Fiber artist Martina Celerin with one of her works. Photo by Rodney Margison
BY MOLLY BRUSH
When Bloomington resident Martina Celerin decided to return to her roots as an artist after a career as a research scientist at Indiana University, she considered resuming her earlier work with oil pastels and acrylics. But she became disenchanted with the flatness of painting, and turned to a medium that would allow her to create 3-D canvases: fiber art.
Celerin’s work combines traditional weaving techniques with felting to create tapestries that tell a visual story. She also integrates reclaimed materials into her pieces—everything from shells and rocks to old jewelry and rusted car parts. She finds inspiration in her own life experiences, such as visits to the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, or fishing trips with her husband, Jim, and their sons Tommie, 16, and Jacob, 14.
“My art is really a statement of who I am and what my experiences in this town have been,” she says.
Celerin has exhibited her weavings at more than a dozen venues in Bloomington and around the state. Her latest exhibition, “Nature to Nurture,” is on display through May 1 at Bloomington Bagel Company’s east side location, 913 S. College Mall Road. Celerin also sells her work on her website and at local and regional art fairs. She often travels the country to give presentations and workshops on fiber art, and she uses her creative talents in other ways, too. Her latest undertaking is designing costumes for Sounds of South’s October 2017 production of Hello, Dolly! at Bloomington High School South.
Celerin says she is grateful to live and work in a community that has supported her growth as an artist. “Being in Bloomington has allowed my art to evolve to the point that it has,” she says. “I am truly lucky to be able to call Bloomington home.”
You can find Celerin’s work on her website, martinacelerin.com.
