Fiber Art by Helen Koehler and Jane Parhiala will be on display at the Maser Gallery from March 3 through March 28, 2019. The public is invited to an opening reception on Sunday, March 10, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.

Jane Parhiala and her husband, Jim, are longtime Falmouth residents. Jane grew up in Gardner, Massachusetts in a household filled with fabric, thread, and wool from the New Hampshire woolen mills. Her mother braided rugs and her Finnish grandmother wove rag rugs. Jane sewed and designed her own clothes at an early age and learned to knit and crochet. “It was inevitable that I should carry on the love of these traditions,” she declares.

For decades Jane has been exploring a variety of techniques in sewing and designing. She owned a boutique on Martha’s Vineyard where she made clothing using ethnic fabrics from Africa, Japan, and Guatemala. Exploring papermaking and designing abstract collages with origami paper evolved into felting wool and making “Hats with Attitude!” Currently, Jane is weaving on a Japanese Saori loom. Of her work she explains, “The warp and weft on the loom express my energy for embracing color and texture. The results of my weavings evolve from my natural surroundings here on Cape Cod, from my land in Vermont and from my travels abroad. Creating and sharing the art of weaving nourishes my soul. It encourages me to inspire other people to explore the beauty of fiber art.”

Jane’s fiber work has been exhibited in art galleries and stores on Cape Cod, in Worcester, MA and in Vermont.

Helen Koehler grew up in San Diego County in the 50s and 60s. “I’m married and have one daughter and two granddaughters. Other than making art, I like to garden, do yoga and swim,” says Helen. Her modest claim belies her varied and vivid art career. In 1966 she studied painting with James Strombotne while garnering a BA in German from the University of California at Riverside. In 1976, she was a scholarship student at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina studying pottery with Byron Temple. In 1991, Helen graduated with Distinction from Mass College of Art with a BFA in Painting and studied with Paul Celli, Marcia Lloyd, Rob Moore, and Dean Nimmer. In 2010-2011, she participated in workshops in oil painting with Christie Scheele at the Woodstock School of Art and Provincetown Art Association and Museum.

Helen has taught oil painting and pottery both privately and at the Falmouth Art Center, Falmouth Academy, and Cape Cod Conservatory. Her work has been exhibited at numerous Cape Cod and New England venues.

Maser Gallery Exhibit Hours: Sunday 12-8 pm; Monday, 2-10 pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10 -10 pm; Friday 10-6 pm; Saturday, Closed.