Sister Ananse Yarn by Naima Bond

Naima* Bond, local artist and founder of Sister Ananse Yarn, studied art at Oberlin College and the Art Institute. Read on to learn how she got into yarn and where she draws her inspiration from...it's a little scary!

Ananse is a spider diety and popular character in African and West Indian fables and folklore. In Akan folklore, Ananse is a clever spider who can bring joy and aid, or mischief and confusion to those around him. He is often depicted as a large spider or as the Andinkra symbol, which resembles an eight armed asterisk.

My mom used to read us a version of some of his fables when we were young, and I always thought they were funny and interesting. I also am fascinated by spiders, even though they still give me the creepy-crawlys! It seemed perfect to use Ananse in my name for my yarn company because of my interest in spiders, and also because of my love for crochet and creating hand dyed yarn .

"Midnight Collection" is a 5"x5" collage of drawings on paper and fabric.

I studied painting and drawing in art school. The one thing that has always been present in my art is my vibrant use of color. I have always been interested in color theory, patterns and textures in 2-d art, and when I learned how to hand dye, I was instantly in LOVE. It is essentially playing with pure color!

I am a HUGE horror movie fan, the sillier the better. I love campy 80s and 90s flicks and their silly practical effects, but I also like a good psychological or "cerebral" horror film as well. The whole genre is very fun.

Nature is probably my main inspiration, be it plants and animals, space and the universe,or different ecosystems.  Every single imaginable color or texture in nature, and it truly is mind-blowing to me. I also draw inspiration from popular culture, television and movies.

Follow Naima on Instagram @_naimabondart_
*pronounced "Nye ee muh"