Bio
Shira Joys
I have had a fascination with making things from fiber since I was a young child, fashioning fabric and yarn into garments or blankets for dolls and stuffed animals. A batik class after college kindled my passion for color on cloth, which continues to fuel my exploration into fabric design and embellishment.
I work on a variety of white silk or cotton fabrics and use fiber reactive dyes, plant dyes or textile inks to apply layers of color and pattern to the cloth. Some of the many methods I use include block printing, painting, screen printing, resist dyeing, marbling, shibori, beadwork, embroidery and quilting.
My educational background is in elementary education and art therapy. I have worked in both of these fields for many years, most recently as an elementary art teacher in schools off the coast of Maine and as an art therapist in private practice.