Artist Statement
I am a multidisciplinary artist and sewist whose work explores the intersection of fine art and craft. With a background in interior design, I bring a unique perspective to fiber arts, collage, and mixed media. My creative practice spans embroidery, weaving, painting and mural work, along with the creation of handmade housewares and fashion pieces. I work to create vibrant, layered, tactile pieces that speak to memory, identity, and our environment.
My work is rooted in a love of color, movement, texture and shape. A deep appreciation for vintage aesthetics and unique design informs my approach. I am a student of horticulture and culinary arts and draw significant inspiration from my local environment. Circles regularly appear in my work and my subjects are almost always related to nature. I often incorporate plants, flowers, animals, bugs and birds into my pieces. Whether I am stitching, painting, or piecing together fabric, I use familiar techniques, tools and subjects in unexpected ways to express emotions, form connections and bring joy. I find purpose exploring the symbiotic relationship between art and craft, merging the two and pushing them in new directions.
Part of my creative process includes sourcing existing materials. Using recognizable materials in new ways invites viewers to reflect on their experiences and memories with common objects and view them in new ways. This practice also guides my commitment to sustainability, with a specific focus on mitigating the impact of fiber arts and the fashion industry.
Artist Bio
Sandra Kirpalani (aka jayestar) grew up in Omaha, NE in a very close family with a single mom, her sister and her brother. Sandra showed a love for art and had a strong sense of personal style at an early age. Her mother worked hard to support and encourage her interests and talents, enrolling the kids in private art lessons and even becoming her Brownie troop leader, where Sandra first learned to weave.
Sandra’s upbringing in a single parent home fostered a strong sense of resourcefulness and a talent for reimagining materials. These skills translated into a keen eye for thrifting and a passion for vintage aesthetics. Her art practice focuses on using existing materials as much as possible. Beginning in 2025, she adopted a new, sustainable practice which involves collecting all the small, unusable scraps from her annual work and repurposing them into new materials and art.
Sandra decided first on a career in Interior Design, and during her time in college, her mother happily allowed her house to become the experimental template for every project. After a long and enjoyable career in Design, Sandra decided to pivot and go back to school to study culinary arts and horticulture. During these years, Sandra also worked on her art practice and worked from a studio at Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha, NE.
After meeting her husband, Sandra moved to Chattanooga, TN before returning to the Midwest. She currently divides her time between Des Moines, IA and Whitefish, MT. Each of these places, and everywhere she travels, influences her work. Her former career paths contribute to and guide her aesthetic today. Sandra’s work has been featured in multiple juried exhibitions and private collections.
Outside of the studio, Sandra has a vintage housewares resale shop on Etsy under the name “Sandrilene Designs”. She also enjoys working with her husband on renovating their MCM California Ranch, gardening, cooking, and traveling.
Sandrilene Designs is also the name of her public studio, where people can experience all of her different work in one space. Her studio is located at Mainframe Studios, #351, 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines, IA 50309.
Open studios are held on the first Friday of every month from
5 -8pm.
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