It used to be that quilts were something made to keep you warm while in bed. Made of two layers of solid or pieced fabric that is stitched or tied together with batting in the middle, they were utilitarian first and artistic second. Quilts and quilt making traditions span the centuries and reflect the ingenuity found in various cultures around the world. In America, the earliest quilts were made of solid cloth—functional without fuss which was all early settlers had time to do.
After the Industrial Revolution which brought inexpensive fabric into the home, quilt makers began to experiment with patterns and colors. With more choices of cloth for making clothing, the worn out items or leftover pieces could then be sewn together in designs and were often created as gifts to newlyweds or others.
Jumping ahead to the twentieth century when most blankets are machine made and store bought, many quilters turned to fabric with a new intent—to take the quilt off the bed and onto the wall as an art form. Hung in galleries, housed in museums, these objects, often called art quilts, contemporary quilts or studio quilts, are stunning examples of what one can do with a needle, thread and some fabric! Art quilts are defined by the Studio Art Quilt Associates as: a contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends.
Keeping this definition in mind, here is a sampling of quilt artists' work, and what they say about their creative pursuit.
Ruth B McDowell is a well-respected artist whose works brim with color and images of the life around her: http://www.ruthbmcdowell.com/clients/rbm/statement.html. In her words “The construction of each quilt becomes a dialogue between the artist and the emerging image. The possibilities, and the limitations, of the piecing process are integral parts of the design. The quilting stitches complete the transformation of disparate scraps of fabric into a unified whole.” McDowell’s quilts are often recognizable interpretations of real objects or scenes. Miner’s Lettuce is a good example of her creative use of color, texture and design using a real object as the inspiration:
Jeanne Benson is a local quilt artist is inspired by the design and geometry in nature. A quilting teacher at the Smithsonian Associates, she says, “quilting isn’t just about sewing. It’s about developing ideas, executing ideas, problem solving, and learning to let go of mistakes. Making quilts is making art.”
Jeanne Benson, Ratatouille
Another internationally recognized quilt artist is Nancy Crow, founder of Quilt National. She has this to say about her work: “When I work on a quilt, I put away all thoughts that are not helpful and channel my energies towards relaxing and becoming one with my fabrics. Since I work intuitively, this is absolutely important. I begin to see shapes in my head and think about how to cut them out of my huge palette of colors that I have hand-dyed in my basement dye studio. Never, ever do I think about what others expect or want or what will sell, but rather I look at my time in my studio as a process of discovery. I love being inside my brain and pushing myself to think in ever more complex ways because I know the ideas are there for the taking. It’s all about being focused and disciplined and making use of one’s abilities. And about being alone, in solitude, so one can think and feel deeply without interruption. I have definitely grown far closer to myself rather than to others because I see my quilt making as my experience which has nothing to do with other people.”
Crow’s work tends towards the abstract, as a reflection of her inner self and the creative process. Her work is found here: http://www.nancycrow.com/HTML/imagesofquilts.html
Locally, many art quilters can be found at the Torpedo Factory Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery http://www.potomacfiberartsgallery.com/index.html and the Potomac Fiber Artists Guild http://www.potomacfiberartsguild.org/.
Linda Poole Prioleau, an artist at the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery explains her process of creating: “My work is a little like soup. It includes a little of this, some of that and a whole lot of whatever. After it’s all stirred together and simmered a bit, it becomes something fun and a little offbeat.”
Linda Prioleau, Are We There Yet?
Coming full circle, back to the traditional pieced quilt with a new twist, is the work of artist Fran Spaeder who has this to say about her designs: “Patchwork allows me to do my part to save the environment by using every scrap of fabric and to repurpose discarded apparel and home decor fabrics.”
Fran Spaeder
Artist Barbara Frey states that her “chosen medium, art quilts, allows me to explore color, texture, and surface design. The language of fabric speaks of visual and tactile warmth creating a deep felt comfort with my work.” http://www.barbfrey.com/pages/About.html
Barbara Frey
Artistic, contemplative, thought provoking and fun, art quilts have made a place for themselves in the art world and deserve our attention. To find out more about art quilts I suggest the following sites:
Potomac Fiber Artists Guild: http://www.potomacfiberartsguild.org/.
Studio Art Quilts Association www.saqu.com
International Quilt Study Center, Lincoln Nebraska http://www.quiltstudy.org/
Quilting Arts http://www.quiltingarts.com/
Contemporary Art Quilts: http://www.squidoo.com/artquilts
-- Post by guest blogger Ruth Robbins
