Fabulous Fabrics

How it All Began
An artist never really knows the affect that their art will have once it leaves the studio and finds a new home in a gallery, gift shop, or museum. A piece is created, and it goes out into the world, where it is seen by thousands of curious eyes. From there, the connections formed and the impressions made could be far-reaching and unexpected. Such was the case with Karen's sculptures. Before her licensing career began, Karen's focus was on creating one-of-a-kind metal pieces, which were sold in galleries all over the country. One such gallery was a place in Northampton, Massachusetts called Pinch Pottery/Ferrin Gallery. It was there that restaurant owner, Claudio Guerra, happened to notice the bright, whimsical creations and thought they would be the perfect addition to his restaurant, Spoleto. He commissioned Karen to create several mermaid and ocean-themed sculptures.

Creating Art from Life
Once Karen saw the restaurant with all of her sculptures hanging from the ceiling, she thought that it would make the perfect subject matter for even more artwork. So, the whole scene was immortalized in an acrylic painting. From there, the painting was made into an edition of prints, which were matted and framed. The popularity of the image caused it to become one of the pieces that we would often include in promotional packets to various companies.

Put it on Fabric
When a fabric company called Benartex saw the Spoleto scene, they fell in love with it and worked with Karen to create an entire line of bistro fabrics based on that initial image. The illustration, with its open dining area, lively characters, tossed foods, and shelves of wine bottles lent itself to a variety of food-themed patterns that complement the scene perfectly. Tossed vegetables, piles of pasta, and tumbling corks are just a few of the fabric designs that were created to match this line. The fabrics will be released this fall and will be available in fabric stores all over the country.

Incredible Journey
It's amazing to see how the installation of Karen's sculptures in a local restaurant eventually led, many years after the fact, to an incredible line of fabrics. Art often follows this winding journey, moving from one place to the next, affecting different lives, but serving as a source of inspiration each step of the way.

Words and Wine
Unique designs add an artistic twist to the bistro collection.