March Artist of the Month

Ina Stess is intrigued by color, texture, and bright, shiny beads. She has collected examples of these elements for years and she has perfected the art of combining them into something more than the sum of their parts.

Take a look at her handbags. She has woven a small rag rug, folded it and added a handle. What sets it apart is her use of color, her sense of scale and her embellishments. All of these bags have a piece of nomadic Asian jewelry sewn on the flap. The resulting bag can be worn with jeans and your little black dress.

Ina also likes to make denim jackets into an art statement. She does this by appliqueing motifs from her fabric stash onto the jackets' cuffs, lapels, pockets and/or back panel. In theory, anyone can do it. In reality, it takes a creative eye and an artistic sense to make it work.

To see more of Ina's magic, go to the Artisans' Co-op website and visit her web page or come to the Artisans' Co-op and enjoy the color, texture and beads first hand.