Spotlight: Linda Lutomski, Fiber Artist

Linda Lutomski received her BFA in printmaking and clay, discovered fiber arts, and never looked back. She and her husband are both artists and often collaborate on projects together. Playing and exploration are key to Linda’s art practice.

How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?

I have been a creative and inquisitive person from an early age. 

When kids were playing with dolls, I was creating clothing and furniture for them. When we were learning about different cultures, I was out finding natural materials and creating paper, cloth, prints, etc. from whatever I found. I knew when I was in kindergarten that I was an artist, my teachers knew, my family knew…I have artists in the family, so it was just what it was. 

When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person? 

I started most of my creativity with problem solving and drawing. I look for alternative ways to make things work and use materials.

Weaving has been in and out of my creative life from the start. Fibers in general have always fascinated me. 

I learned to knit when I was 6, wove grass and birch and string after that. It had always called to me. Nature, in general, has always caught my attention, seasons, colors, earth, and plants. Materials to gather have all been a strong influence on me. Process and materials have always been a big attraction for me. 

How did you get started weaving? Why did you choose that medium?

I taught painting and fiber art while my kids were young and earned my BFA in printmaking and clay. 

Then the most amazing thing happened. I applied and accepted a position to teach at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, MI. The campus has a worldwide reputation for the arts and the Academy is accessible to all of the schools. What a treasure to have the museum, grounds, and an annual Artist-in-Residence available to work with my students!

My classes visited the world-class weaving studios and the historic Saarinen House to learn about fibers. The students weren’t the only ones influenced. I came away with a profound appreciation for fiber art and expression.

I also learned that artists need not be bound to one method or material, creativity leads the way. 

How does your environment influence your creativity? Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?

I live in a beautiful natural place. I have always gravitated to nature as a place to wander, observe, and collect. I was enthralled to visit the West Coast and collect “gifts of the sea.” In our camper, I stashed small objects that had washed up to shore. They were organic and unusual with texture, color, and shapes that were so exciting.

However, after a few days of wondering, what was that smell coming from, I realized that some of the collecting needed to be photographs. This started a whole new method of notetaking for me, using my camera. 

Tell us more about how you collaborate with your husband in your art.

While I was teaching for Cranbrook, I was still experimenting with clay, and enjoying the artistic interactions with my husband, Jim, who is a sculptor and ceramic artist. We bounce ideas off of one another, critique and encourage one another. 

Mediums merged as I built clay pieces that were laced, twined and embedded with linen and twigs. Textures that could be impressed in the clay are embedded in my mind when I create in any medium.

Jim and I have exhibited together with complimentary themes of nature and texture. In Michigan we had an open studio exhibition of our work. We have done shows that blended our artwork, sharing pedestals and walls. Fortunately, our work is very symbiotic. Each playing off of the other. We were included in exhibitions that combined art and nature, a common inspiration for both of us in an abstract sense. 

All that I have ever done creatively has come full circle to where I am now. Playing with pattern and surface, experimenting with materials, repurposing wire, fiber and found materials and ideas into the next discovery. The inquisitive child in me has never ceased. 

There was a time that I mused, “it would be a real circus if Jim and I got together!” I couldn’t fathom the collections and the space required since we are both artists that collect. We both have a sense of wonder and “what if.” This is a blessing and a curse. What I finally deem worthy of recycling, he promptly retrieves and asks, “why are you getting rid of that?!” This is the down-side of an artist pairing. But the understanding and appreciation of accomplishments, time spent “making” in place of routine household activities is so valuable. We appreciate our surroundings and the muse, as well as a good patina on a rusty piece of metal.

During dinner, our conversations often review what we are working on, or are dreaming of starting. It is a good time to wind down and refocus. There are sketches on napkins and envelopes, not usually meticulous drawings, but the materials and tools in our little log cabin as well as the studio are often the launch of the idea.

Describe your creative space.

Things changed when we moved to Colorado. It was easier to find a space to work in Michigan, when we were both teaching and had studio spaces that were a part of our teaching. Prior to retiring and moving to Colorado, it was necessary to build a studio to move our truckloads of tools and art into when we arrived. But so worth it.

We have a large, 2-story studio with the upper floor flooded with sunshine from the walls of windows and vaulted ceiling. There is plenty of room for a few floor looms, small etching presses, spinning wheels, and many small looms. I have access to storage sheds on the property for fiber and other materials. The lower level is woodworking and clay, mostly Jim’s domain. So we work together, yet have our individual space.

I love that small weaving can be anywhere. Or I should say “everywhere!” This is the home space where I discover patterns by playing on potholder looms, inspired by my childhood and student weaving introduction. This is where I document the weaves and write the patterns. This is mostly where I wrote both of my books, in the forested hills of the San Juan mountains. 

Being remote has its benefits and drawbacks. When I decided to pursue writing Artful Twill, we had little to no internet at our cabin. Every edit, save and upload required me to drive 30 minutes to our local library, day or night, and work in my car with the wifi. Those days have improved with the writing of Design & Texture. We now have the internet that allows more flexibility. I do need to head to town to do Zoom classes or meetings for a constant connection, but that is the price of living in paradise, as we were once told. So true. 

How do you manage your creative time? How often do you start a new project?  Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?

As you may imagine, it is a creative lifestyle. Many projects are going at once. I dye yarn for my Etsy shop seasonally, crank knitted i-cord and cut tee shirts and other materials for my weaving pursuits. I still knit and spin in my “free time” and love to bake sourdough, and really about anything from muffins to macarons.

I would say that our lives here are being lived to their fullest as artists. There is no strict schedule, with so many things calling to us, we tend to think and plan over coffee and get ready for the day.

If I can multitask, I do. A 3D printer is humming while I spin wool, or warp a loom. Dyeing days are when humidity is low and I have inspiration for colors. I find it rare to be uninspired. I will even comment, “I am feeling a little ‘off’ today”. I accept it and know that it is my brain saying, “It will come, you need a rest.”

I start new projects all of the time, and discipline myself to complete them or let them rest.

Everything has its time and not all started works are ready to be finished, some serve as studies or experiments that lead to others.

I have a crate of potholder weaves that were explorations in materials, design, and structures. They help me as a sketch may help others. I can revisit them, expand the possibilities, or “pass” for the moment.

There are often mistakes that become new investigations, when the time is right. Working on many projects captures where I am at during any given time. There is a time when my brain likes analysis, writing, charting, and planning. Other times I need to play with an array of materials or limited materials to push the boundaries. 

Inspiration comes from experience, observation, experimentation, and plenty of play. Not limiting my interests helps to feed them all. What I learn in one medium applies in a totally different way to another. This is the fun of creative problem solving! This is what I teach my students in the town. Who you are, what you love, and what you know and learn all come together in your work. 

Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?

I love sketchbooks! However, inspiration strikes wherever I find myself, so envelopes and napkins contain many quick sketches and notes. I have sketchbooks with the beginnings of an idea but find myself evolving more organically without the formality of planning.

Often the materials or images that I see or take as photographs will be the launch point for new work, and choosing the material that would be most appropriate. In other words…sketchbooks are being collected and await formal entries. 

Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?

I began weaving on the little potholder loom, though I have many complex looms, after teaching them to my students. It got me wondering, why limit my work to color and plain weave? Why not create texture and pattern and apply what I do on the big looms?!

Why limit myself to the loops that are sold for these looms…knitting cord, crocheting chains, using vintage ribbons and cloth, repurposing fabric could expand my opportunities! And so I have! My latest piece included cut strips of scrap suede, twining which I learned in a village in South Africa and some creative manipulation to get the whole thing to stay together. It was woven using a simple potholder loom. The materials and techniques were the puzzle and I solved it! What a feeling! 

Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?

I love being challenged, inspired and making ideas work.

When I see a technique, in any medium, I like to see if it can cross over in some way and apply it to what I am working on. The challenge is real.

There are things that cannot be done on a potholder loom, for example, a multi-shaft weave structure. But there ARE ways to get around that since there are no set heddle threadings. I can often split the loops and use the general inspiration of a pattern to create a new one.

My “Snakeskin” pattern was one of these. I had an idea and some inspiration and worked at making the over and under patterns flow to create more undulation. The trial and error in the design process is sometimes frustrating but always drives me forward and in new directions.

How has your creativity evolved over the years? What triggered the evolution to new media/kinds of work/ways of working?

When I was a child, I looked for inspiration. I tried what I saw and found ways to make it my own. Some of this may seem like copying, but it was training my eye and my skills for the future.

As I began college, I gravitated to learning new techniques and exploring them. Once I found techniques and materials that I enjoyed and that spoke to me, I tried combining the textures and processes that I enjoyed the most.

Confidence in MY work and how I perceived my world made all the difference. I am not as concerned with making work that will sell, but what will be “mine.” Of course, there is the issue of selling work or books or teaching as necessary for supporting my art. I continue to teach to alleviate that pressure to produce for others. 

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work? 

This is a funny question for me. The challenge to me is to slow down the motivation. Everything that I see, hear or read about feeds questions and investigations.

I experiment daily, if I have a moment that feels like a lull, I wonder why. A down day is a good thing for regrouping and redirecting my energy. Having projects in all phases of completion is helpful.

I always have “irons in the fire” that fit the type of energy I am feeling. It may be writing, planning or designing, taking breaks to play with materials or complete projects that I have begun. I have a box of explorations that may or may not have worked out. These are good points for getting back to ideas with a fresh eye and mind.

It is always good to give ideas a rest and revisit them.

Do you think that creativity comes naturally to people, or do you think creativity is a skill that people can learn? 

I think that we start out as creative. We are learning about our environment and interactions and what is important to us, while making our way through simple challenges in life and interactions. Some people embrace this, some like a path that’s already in place. This is where we change our focus.

I like to think that the love of discovery is there for everyone in some form, cooking, or fixing things. How we use and embrace these challenges is what feeds creativity. 

My goal in creating and sharing has been to empower and inspire others to go beyond the craft, find what makes them happy and express what their life experience has given them. That is the teacher in me and applies to all ages. This is where the art happens and connecting with your creative side can evolve.

I say “play, express, make time.” It is important. Natural curiosity feeds creativity. Some people are more curious than others. But there are aspects of creativity that can be taught! Sharing “what if” type questions can launch a whole new way of looking at what we are making.

I had this in mind with my books, they were written as more than patterns or how-to guides. They will hopefully inspire a creative exploration of the materials and techniques. 

Where can people see your work?

I sell directly to people who see my work on Facebook and during classes or workshops. I have an Etsy shop where I have books, patterns, and dyed fiber, and sell both books on Amazon. I sell my work in galleries and shops, both locally, in New Mexico and New Hampshire. 

https://lindalufiberstudio.etsy.com
Design & Texture: Endless Possibilities: Weaving with Loops on a Potholder Loom
Artful Twill Weaving with Loops: Endless Possibilities
https://lindalufiber.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/j.l.lutomski?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Instagram llutomski and Lindalufiber

Interview posted July 2024