Sarah Wiley, a Virginia-based interior designer turned textile artist, uses fabric to create unique creations, from custom pillows to framed art that reimagine special rooms and cherished memories.
Wiley’s “rooms in miniature” bring spaces to life with intricate detail, blending artistry and storytelling through textiles.
Artist: The Virginia native was born in Ivy and grew up in Richmond, taking art classes and learning to sew at an early age.
She also grew up in a creative family. Her mother is an artist, her grandmother, a sculptor. Dana Gibson, her sister, is a nationally known decorative artist.
But there are more. Great grandfather Charles Dana Gibson was creator of the Gibson Girl in the 1890s, and Nancy Lancaster, her great aunt, started Colefax & Fowler, the influential British decorating firm which codified the English Country House look.
Wiley briefly attended Ohio Wesleyan University before earning a BA in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Following graduation, she built a nearly 30-year career as an interior designer. Her artistic path later evolved into textile art, initially transforming children’s drawings into unique pillow designs. Over time, Wiley’s work has evolved into the intricate and distinctive creations she is known for today.
Company/studio: Sarah Wiley Art, started in 2019, in Richmond. The artist works in a studio behind her house.
Art & materials: Framed art and pillows using interior design fabrics, outdated memo samples, bolt ends, leftover and donated fabrics. Framed art ($700-plus). Pillows ($450 and up).
“I paint with fabric the same way a traditional artist uses paints,” said Wiley.
What’s popular: Scenes of special interior rooms with memorable objects. Also lots of commissions of dogs, people, houses, plus special places and events, like weddings.
Favorite or must-have tool: Her Wacom tablet. “It allows me to draw freehand but on a computer,” said Wiley.
Process: Check Sarah Wiley Art on Facebook and watch the YouTube video of how she creates her art. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9C5iRorIRg)
Inspirations:
- Kit Kemp, an interior designer known for her use of textiles and as a champion of British art, craft and sculpture in her designs of homes and boutique hotels.
- Artists, including Vanessa Grant and Duncan Bell, of the Bloomsbury group in England.
- Interior rooms and designers on Instagram and in books.
Special or unusual commissions:
- A wall piece that will be displayed at the residence of Joann Lockard, the new U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso.
- A wall hanging for a private plantation in North Carolina. The piece features the region’s iconic flora and fauna as well as the manor home.
What’s next:
- A popup show Dec. 8-14 at POP West Palm, 6401 Georgia Ave, West Palm Beach, FL. Wiley will have pieces in the show that capture the Palm Beach style. For informaton, check Instagram: @ShopDanielleRollins and @popwestpalm.
- Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington, DC. April 24-27.smithsoniancraftshow.org
Where to buy: sarahwileyart.com
Connect:
- Instagram: @sarahwileyart
- Facebook: Sarah Wiley Art
