This issue’s artist is Angie Evenden. Angie came to Missoula in the 80s to be the regional botanist for the Forest Service and retired in 2015. She has been making silk scarves for about 11 years now. She started as a side passion, and retirement meant she had more time to spend on her craft. “I do my art because it’s just a joyful state. You get out of your head and you’re in your heart and you’re just having fun. And it seems like my work always finds a home, which is kind of nice.”
She loves combining her interest in plants with her silk scarves using different textile surface design techniques. One of these techniques is called shibori, which is a technique putting designs on cloth by folding the fabric, clamping it between objects or shapes, and then dyeing it. Another technique she uses is wrapping the fabric around PVC pipe and tying it with rope before dyeing it. The last technique she uses is called botanical contact printing, using leaves or flower parts and steam to get the pigments to dye the fabric. “You never get the same result twice. It’s like a surprise every time. Which is one thing I love about doing this. It’s like opening a package and you don’t quite know what it’s going to look like, and it’s always beautiful.”
To see her work and many others, stop by Latigo & Lace at 122 Main Street in Augusta. While you are there, don’t forget to get some of the best coffee in town.