1978 was a great year in my life, so I get a big smile on my face when our museum receives a note from Artist Lynne Weinberger because Lynne’s signature line reads: "Sent from my Smith-Corona, circa 1978". Having typed on one of those machines and knowing that she still uses hers, I find the signature line fun, quirky, and in Lynne’s words, full of “folksy cheerfulness”.
The 1978 Smith-Corona, on location in its home studio.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, with significant life experiences in Chile, Europe, Mexico and more, Weinberger’s love of bright, vibrant, colorful cultures was fostered by her European dad and her American mom. An architectural engineer, her dad taught her to make things with a variety of materials. Her mom taught her to sew. With those combination of skills and her international traveling background, Lynne began gravitating toward folk art. The more she traveled, the more she learned that the colors, materials, patterns and textures of the world had similar roots and origins.
Alcohol Ink on Yupo. L. Weinberger
Needle-felted Table Runner L. Weinberger
Needle-felted Coasters L. Weinberger
During the time she was earning her MBA, an apprenticeship at a stained-glass shop became Lynne's outlet for creativity. A corporate stint at Texas Instruments and a move to Boston followed…...but not for long. Lynne and her husband, Charlie, moved to McKinney in 1996 at which time she began making and selling a variety of up-cycled fiber goods.
Needle-felted cross body bag L. Weinberger
Lynne’s fiber art specialty is in the mixing of materials. She takes sweaters, blankets, shirts, skirts, neckties and more and transforms them into new handbags, totes, aprons, ornaments, and pins.
L. Weinberger Sheer Flower pins with "thread nest" and vintage buttons
Eyeglass Cases L. Weinberger
A second-place winner in the 1973 “Make It Yourself With Wool” contest (she created a kelly green wool bomber jacket and matching bell bottoms), Weinberger went on to win accolades for her personal art studio in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine (https//clothpaperscissors.com/magazines/cloth-paper-scissors-studios-summer-2010-2)
Today, Lynne spends her time creating with alcohol ink, designing mixed media collages, experimenting with pottery, needle felting, jewelry making, and creating with any other “shiny thing” that catches her eye. And no matter how big her artists toolkit becomes, she always returns to the comfort of home with her beloved Smith-Corona.
She can be reached at lynne@lynneweinberger.com.