How often do we all stare at the paper when
we are asked to create an artist statement or personal profile of
ourselves? Why is it so hard for many of
us to stand up and say, I am an Art Quilter?
I often wonder if artists who work in oils, acrylics, or watercolour
have a hard time making such a confession.
I love fabric, beads, and embellishments and how they play together. It is impossible to walk through a fabric
store without touching (thank goodness there are no signs prohibiting our
fondling of textures). Museums drive me crazy as I hyperventilate looking at
textiles through a glass box.
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| Doodle Bird #1 adapted from my original zen sketch |
With these confessions in tow, perhaps I
should tell you a bit about my journey into textiles. I was born into a family of quilters, both
sides, several generations. I was doomed
to follow. By the time I was 9 my
paternal grannie had taught me to piece crazy quilts using Eaton catalogue
pages as a foundation. She then taught
me to embroider and tat lace to apply onto the blocks. See, there it was, embellishment 101! I have
been privileged to take classes with many wonderful quilting instructors, as
well as being self taught from books and experiments.
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| St Marcos Square |
My work is rooted within a natural
framework. I am drawn to the designs of ancient
cultural artefacts and artwork (remnants of an archaeology background). I love using machine embroidery, paint and
quilting to enhance my work and often work from sketches. I currently work with heat guns to distress
fabrics in my artwork. Teaching is my
second love, but comes with the double edge sword of time away from my own
design work. My favourite piece is
always the next one. I begin to research
and sketch before the floor has been swept.
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| Anything Can Happen in a Pumpkin Patch |
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