DESIGNER/ARTISAN

Our first introduction to Victoria came from Jean Lampe, who kept saying that we just had to see the hand dyeing and handpainting colorways that Victoria was creating.....that she had an outstanding talent with dyes. We were to eventually learn that she is an outstanding talent with all things fiber, as well as garment design.

Victoria grew up on a small family ranch on the southern Oregon coast. They raised their own beef, lamb and horses; and as a young girl, she was always drawn to nature and animals. Her heritage is Native American. She is a tribal member of the Eastern Shawnee of Oklahoma, and much of her artistry has a strong cultural tradition connected to the earth. Victoria came to central Oregon in the late 1970s, where she met and married her husband Michael. They purchased some acreage near Bend, and she says it was a natural thing to bring in animals to help tend the land. The first sheep she brought in were of the Jacob breed. This was the beginning of her love affair with fiber and the fiber arts.

As Victoria developed her dyeing and spinning skills, people began to seek her work. It was her specialized work in spinning the yarns for the repair of antique Persian and Oriental Rugs that led her to branch out in sheep breed types such as Cotswold and Blue-Faced Leicester. Victoria has done many unique fiber artistry requests over the years. The creativity and uncommon skill evident in all her work can be
traced to her Native American ancestry and culture. Victoria believes that everything has its own flow or path....each fleece or hide....and she allows that to influence the final outcome of any piece.

The Imperial Stock Ranch has been fortunate to have her working with us. Victoria says, it has been a good match for her too. Through its marketing efforts, the Imperial Stock Ranch has helped promote her artistry and that of others as well.

Aa a final note, she has become a favorite of many of the ranch family. Its a little known fact that Victoria is a master at brewing beer, perhaps equal to her fiber artistry talents. And she has generously supplied samples of her creations to the ranch. So.....though they may not truly appreciate her work with wool and lambskins, the boys at the ranch know talent when they see it....or taste it!