Noelle Pflanz is an artist based in Springfield, Oregon, working primarily in embroidery. Using thread as both material and method, her practice explores pattern, color, and the quiet labor of making. Drawing from traditional quilt motifs, Pflanz reimagines familiar geometric structures through hand-stitched compositions that blur the boundaries between landscape, abstraction, and craft. Her work evokes a sense of place without relying on literal imagery, favoring feeling over location and inviting a slowed, contemplative encounter.
Pflanz holds a BFA in Printmaking from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an MFA in Studio Arts from Washington State University, where she also taught undergraduate printmaking. Her background in printmaking continues to inform her approach to repetition, geometry, and process-driven work. She currently works as the Administrative Programming Assistant for the University of Oregon Craft Center, supporting student engagement across studios and advocating for artmaking as a tool for creative exploration, connection, and mental and physical well-being.
My practice moves between landscape, abstract improvisational embroidery, and quilt motifs. Working primarily in embroidery, I use thread to explore pattern, color, and the quiet labor of making. Rather than depicting specific places, my work evokes a sense of place through feeling—drawing on warm palettes, subtle shifts in stitch, and geometric forms that echo topographic maps, patchwork, and landscapes seen from above.
Quilts sit at the center of this work as both structure and metaphor. Historically, quilts function as records of time, care, and survival, and barn quilts in particular—markers for travelers—have become a key reference. In my work, quilt motifs act as maps rather than destinations, helping me navigate memory, identity, and return. These pieces are not declarations of mastery, but testaments to presence and continuity.
Much of this work emerged during periods of transition, when sustained studio time felt inaccessible and creativity unpredictable. Improvisational embroidery became a way to keep my hands moving when clarity was out of reach, allowing making to begin with motion rather than intention. My practice treats craft as both anchor and compass—an ongoing act of locating myself through repetition, care, and stitch.
