Parachute x Lauren Williams Art Collaboration!

After a year of sketching ideas, redesigning concepts and discussing the vision, it’s finally time to share all the details of this collaborative project! I am so proud to have partnered with Parachute (www.parachutehome.com) to create a tapestry inspired quilt design. I’ve always been a big fan of Parachute and appreciate their attention to high quality modern bedding. It was a dream to design a home product that allowed my art to come off the wall and onto to comfortable and luxurious linen bedding. Below is a Q&A about our new Geometric Quilt and I’m so excited to share it with you! xxo, Lauren

How would you describe your work?

I like to think of my tapestries as a canvas but with movement. I suspend hundreds of individual wool strands and use dyes and paints to create different designs. From the way the fibers hang to the amount of dye each strand decides to absorb, my art has a mind of its own. I always start with a vision, but as I work, the direction changes based on the fiber’s reaction to the paints and dyes. Each piece is different no matter how much I would like to replicate a previous tapestry. I would describe my work as a bold statement piece, but with an organic and peaceful approach.

What is modern bohemian?

Modern Bohemian is artistic and free spirited with a contemporary feel that can be seen in my Canvas With Movement fiber art. I love the texture and organic composition of fiber art but wanted to bring a modern aspect into the picture. By incorporating a linear piece of walnut wood to create a wool canvas, I can use paint and dye to add bold and unique designs, to my non-traditional form of fiber art.

What makes the Parachute x Lauren Williams quilts unique? How are they different?

This was my first foray into bedding, and specifically quilts. I knew I wanted to use my fiber art as inspiration and create something really dynamic and unique. I created two color schemes with the design—Dusk and Dawn—to represent the duality of light and darkness; beginning your day and ending your day in bed. The quilts can go up on the wall and totally transform a space, but then you can take it down and throw it on the bed and interact with it on a daily basis—it’s truly artwork for your bed.

How did the Parachute x Lauren Williams collaboration come together? How did you approach the design process?

I have loved creating pieces for walls around the world, but my favorite part of creating is seeing the immediate desire from people to touch and feel the art. This inspired the vision of transcending the art into a more tangible product, off the wall. The texture of linen was the first thing I was drawn to when looking to explore my tapestry designs on a quilt. Parachute uses such beautiful linen in their products and so a collaboration to create a form of art that people could wrap themselves up in, was a natural fit.

I pulled some of my most favorite tapestry designs and sketched them into a quilt design. The fluidity of my designs needed to be adjusted to form the quilt. Taking my three-dimensional art on to a 2-dimensional paper design, and then to a linen quilt was a challenge but it is really cool that Parachute had the vision to see my fiber art designs utilized in a bedding product. Various designs were presented in the discussions with Parachute, but we landed on a piece that had sharp angles in the dye design and I loved how it came together in our modern, geometric quilt.

Where do you source your inspiration?

I love blank walls and when I see them I immediately begin to envision what the perfect piece of art would look like to complement the space. I use blank walls to inspire ideas for new work. Nature is also a huge inspiration for color combinations. I love playing with color and choosing color combinations that are unexpected but still natural.

Tell us about your relationship with your art?

My form of art demands cooperation. Although I start with a vision, the fibers have a mind of their own. I can fight it, or I can cooperate. The more freedom I give each tapestry to come alive, the more beautiful the result is. I love the process of letting go and watching something beautiful develop in my hands.

How did you end up running your own successful full-time business?

I worked in a few different verticals and found a passion for art and design once I had a family and wanted our home to be an inspiring and comfortable place for us to enjoy. My transition occurred once people started buying my artwork quicker than I could create it. I made my first piece as a solution to a big blank wall in our Dallas rental house. I posted a photo of my “weekend project” to Instagram and people were immediately drawn to it and wanted to know more. I accepted requests to make pieces for some friends, and soon the requests were coming from people I didn’t know. I continued to be a “weekend artist” for a couple years and eventually made the full time switch after having our third son. I wanted to be home with my family and create art. I have been making my tapestries, painting and designing pillows and throw blankets out of my garage studio for almost 5 years

You began your career in LA and are now in Dallas. How do the two places influence your work?

The creativity and inspiration I feel from the west coast is powerful. The sunshine, colors of the water, sky and foliage in LA feeds my soul. Our trips to visit family and friends in Malibu are like a dose of “creative vitamins” for me. Dallas has provided me the opportunity to work from home and be with my family while creating art. Both cities hold dear places in my heart.

What advice can you give to budding entrepreneurs?

Don’t quit your day job. Yet.

It takes time to work through creative concepts and passionate ideas. As soon as you turn it into a “job” and base your income on it, you walk the line of suffocating the creativity and passion. You have to be true to yourself and your art. Don’t make what other people want you to make. Make what you need to create. People respond to passion, authenticity and originality. Don’t lose that.

Click here to check out ‘Dusk’ and ‘Dawn’ quilts in the shop. I hope you love them as much as I loved creating them!

All photos by the talented Carley Summers. @carlaypage www.carleysummers.com