10th Annual

Fiber Arts & Jewelry Exhibit

“Diamonds are Forever”

Artist Statements & Diamond References

Suzanne Achilles

Suzanne Achilles has made beautiful jewelry since 1996. She has clients throughout the country and exhibits in top line galleries and jewelry stores. Achilles holds open trunk events and special viewings. Achilles works in La Grande, Oregon, where she practices her jewelry work at home.

Sharon Askew

"First a photographer, then a quilter, now designer.

After 50+ years of creating in various mediums, fabric has become my focus since 2014.

“Diamonds of Color” – The sheer diversity of diamond colors can easily be applied to us: talents, interests, skills, etc., that we all need to use to express ourselves and serve our Lord.

DIAMONDS - mysterious, valuable, treasured, and the hardest mineral In researching 'diamonds', I discovered they embodied an immense depth of color. So I chose to showcase as many of their colors as possible."

 

Ashley Barnes

A multi-media artist and crafter from La Grande with a BFA in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut. I also own a cross stitch pattern and finished custom art busines.

“I have recently been exploring scale within the medium of cross stitch by creating my own large canvases to stitch on. I used this prompt and guidelines to further create within that world.

My diamond inspiration is a chunk of Herkimer diamond that I chiseled out of the ground myself in New York almost 20 years ago with friends I still hold dear today.

I pulled color and lines from the diamond for reference.”

Carloyn Bloyed

“I have worked with fabric for over 50 years starting with a basic sewing class in middle school. My love of fabric has brought me into the quilting world where I have begun to explore modern quilt designs and unique creative designs of my own making.”

“Diamonds in the Raw” –  "As I constructed this wall hanging, I was reminded of my own 47-year marriage. The two-toned fabric represents two unique humans coming together to form an everlasting bond that will carry them through the many phases of their journey together. The raw edges of the fabric represent the rawness of the natural diamonds woven together to represent the union of the two persons."

“La Borja” – "A gathering place. As I constructed this bag, I was reminded of my own 47-year marriage, The two-toned fabric represents two unique humans coming together to form an everlasting bond that will carry them through the many phases of their journey together. The vast experiences and love for each other are continually gathered together and held forever in the bag as everlasting memories which can be drawn upon at any time. The brooch represents the union of the two persons and sealed forever with the diamond."

Crystal Collier

“Born in La Grande and raised in Joseph, Oregon I grew up with nature's beauty quite literally all around me. It has always been my sanctuary and I continue to gather inspiration from the beauty of the natural world around me. I continue to live, work and create in La Grande and travel extensively

The patina process of copper and triangle shapes are a rebellion against the flawless ideal of diamonds. I played with the juxtaposition of the two to show that beauty and resilience can occurs from contact and exposure to the world’s ‘elements’ as well. Plus quartz is truly my flawless diamond.

Diamonds May Be Forever, But Transformation Is The Future

“Diamonds are Forever”—that glittering promise of flawless permanence, purity, and unchanging perfection. I choose instead to forge eternity from the imperfect and the elemental.

Copper darkens and changes color, an accumulation of touch and exposure, as it ages. These are not flaws, but records of existence. In contrast to the supposed perfection and immortality of diamond, my work embraces change as a form of exposure, resilience, and rebirth. The patina that develops over time, is not promise of unchanging brilliance, but a testament to resilience through transformation. It carries a quiet rebellion against the myth of flawless eternity, because true permanence is not the absence of change, but the courage to evolve with it. A reminder that what endures most beautifully is often what has been transformed, time and again.”

Jo Cowling

"I am a lifelong fiber crafter/artist.

Diamondback and Diamondthroats are self-explanatory and have no meaning beyond use of diamond shapes in design. Snow Crows includes a Robert Frost poem. Frost said the poem was encouragement to spend time in nature to help alleviate stress, sadness, and fear in your life.”

 

Ruthi Davenport

Bio: Mixed media, Wolf Creek Designs Studio - PhD Educ., Certified in Equine-facilitated Learning - ACE show 2025 - Taught outdoor ed., music and tutoring K-12 for 35 yrs., EOU Educ. Prof. 19 yrs. (Emerita), ran own school (Oak Haven) 9 yrs. - published author for children and adults - vol. as musician.

"These diamonds were this girl's best friend" – For 23 years, I was blessed with the friendship of Maggie Mae, a Missouri Foxtrotter, who, at 4 years old, came into my life from Ava, MO, the "Home of the Foxtrotters." She was my most patient teacher, and we worked together in Equine-facilitated Learning sessions in life skills with young children. One time, after a huge breakthrough for a young girl, Maggie Mae turned her head, and for a flash, revealed to me her exquisite "diamond self."

“This is a safe spiritual space for my horse Maggie Mae, who died in March, 2025 - It is a thank you to KF for MM's safe haven for so long and her presence; MM and I reach out with grateful hearts to P, CC, T, K - This place emerged organically over 10 months - a very slow gathering of elements.”

Annetta Evans

"I am a self-taught silk artist. I have a masters in Integrating Arts in Education and used it to bring art to all subjects in my 30+ years as an educator.

For this theme I returned to my beginnings of painting horses on silk - Silken Ponies. It was fun to create using patterns and colors I am drawn to with the fluidity of silk dye.

“Facets” –  I wanted to create something that would stay true to my inspiration, but also support the theme of diamonds. The design of this piece suggests the facets of cut diamonds.

“Marked” – For this piece, I wanted to portray all the "diamonds" found on horses, so each has a slightly different diamond or two on their head.

“Reflections” -- was me playing with a repeated pattern, again with a "diamond' on each horse. I kept the pattern and colors the same for each horse."

 

Tamara Fritze

After teaching at the college level for 30+ years, Tamara Fritze now works in fiber arts, particularly focusing on the use of basket techniques.

When I think of diamonds, I first think of the sparkles that a beautifully cut diamond has. So in several of these pieces I tried to capture that sparkle. In the other pieces, I took the diamond shape we all recognize and tried to incorporate it into the design of the piece.

“Diamonds and Rust” – "Faceted glass beads and the traditional diamond shape in the old lace.

“Diamonds around the Rim” – Traditional diamond shape around the rim.

“Tray of Diamonds” – Traditional diamond shape incorporated into the pattern

“Diamonds in a Dark Sky” – When I look at a night sky, I always see diamonds, and I attempted to capture that in this basket.

“Diamonds and Pearls” – The sparkle of diamonds in the white wool and silk with faceted glass beads."

Katherine Jensen

BA of Arts Degree and Graduate Studies in Public Art/Museum Studies at CSULB. Public School Art Teacher, grades K-12. Designed curriculum and incorporated art appreciation into daily lessons. Participated in the Leadership Team Partnership Program w/ Getty Museum of Art.

“When thinking about how diamonds sparkle and shine with beauty I used a variety of shiny silk fabics for a statement.These small silk pieces were part of a fabric salesmans sample's purchased at a local fabric store years ago.Their variety of shiny, smoooth & knap surfaces inspired this art piece.

Wikipedia knowledge about how diamonds were formed inspired me. Carbon fluids are dissolved turning into diamonds miles down from the earths surface. With eruptions diamonds do surfaced and are found inside other rocks. They are in odd shapes. Their beauty today comes with cutting & polishing.”

Christie Lower

Christie Lower is a self-taught fiber artist and educator based in Eastern Oregon. She creates needle-felted wildlife sculptures that explore memory, place, and our emotional connection to nature. She is the founder of Rustic Fiber Academy and teaches students worldwide.

“I make needle-felted wildlife sculptures rooted in place, story, and care. My work is about slowing down, paying attention, and remembering that the animals we share this world with are not separate from us, but part of us.

When I thought about diamonds in the animal kingdom, I didn’t picture sparkle. I thought about ivory. About how something once admired slowly became something exploited. That trail led me to the Northern White Rhino, now functionally extinct. This piece is my way of telling their story with care and intention.

Not All Diamonds Are Forever reflects the tragic irony that the Northern White Rhino was treated like a living diamond. Its horn was valued more than its life, coveted, traded, and mythologized until only two remain. What once symbolized power and permanence became a reason for extinction. This piece is my quiet response to that loss, and a reminder that when we assign worth to the wrong things, even the rarest beings are not protected by their beauty.”

 

Jennifer McBride

Ms. McBride holds a B.S. in Art from EOU, has a small home business, a large garden, an excitable dog, and is constantly looking for new techniques to practice and teach. Ms.McBride has a background in fine arts, primarily in wood block and serigraph printing, and studied photography, ceramics, drawing and more. She grew up sewing, gardening, baking and crafting with family, and her fiber arts skills wander into weaving, embroidery and wool felting. Ms. McBride lives in Union. She is currently a teaching artist with Art Center East, teaching Homeschool Art classes and maintains a small home studio.

 

“This wool-felted landscape was a fun excursion into mixing mediums. Usually I create 3-D felted pieces such as turtles or flowers, so making a 2-D scene was a new challenge. The deep blue of the roving brought to mind the intense indigo blue of our pristine night sky, and it wasn't hard to imagine the fluffy white clouds, bright and beautiful, framing the sparkling, twinkling stars scattered liberally over the sky. We have magnificent, clear night skies perfect for stargazing. Twilight is a magical time for me, when day turns into night across the valley. You can look to the East and see the first stars twinkle while the last of the day glow is fading in the West. One of my favorite ways to relax and enjoy nature is by stargazing. Living in this beautiful valley, I find inspiration every time | look out the window.”

 

Diamond Reference – The favorite nursery rhyme in my household is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". This verse accurately captures the appreciation and wonder we all have for nature.

Twinkle, twinkle little star,

How I wonder what you are,

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Carissa Scariano

Carissa Scariano is a pacific northwest poet who has always loved rocks. She began wire wrapping as a way to carry her favorite stones with her.

“I  only make pendants out of the stones I have found. When I wire wrap, I use as little wire as possible so that the rock can be the focal point. I like working with the tiny precious and semi-precious gemstone beads when I make the necklaces.”

All Submissions –

"The Oregon Sunstone, our state's gemstone, once drew the attention of Tiffany and Co., who dubbed it the Plush Diamond, after the closest town to the only mine of its kind.

My husband and I collected these sunstones on our honeymoon. Their sunny flashes and natural facets remind me of my yellow diamond ring.

I paired these gems with sapphires, rubies, and opals to allow Oregon sunstones to take the place of diamonds as the most precious gem.”