Julie Westmaas Fiber Artist

Artist's Statement
Julie Westmaas’ love of fabric and fiber arts began around the age of eight with her grandmother’s embroidery hoop, and she learned to sew at age eleven. Sewing became a passion and inspired a lifelong interest in fiber arts. 

She studied art at Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, and a “Summer School” scholarship through GVSU in Dubrovnik Croatia to study art. In her classes, she studied photography, painting, and batik, but realized that fiber arts are her preferred way to express her creativity. Using fabrics, threads, paints, inks, dyes, yarn, ribbon, and trim pieces, her ideas are always endless.

Her pieces ranges from landscapes to flowers, food, people, animals, and more. She often uses her own photographs as inspiration. Her fiber art includes such items as framed quilted art, fabric bowls, jewelry, and batik designs.

She teaches fiber arts and batik at Lakeshore Sewing and Fremont Arts Place, and displays her work in the Muskegon Museum of Art gift shop and Red Lotus Center for the Arts in Muskegon, and Freemont Arts Place gallery.