Bio
I was born in Tallinn, Estonia, and grew up on our farm in nearby Lagedi. My father, an arborist and horticulturalist trained in the former St. Petersburg, managed the farm’s commercial berry and flower enterprise. From my mother, I was introduced early to the fiber-arts in our region: I learned the craft of spinning and dying wool, and knitting the traditional intricate glove, sock and sweater patterns that uniquely characterize each of the Estonian parishes. I completed my post-secondary education, and began working in the city government as a social worker. In 1944, I fled the war-torn country with my younger sister. She had the opportunity to immigrate to Canada, while I had to wait until 1949 for my chance to come to the United States. In the late 1950s, I moved with my husband and three children to Chico, California. There, I became a member in the newly founded Chico Arts Center and developed my skills in creative stitchery. Over the years, I taught courses in the craft, and became part of several groups of like-minded artists dedicated to that form of fiber-art. I have been an award-winning exhibitor in shows at the Chico Art Center, and at county and state fairs—allowing me to sell my works to a wide-range of the public.
Process of Stitching
Drawing inspiration from abstract designs (anything from aerial landscape photographs, fabric prints, x-rays, and my own hand-drawn images), I use a wide range of yarns, twines and threads to bring out the distinctive qualities of various stitches (feather, chain, ladder, French knot, etc). I also employ appliqué (fabric, yarns, shells, buttons, sequins, beads, glass tubing, copper wires), and thread-drawing techniques to create the highly-textured, multiple-layered surfaces of my works. Exploring 3D fiber creations as well, I have crafted dried-flower vases, repurposed an automotive air-filter as circular frame for a macramé piece, and a crocheted an outer-casing for a long tree-branch.
Contact Me
I would love to keep in touch with all my friend and fellow artist via oielazitelli@gmail.com.