Using hand-dyed wool from Shetland sheep and alpaca raised on her family farm, Meadowtree Farm, local artist Rachelle Gardner-Roe brings a variety of fauna and flora of the Midwest to life in Fly-over Country: The Wild Side. Composed of three, 40-inch by 60-inch textile panels, this framed textile piece was crafted by sewing the design over colorful layers of wool. The immense detail created by “drawing” with the thread creates a three dimensional effect and is a technique Gardner-Roe commonly applies to her fiber work.

The Midwest is commonly referred to as “fly-over country,” alluding to the vast, rural expanse of land that is passed over between the populous, urban coasts during air travel. Although, while mostly flat, this land consists of prairie, plains, rolling hills, and valleys, containing a wide variety of wildlife and ecosystems. 

With childhood roots tied to rural Missouri, the heart of “fly-over country,” Rachelle Gardner-Roe uses textiles and techniques that foster love and a sense of caring for the natural world. She employs a color- and texture-rich, multimedia approach to bring life and energy to her work. Her simplistic figures created with alternative methods, such as a 3D printing pen, often depict a drawing, which is a rudimentary art technique typically learned as children that allows for a connection with her audience on a basic level. 

With a lifelong interest in fine arts, Rachelle Gardner-Roe received her Bachelors in Interior Architecture with an emphasis in furniture design, from Kansas State University in 2004. She has been creating art in the Kansas City area since and her work has been shown regionally and nationally. 

About, Rachelle Gardner-Roe. Accessed October 25th, 2023. https://gardner-roe.com/about-2/.

Kansas City International Airport Commission Underway, Rachelle Gardner-Roe. Accessed October 25th, 2023. https://gardner-roe.com/2022/09/04/kansas-city-international-airport-commission-underway/.