About Sydney
“I am constantly inspired by the beautiful colors and patterns in nature and the way those colors and patterns interact with each other and their surroundings. My work allows me to express and share that joy with others, and hopefully create a space to slow down and reconnect with nature.”
Sydney Sogol is a fiber artist who grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She is a handweaver, creating unique, one-of-a-kind luxury wearable art and woven paintings. She draws inspiration from her years of studying art, ornithology, and marine biology. Sogol discovered her love for all things yarn when she was at Earlham College obtaining a BA in Weaving and a minor in Biology. She knew she wanted to pursue her passion for weaving and attended East Carolina University, where she received her Masters of Fine Art with a concentration in Textile Design.
Each piece she creates in her home studio pays tribute to a single creature’s unique beauty and story. To achieve this, she hand paints and dyes yarn that mimics the gorgeous colors found in birds and ocean creatures. Sogol then combines these colors with the complex, original patterns she designs for her 24,16 and 8 shaft looms.
Weaving is her medium of choice because, in addition to designing new patterns and fields of color, the repetitive nature of crafting the work itself on her looms allows her to slip into a relaxed and yet focused state, with the motions establishing a rhythmic flow. Sogol hopes that her work will encourage people to notice things they otherwise might miss about the world around them, move them beyond being a mere passive observer of the natural world, and inspire them to learn more about the species that inspire her work, including the reasons that many of them have become endangered. Sydney wants to invite her audience to reflect on the way their lived are connected to the animals that share the world we call home.
Sydney primarily works with Tencel or Lyocell, an eco-friendly wood pulp yarn that is manufactured in a closed circuit loop, minimizing its environmental impact by reusing all water and using only non-toxic chemicals! Lyocell is a dream to dye, weave, and wear. It drapes softly, creating lightweight desirable wearables with luster and an eye-catching presence.
Sydney loves to share her passion for fiber arts by teaching about the expansive techniques that can be done using different fibers. She taught classes at East Carolina University, and continues to teach both private and group classes and is the founder, designer and weaver of Syd’s Threads. Sogol has shown locally, and nationally in juried and invitational shows, she currently resides in Durham, NC.
“I find great satisfaction in seeing a weaving reveal itself one strand of yarn at a time, generating layers of color building on and integrating with the ones before it.”