Artist Highlight

Patricia Palson is doing her best to make New Hampshire a more fashionable place. The award-winning handweaver, who has more than 20 years of fashion experience, doesn't just make gorgeous pieces of clothing, she makes true wearable art. Palson's often colorful, vibrant creations begin from scratch with her own handwoven fabrics that range from merino wool to silk and even bamboo, each crafted with both tactile and visual effects in mind. She then transforms her fabrics into innovative designs that incorporate bold colors and patterns that, while fashion-forward, still remain practical and comfortable to wear.

Palson finds inspiration everywhere around her. "It's very hard to turn the inspiration spigot off," she says. With new inspirations — such as the tropical colors of chameleons, her current muse — come new ways to grow and change. "I think it's critical as an artist to push the envelope," she adds. "I'm not interested in making the same stuff over and over again."

Though she's continually dreaming up different combinations of color and pattern, Palson also loves to experiment with new fabrics. Part of her process, she explains, is discovering each new fabric's unique features and how best to highlight those qualities in a new piece.

Though Palson enjoys showing and selling her work in the "super stimulating" atmosphere of big cities like New York and Boston, New Hampshire is still one of her best markets and where she finds the relaxed, quiet existence she needs to create. "Living in New Hampshire," she says, "is a little slice of heaven for me."