Jean Sparkes

Jean began weaving in 1992 and while she learned much through self-study, she has also studied special techniques in workshops with various fiber artists/instructors from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Taos Institute of Art, the Toronto College of Art and Design and the California College of Arts and Crafts.

She is a fellow of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, and a member of the Southeast Fiber Forum and Handweavers’ Guild of America as well as the Dyed-in-the-Wool Weavers & Spinners Guild of the MS Gulf Coast and the Ocean Springs Art Association.

Some of the awards with which she has been honored since she began weaving are:

• Handweavers’ Guild of America Award (for outstanding creativity and craftsmanship in the fiber arts)
• Peter Anderson Memorial Arts Festival Award of Excellence
• Accepted by jurying into the “Art with a Southern Drawl” exhibit, University of Mobile, Mobile, AL
• Merit Award in Ocean Springs Art Association Members’ Show

While her main focus is knowledge and exploration as well as educating her community about weaving, a secondary goal is to enjoy the process as she learns more about fiber arts. While she has worked with clay, silk painting and watercolor, all roads lead back to weaving for Jean. Under normal circumstances, she weaves cloth to create one-of-a-kind garments as well as household linens. Six feet of salt water in her studio and home are not normal circumstances, and it will take some time to rebuild and to replace the equipment, tools and supplies lost to Katrina. Rebuilding is now underway...it is indeed a brave new world. For more information on her work or pricing, contact Jean at jsparkes@cableone.net.