Chillicothe, IL fiber artist, Anna Winette Repke's work benefits from the carpentry skills and sharp woodworking eye of her husband such as with these cathedral shaped windows he discovered that later inspired her "stained-glass" finished pieces. Scroll down for more art...
Fiber artist extraordinaire, Anna Winette Repke, makes creativity look easy despite 10 children, 20 grandchildren, and another one on the way! Starting with as much as 30 pounds of roving wool, she hand-dyes it until she gets just the right colors and tones to assemble a palette. Carding, combing and blending the fibers, she’s fully engrossed in every minute detail of her project to generate a finished piece that reflects a very painterly quality. Visit her website, listed below, to learn more about the labor-intensive process she follows.
Up until 11 years ago, Anna was an oil painter, but once she discovered wool and the felting process, she changed her medium and never looked back.
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Favorite subjects for her fiber paintings are trees – especially trees in silhouette, landscapes, sunrises and sunsets.
Anna and her husband make a perfect team. As an experienced, retired, trim work carpenter, he builds custom frames that spotlight her fiber art beautifully. Often, he combs through architectural salvage shops seeking interesting or weathered long boards he can then fashion into framing. Recently he discovered several cathedral-style frames that, in turn, inspired Anna to create stunning stained-glass pieces – all in fiber, of course.
She can be found traveling around the Midwest doing 10-12 art shows a year such as last summer’s Geneva, IL art fair where Art BEAT caught up with her.
According to Anna, fiber work is an exploding art form where even beginners can get good results. She teaches workshops that are either 3-hours or 6-hours in length where students leave with a small landscape or small purse. Upcoming workshops will be in Waukesha, WI on October 29-30, 2022 at Nancy Wilson’s:
Lost Art
Fiber and Textile Studio
located at Springs Gallery / Studios
519 Wisconsin Avenue
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186
Anna enjoys accepting commissions, particularly when it’s favorite spot for an individual or family. She cited this example. A family recently contacted her to execute a photo that was found on their father’s camera. Touchingly titled “The Last Sunrise”, it was the last photo he had taken before passing a way later that same day.
For more information about the wool process she uses, classes/workshops, and more, visit Anna’s website at: Wool Art by Anna Winette Winston Repke
Anna's "raw" material before dyeing.
