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"Revealed Surfaces," a Surface Design Association event

Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs weaver Wendy Kowynia says organizing an event for the Surface Design Association has the same benefits as unearthing a vault of gold bricks.

Relatively speaking, the collection of fabric swatches and samples Colorado SDA representative Regina Benson will offer for public viewing and handling in a Saturday presentation is a rare chance for those interested in fabric art and design to see top-notch work from international artists.

"She's bringing what I guess you could call a treasure box of work from this international organization," Kowynia said about Benson's presentation, which will include discussion of how to translate an artistic vision to cloth with weaving, dying, painting and other techniques.

Surface design - loosely defined as the intentional manipulation of the surface of cloth - can include a variety of techniques. Kowynia weaves scarves and shawls before she puts patterns on them with dye. Benson's techniques are less traditional; she is, as far as she knows, the only active artist who makes designs by removing dye from cloth while it's lying on snow.

Finished works of surface design art typically are hung on walls or displayed out of the public's reach, which makes the chance to handle those pieces at Saturday's event a unique one, Benson said.

"Most of the time when you see these techniques, you're not allowed to touch," she said. "Anybody who's interested in textiles usually is a very tactile person, so feeling the fabric and feeling what it's like before and after a particular surface design technique has been applied, it provides a lot of information."

Kowynia hopes the event appeals to a variety of local artists, including those interested in paper making, weaving and book art. As an educational organization, SDA offers conferences that bring together surface designers; Kowynia said she'd like to see a similar opportunity in Steamboat.

"It's just a chance to bring these resources to us, because it's important to stay educated and stay abreast of things," Kowynia said, explaining that while she is inspired by Steamboat's natural surroundings, she finds it important to stay informed of developments in her art form.

"We're basically bringing an organization to Steamboat because not all of Steamboat can get to the organization."