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| Ice Dance by Ann Schroeder (2017) w42" x h43” |
In
2007, Ann Schroeder moved from Boston to a very different place, Mabou
Harbour, Cape Breton Island. There the view of sky, water, meadows and dunes
changes every day. She dyes, prints and paints fabric to make fine art quilts
inspired by her natural surroundings, the local fiddle and piano music and
other intriguing phenomena.
Ann’s
work is in the collection of the Nova Scotia Art Bank and has been shown in
numerous venues, including Quilt National, the New England Quilt Museum and the
Mary Black Gallery in Halifax.
How would you
describe your work?
I
make fine art quilts. I say “fine art” because I use dyes to paint and print on
fabric, then I cut and reassemble the pieces to make an original abstract
design. And “quilts” because I have an emotional connection to this (mostly)
women’s tradition, which includes the bold geometry of early Amish quilts and
the playful improvisation of African-American quilts.
Would you describe your
journey towards becoming an artist who works with textiles?
In
1978 I saw a spectacular show of southern Illinois quilts at the Chicago Public
Library. My favorite, a traditional Storm at Sea pattern in blue and
yellow, made a strong graphic statement and fooled my eye into seeing curves
where there were only straight lines. After seeing that show, I wanted to buy a
quilt, but when I couldn’t find just the right one I decided to make my own.
That experience was so satisfying that I began collecting fabric, designing my
own patterns and eventually dyeing my own fabric.
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A Language Almost Lost
by Ann Schroeder (2015) 37" x 37" |
Tell us about your process for creating. Where do you find your inspiration and how do you get from that to a final product?
My inspiration comes from the rich colours and rhythms that surround me, sometimes including the fabrics themselves. I begin by transforming white fabric. I might scrunch, pleat, fold and/or wrap it
around a pole before dyeing it. Or I might thicken some dye and use that for silk screening
or making monoprints. Sometimes I use pastels, acrylic paint or other media. I occasionally
create fabric with a purpose in mind, but more often I decide how to use it
later.
With a theme in mind but without a definite plan, I cut fabric,
sew it together, and then cut it again, allowing shapes and lines to emerge,
interact and form a composition. I usually finish the pieces with machine
quilting, but sometimes I do hand quilting with embroidery floss and large
irregular stitches.
I want my quilts to be well crafted, but I’m most interested in
the overall visual statement. In my work as a whole, I try to suggest the
complexity of life.
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| Garden Song 2 by Ann Schroeder (2015) w30" x h27” |
Many artists find it rewarding to work in series. How has that worked for you?
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| Garden Song 3 by Ann Schroeder (2-16) w58"x h46" |
Years
ago a more experienced artist gave me some excellent advice: that it’s best to
look back at my own work for inspiration. What ideas can I try again and how
can I vary them? That way, I can continue to evolve my own style rather than
imitating others. Working in series is one way of doing this.
Natural
Forces and Fiddle Music are two of my series.
Natural
Forces:
I’m
constantly inspired by natural forces: wind, weather, the curves of the hills,
changing skies, dandelions dotting the meadows, ice breaking up and reforming,
waves out on the ocean or wild orchids blooming. The fine art quilts in this
series are my attempt to capture some of my feelings about these forces that
affect our lives every day. These quilts are constructed with curvy lines that
flow together.
Ice
Dance, illustrated above, is part of this series. Garden Songs 2 and 3, with
curvy lines that are silk screened, and Water Ways, which began with a large
monoprint, are also related to this series.
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| Water Ways by Ann Schroeder (2016) w40" x h26” |
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Dusky Meadow by
Ann Schroeder (2017) w22" x h51” |
Fiddle
Music:
Cape
Breton fiddle melodies have flowing lines and the piano keeps the rhythm
strong. I’ve been trying to translate the complex melodies and rhythms into
visual images for years.
Dusky
Meadow and Reel in A are two different approaches to this challenge. Dusky
Meadow was inspired by the late fiddler Willie Kennedy and the colours that his
playing evoked. It was named for one of the tunes on his album.
What (non-fibre)
artists, either historic or contemporary, have inspired you and why?
Recently I’ve been looking at Oscar Murillo, a young painter
who is freeform and wild and who sews large pieces of canvas together to make
constructed paintings (he certainly doesn’t call them quilts!). At a show two
years ago at MOMA in New York, some of his paintings were in a pile on the
floor and viewers could pick them up to look at them.
I also admire Mark Bradford, an abstract collage painter
whose work is beautiful as well as political. And I’ve always liked work from the
Abstract Expressionists, including Joan Mitchell.
Do you engage in
other artistic or creative endeavors?
I’ve
been learning to accompany Cape Breton fiddle tunes on the piano. This is an
improvised style, done by ear. I like to think about what music and visual art
have in common. The notes are like colours and the rhythms are like those in a visual
composition.
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| Reel in A by Ann Schroeder (2011) w48" x h20” |
Do
you treat art like a job, going to the studio each day at a particular time?
Fortunately
art is my job, but for me one of the advantages of being self-employed
is having a flexible schedule. Summer months are focused more on selling (and
spending time outdoors) and late fall through spring is my time for production.
Every day is different.
How do you show
and sell your quilts? Where can your work be seen?
I
display a quilt every other week at the Mabou Farmers Market, where I also sell
my hand-dyed scarves. I show two quilts in the annual Hands Dancing show at the
Inverness County Centre for the Arts every year and I occasionally enter other
shows.
Most
of my quilts are displayed and sold at my home studio in Mabou Harbour. People
find me during the tourist season through my website, the Nova Scotia tourism
website, and the Artisan Trail Map published by capebretoncraft.com. In my
experience, people are much more likely to purchase artwork when they can meet
and talk with the artist. Sometimes people call ahead, but usually they just
arrive, so I have to be flexible about interruptions.
What are your
goals for the coming year?
I
want my artwork to become more experimental, messier, and not necessarily
always adhere to a quilt format. Maybe try collages on paper. Or use canvas
instead of cotton fabric. Or not finish the edges. Break my own rules. This may
take more than a year.
