Studio View: Winter

A few months ago I couldn’t pass this lovely silk boucle recovered from a fashion designer in NYC. I didn’t have a specific project in mind which is rare as I usually get materials when I’m working on a project or commission. I purchased it anyway knowing that I would find a project for it.

This winter has been a snowy winter. As a gardener, I appreciate a good amount of snow in the garden. Snow is a great fertilizer (nitrogen) and natural insulator. Cold stratification is a term I learned through the Rutgers Environmental Stewards program. Native plant seeds, bulbs like garlic, tulips, daffodils, and trees like dogwood benefit from the stratification process in order to germinate and/or sprouting in the spring.

Meanwhile, in the weaving studio, the silk boucle has become a perfect material to translate the views of a snowy winter. This new fiber art sculpture will be part of an exhibition in Jersey City that I’m honored to be part of. More information soon.

Winter Morning, 2026
Repurposed silk boucle from fashion designers in NYC,
antique wooden butter mold with floral designs
6 inches width x 2 inches depth x 20 inches length

Art, A garden is a teacher, Active, Bulbs, Colors, Ecosystem, Edible Garden, Environmental Education, Gardening, Garlic, Handmade, Home Garden Studio, Native Plants, Native Trees, Nature, Observation, Plants, Rutgers University, Sculpture, Seasons, Seeds, Sky, Sunrise, Textile, Sustainable art practice, Weaving, Winter, Yarn, Repurposed materials, Silk, Winter Views, Women, Repurposed fiber art, Fiber artRossana Martinez