Clutch Collective, an art retail shop located in downtown Marietta, hosted a special event with West Virginia artist Nevada Tribble for Marietta Main Street’s First Friday on October 6, from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. A native of Elkins, WV, Nevada uses her artwork to explore a variety of materials and methods, including fiber arts and paper-making. Many of her pieces were created using her custom-built sewing bicycle.

Nevada built her sewing bicycle herself and uses it to take her unique drawing process outside, away from power sources. She uses the sewing machine to draw with thread, moving her paper under the sewing needle to make lines. The bicycle allows her to use the machine to draw from life, in the moment wherever she wants to go. During First Friday, Nevada created custom artwork using the sewing machine bicycle and her handmade papers. For $25, shoppers could pick a background paper and their favorite plant to be artfully rendered by Nevada in thread.

“I love bringing the sewing bike to community events because it gives me the opportunity to share a unique part of my process with people,” said Nevada. “Having such a strange contraption present feels like an invitation to discuss creativity in a slightly deeper way than small talk sometimes allows. I also love chatting with people about their favorite plants while I’m doing nature illustrations with the sewing bike.”

When asked, Nevada said she has a really hard time picking a favorite plant herself – it changes by the season. Lilacs are a favorite spring plant, while Ironweed is a favorite in late summer.

“It was fun getting to share my work with people last Friday,” she said. “I enjoyed showing people the sewing bike, demonstrating how it works, and chatting about all kinds of sewing and fiber arts. It’s always fun to see people get excited about sewing and art-making.”

In her current work, Nevada is exploring her relationship with landscape and place by incorporating location into her art process in a very direct way. “I often make work outside in the forest or by the river, in locations that are personally meaningful to me. I incorporate found elements of nature into my artwork, such as making my own pigments out of soft river rocks, or developing Cyanotypes in flowing river water,” she said. “I am essentially creating art that is a document of attention. It captures and preserves the things that I notice when I spend time outside.”

While a variety of Nevada’s prints and original creations, like stitched stickers, hand-drawn postcards, and handmade sketchbooks, can be found in the shop, those interested can also have Nevada’s handmade papers delivered to their door by joining her Paper Club – a monthly inspiration for dabblers and daydreamers.

“Paper Club is a subscription service where I mail people unique handmade papers every month. I started paper club because I wanted to be more experimental with the different kinds of paper I make, and I love sending snail mail to people. One of my favorite parts about it is writing the letters that accompany each paper shipment. I love sharing my inspiration for the paper, and my thoughts about the shifting seasons and how humans, nature, and creativity coexist.”

Each month, subscribers receive two 5x7” sheets of the paper of the month along with a personal letter. Nevada said over the years, subscribers have shared with her the many unique projects in which they’ve used her handmade papers.

For Nevada, making paper is an opportunity to immerse herself in a color or texture as she works with a batch of wet pulp. “I love the cyclical nature of the process, the adding and removal of water, the simplicity of the actions and materials.” The process forces her to slow down, take time to reflect on the moment and the season she finds herself in.

Those interested in learning more can visit www.nevadatribble.com/paper-club.

Clutch Collective is an art retail shop located in downtown Marietta celebrating culture, community, and creativity in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Open since November 2021, the shop is open seven days a week at 152 Front Street.