2025 Lotus Festival Visual Artist

Besides illustration, Heidi Mariam Fitzgerald creates women’s and children’s fashions out of her workshop (Lotus Studio of Perennial Arts and Crafts) in Bloomington, Indiana. Her garments are inspired by the many cultures she has explored in her travels around the world. She is a mother of two daughters and loves to teach them and other young people how to work with their hands and use their imagination.

Along with many other traditional arts from the East, Heidi Mariam recently did some costume design work using Indian wood block prints. While having had some experience with already printed textiles that by Master printers in India, Heidi discovered the joy and charm that comes from working with this simple pattern making technique and its many beautifully carved wood-block prints.

Today she is sharing this method with you, so you can try first-hand printing beautiful designs onto a simple piece of fabric to take home with you, while also learning a little bit about this craft and artform, its origins and techniques.

Who knows, perhaps you will be inspired to create some more projects at home or come by at Heidi’s studio for a wood-block printing workshop!