I was surprised and honored to be selected as Newton Art Association’s Artist of the Month for April!
When I joined the association I was quite intimidated by the quality of artists and aware of the “if it’s a quilt, is it really art?” controversies. But it’s a lovely group and has provided so many opportunities to show my work and learn.
I especially like their tag line #makeartapartofyourlife
If you are an artist in the Newton area, take a look at the website and join us!
Here’s my Newton Art Association page.
Artist statement:
My medium is fiber and I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawn to it. My mother and grandmother were fabulous fibercrafters … sewing, knitting, rug hooking, weaving, etc. … so maybe it’s genetic? I have always been a maker, but my sister already was the artist in the family so I studied Zoology. That somehow led me fairly seamlessly through careers in chemistry, training, marketing, writing, desktop publishing, parenting, and back to my first muse, fabric. Currently, my inspiration is art quilting. There are many definitions, but for me, as long as it has fabric, layers, stitching, and I might like to hang it up on the wall … it’s an art quilt. Unless, of course, it’s manipulated into a 3-dimensional or functional object. Or it’s not fabric, but leather, or plastic, or whatever. For me, applying arbitrary categories and rules can dampen the joy of creating. And that joy, that, to me, is art. My favorite works roam the range from abstract improvisation to realism, but I hope the through line is color and a sense of fun. In general, I’d say that I love to play with color and shape, learn, teach, collaborate, and not follow the rules. This year my goal is to double back a bit and combine art quilting with science images.