Laura Kamian

I have worked at Dharma Trading Co since 1998. My first day of work coincided with my first day of an Introduction to Textiles class at San Francisco State University. I went straight from work to class, where we toured the dye lab that was stocked with Dharma dye and chemicals. One of those coincidences! I have been painting with oils and acrylics since I was 17, and took up knitting in 1996. In Spring of 2000, I became tired of a certain dynamic in my creative time -- I noticed that I was tending to view painting as the serious creative "work," and my knitting and needlework as "leisure." I was starting to feel guilty for shirking my "serious work" as I sat around knitting! I was very disturbed by this value judgement that I was making -- having been educated in both painting and surface design, I know firsthand that there is more technical expertise required to create and change the structure of fabric than there is in adorning its surface. I found that I was not going to be able to think my way out of my prejudice; I was going to have to make some work about it. I decided to begin a series of work that combined the materials of painting with the materials of knitting, and to frame it all in a fine art context (i.e., framed and/or wall-hung pieces). I use Procion and acid dyes, Synthrapol, cotton duck and linen fabrics, waxes, flat brushes, and also yarn and knitting needles that I buy at The Dharma Trading Store at 1604 4th St in San Rafael, CA. I have been exhibiting work from this series at galleries, non-profits, and juried exhibits around Northern California since 2001. Every artist I know has a day job and has been forced to learn the art of multi-tasking. I am lucky to work in an establishment that keeps up with what is going on in the world of fiber art -- I get to learn while I am at work! My best resources are my lovely and talented co-workers. We compare projects and pick each other's brains about different techniques when we find the time. If I get stuck on a project one evening, I know I can bring it to work the next day and find someone who can help!