Statement/Bio

Karen Donde weaves garments, fashion accessories and home textiles for sale and teaches beginning-advanced weaving classes and assorted workshops for guilds and conferences. Teaching credits include HGA’s Convergence 2012, 2014 and 2016 and 2022 (postponed from 2020), Southeast Fiber Forum, the Mid-Atlantic Fiber Association’s Workshop Weekend, Midwest Weavers Conference, Intermountain Weavers Guild Conference and Florida Tropical Weavers Conference. In Asheville, NC, she has taught at Sutherland Handweaving Studio, Friends & Fiberworks, Local Cloth and her own studio.

Karen is a juried member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and graduated in May 2013 from Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts-Fiber program. An experienced and award-winning writer with a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri, Donde now writes for and about weavers. She is a contributor to Handwoven magazine and other allied publications.

Artist’s Statement:
“Exploring infinite ways to create patterned textiles at the loom drives my fascination with weaving. I am drawn to intricate structural interlacements, but am thrilled when simple combinations of structure, color and texture yield beautiful, complex-looking woven designs. I insist my garments and accessories feel as luxurious as they look and am on a continuing quest for fibers and techniques to achieve that result. For me, learning is as exciting as creating, and my desire to share that learning through instruction and writing will be a primary focus of my continued development.”