Artist Statement
‘Why quilting and not something else?’- quilting draws together the largest number of things that satisfy my longings.
There are few things as sensuously tactile as working in fiber art. Quilting is a very basic and powerful answer to my ‘high touch’ needs - to have my hands in contact with soft, pliable objects.
I have a burning desire to create things.
Quilt making can accommodate whatever level of drafting, mathematics, and spatial problem-solving I care to pursue, and I like to pose challenges to myself.
There are countless technical challenges in the realm of sewing to produce just the effect you are looking for, and to create a final work that meets the standards of good craftsmanship.
Quilts can also require a good bit of instinct to work within the confines of the materials at hand, if that is my choice. The quilter’s axiom is that you always get a more interesting and usually better quilt if you have to make do, or run out of at least one fabric while you’re finishing the design. I like this idea both because it honors the history of quilting and because it pushes my creative boundaries.
I have finally given myself permission to follow my muse. Making quilts is so joyful for me that I rarely lose patience with a project even when I’m stuck. I easily lose track of time while in my studio. If these are the signs of ‘right livelihood’ as suggested by Marsha Minetar, then I was born to make fabric art. I look at the masterpieces created by others and rather than being discouraged I am inspired.