Liesel Orend has a B.F.A. in modern dance. She was trained in weaving at Northern New Mexico Community College in El Rito, New Mexico, and has been weaving for six years. Her tapestries have won first place awards at the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta and at the Taos Wool Festival. In 2001, her tapestry entitled “Hunter Spiders” won a silver medallion grand prize at the Taos Wool Festival. In 2003, her piece entitled “Women from the North” received the same award in Taos, and was chosen to be a part of the “Spirit of the West” exhibit connected with Convergence 2004 in Denver, CO.

While she explores many forms of weaving, weft-faced tapestries are her primary interest. In addition, Liesel now teaches natural dyeing at Northern New Mexico Community College, and offers workshops in various locations throughout the southwest. Liesel has developed a full color palette using only natural dyes, and she also makes her naturally dyed yarns available to other craftspeople through her business, Earth Arts.

I moved to the West from New York City, having been deeply inspired by the beauty, spaciousness, and history of this land. The cross currents of cultures here provide a wide spectrum of symbols and traditions to draw from in creating art. Many peoples have used the resources of nature to create objects that are both useful and beautiful.

I received my initial weaving training in El Rito, New Mexico, at Northern New Mexico Community College. While the name of this school has changed a few times, it is a place where people have been trained in traditional Spanish arts since 1909. There I have learned that the structure of a tradition need not be confining, but can be a foundation that provides parameters for endless variation and exploration. Just as we can learn new languages, and then express ourselves differently in them than we do in our native tongue, learning weaving from a traditional Spanish perspective has given me a new means of expression.

Living in New Mexico I find myself also influenced by the symbols and beauty of Native American weaving, as well as by the values and ways of being associated with living in close connection with the land. Asking permission and making offerings of cornmeal while gathering natural dye plants, and being conscious of conserving resources are some ways this manifests.

Working with natural dyes is an integral part of the weaving process for me. I like to be closely connected to the plants. Whenever possible, I gather them in their season, or grow them myself. I am inspired by the wide range of hues that come out of the dye baths, and even when the colors are similar, each plant brings a unique quality to the wool. Bringing these elements together into a piece of weaving is the fruition of this creative process.

The many legends, myths, and stories provide a backdrop of meaning for my work. Worldwide today, and throughout history, different cultures have had similar metaphors about weaving and the web of life, or spinning and the strands of time. In the end, though, I am only conscious of the weaving developing in front of me: the beauty of the cloth, the dancing symbols, the emerging patterns, and the creation of the unfolding design.