SDA-WA Group Event Grant applications are due at midnight on October 1, 2018. Our jurors (Pat Herkal, Claire B. Jones, Roberta Nelson and Francesca Penchant), fiber artists with varied careers, volunteered to be on the panel to support you, SDA-WA members! To help you get to know them better, here is the third of all four bios.

Roberta Nelson has been fascinated with fabric, pattern and color all her life. Her early years were filled with creative activities, embroidery, rug hooking and later batik and sewing. “Fabric stores called my name,” she says.

A graduate of the University of Oregon, she found her love of people and communication working as a counselor and educator. Moving to Seattle with her husband Craig, they created a life together, remodeling two homes and raising two children, Julia and Eric.

Creativity morphed into sacred making and began to have deeper roots as Roberta studied design at Bellevue College, Fung Shui and immersed herself in understanding the spiritual world within and without. Creating gardens, cooking beautiful and healthy food for her family and friends and making things with and for her children further developed her creativity. During this time, she worked as an event and marketing manager and dabbled in the fiber arts, learning to dye and manipulate fabric.

In 2009, reeling from the loss of her creative muse and best friend, she enrolled in the University of Washington Fiber Arts Certificate program. This began a journey of developing and finding her creative voice. Her commitment to art flourished and grew as she took classes from teachers and mentors Jane Dunnewold, Lisa Call, Dorothy Caldwell and others.

Her intuition is her guide and nature is her inspiration. Metaphors for life in the natural world are used in her artwork to make a statement or express an idea or feeling.

Roberta’s work has been show at the University of Washington, at regional surface design shows as well as art festivals in Western Washington.