READSBORO, Vt. (WCAX) – On a sunshiny day, Sienna Martz takes to the great outdoors, soaking in the sights and sounds of southern Vermont. The world around her serves as an inspiration for her abstract fiber art and sculptures.
“I’m really drawn to the natural world, and how organic forms build and create these abstract shapes based on their environments,” says the artist. “So, in a way, I’m trying to recreate that.”
Her supplies sit in a bright, lofty room — baskets of cloth, a sewing machine and walls adorned with both finished and unfinished art.
“It is a dream space having this open loft and it kind of feels like we’re up in the trees,” she says in her Readsboro home studio.
Martz was born with the creative bug. Her mom worked in the fashion world and her dad was a sculptor and painter. Here, she melds the two into her work, using sustainable fabrics to make eye-catching creations.
“I create really playful, mainly wall sculptures at the moment, that are displayed in people’s homes, commercial spaces, hotels,” she explains.
The fabric of this art is the material used to make it. As a vegan, Martz says she prioritizes the use of plant-based fibers in her work.
“Kapok fiber, mushroom foam, organic cotton, linen, flax,” she says.
Not long after, Martz showed us how to stuff what once was a shirt using super-soft Kapok fiber. Lately, she’s started scouring secondhand stores for cloth that catches her eye. Sometimes, the fabric she finds inspires the vision for each design. Though, these days, custom-commissioned work takes up most of her time.
“I’m also actually making a massive custom piece for a client in Europe who is creating a sustainable yacht,” she explains. “I think it’s really special to make a piece specific to a space, almost like it’s growing out of that space.”
Now, art lovers in Vermont and beyond have a chance to see Martz’s work up close with an exhibition now open at Soapbox Arts in Burlington through the end of September. Even those who can’t make it to the Queen City can and do follow along on social media, with Martz sitting near 80,000 followers on Instagram.
It’s an admittedly niche genre of art, but one that’s loved universally, and especially by the artist herself.
“My art practice is my full-time job. It’s also just my essence, it’s my passion in life and sometimes it just doesn’t even feel like I’m working,” Martz says, wearing a smile.