you for stopping by!

Jen

Additional works in watercolor and sketching can be seen at http://web.mac.com/ruedoak/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

For more on graphic facilitation, see www.hnl-consulting.com, my placeholder site for my consulting practice or http://ifvpcommunity.ning.com/