From Brazil to Chicago to Kentucky...

My hands have held a needle, paintbrush, a pen, some sand paper, a hammer or some kind of tool ever since I can remember. I've also been cursed with an entrepreneurial spirit that got me selling t-shirts at artisan fairs when I was 15 in Brazil and that later led on to almost two decades of self-employment in retail and wholesale of my work and international handicrafts in Chicago.

I now focus primarily on fiber art, but worked seriously in clay for a time. I enjoy refinishing the odd piece of furniture, putting 3-d collages together, and have an avid interest in how things are made and where they come from. I live in Paducah, Kentucky and enjoy a peer group of other curious artists. I miss the diversity of Chicago, but carry the influence of friends and experiences from there and abroad that continue to stamp my work with an international feel. Kentucky is a peaceful place, a place where nature flourishes and where my spirit enjoys some respite.

I sell things that I make and ethnic textiles on Etsy.

In February, 2010, I launched an organization called TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List. Our website is www.tafalist.com. We have a group here on Flickr. Come and visit!

---------------------------------------

Rayela Art

I landed in Paducah, Kentucky!

Quilt City, USA