Fiber artist’s work is a standout thread in the boutique-textiles resurgence
It’s the time of year when one’s thoughts naturally turn to fiber — sweaters, blankets, and a warm puppy or cozy cat — or even an Angora rabbit or Huacaya alpaca — curled up in the near vicinity. But that’s only part of the picture, at least in the mountain South, where textiles used to be big business and are now a bigger and bigger deal in the landscape of maker culture.
“It’s a new day for fiber arts in our area,” agrees Lorraine Cathey, who mentions such crucial touchstones as boutique textile facility Oriole Mill, the Echoview Fiber Mill, and the “huge” Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair that comes to the WNC Agricultural Center each October. The Hendersonville artist had just wrapped up a key fall event — the Open Studio Tour of Henderson County in late September — when she spoke to Carolina Home + Garden, and was busy getting ready for another major craft showcase, the biannual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands in downtown Asheville.
Cathey’s vibrant, meticulous wet-felted landscapes are arguably the most touchable “paintings” around. “The detail that can be achieved is amazing,” she notes in her artist’s statement, where she also describes her particular process: After she dry felts the wool into place, she soaks it down in warm soapy water, places it in bubble wrap and “agitates” the piece by rolling it around a length of PVC pipes — up to 500 times to set the scene in place. (At the end, free-motion stitching adds detail.)
Anyone who loves the area will warm to the views that bloom from Cathey’s fabric canvases, among them Triple Falls, Cascade Lake, and Looking Glass Rock in Transylvania County; Craggy Gardens near Mount Mitchell; and the Linn Cove Viaduct in the High Country outside of Boone.
When she’s not in the studio this season, the artist will likely be on the move, gaining inspiration for future works — but she’s never too far from home. “My favorite place to leaf peep,” she says, “is any place along the Blue Ridge Parkway.”
Lorraine Cathey, Hendersonville. The artist’s work is on display at the venues of the Southern Highland Craft Guild: the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, at the two Guild craft shops in Asheville (930 Tunnel Road and 26 Lodge St. in Biltmore Village), and at the craft center at the Moses Cone Manor in Blowing Rock. She will participate in the 72nd Fall Edition of the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands that runs Thursday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 20 at the US Cellular Center (87 Haywood St., Asheville). For more information, call 828-298-7928 or see southernhighlandguild.org. For more information about Lorraine Cathey’s work, see lorrainecatheyfiberworks.com.