SAQA Michigan May Profile

May SAQA Michigan Profile

Gwen Jones
Bridgman, Michigan

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts? I have an MFA in painting, printmaking and drawing, but though I taught some in the art area, I kept getting hired in Libraries. While getting my MLS I worked for the ALA (American Library Assn.) and the AHA (American Hospital Assn.) and ended up working for 20 years as a Medical Librarian while continuing to do artwork. It helps in this respect that my husband had rented out a large loft space and ran a gallery and rented out work spaces to artists. But someone in the family needed to provide the medical insurance for our family of 4. I saw my first art quilts out East at an exhibition of Japanese Art Quilts seventeen years ago and it opened up a new media to me. I had a lot to learn before feeling confident and joined the Illinois Quilter Inc. and enjoyed the monthly speakers for years. We are both now retired.

Describe your art & its inspirations I want to move the viewers eye and am often interested in having an irregular edge to the pieces I make. "Arroyo" is one of these pieces (see picture below). It was made while in our Arizona home which has a lot of ravines throughout the town. At times my art piece is inspired by the fabrics, and I feel very strongly that it is important to keep your fabrics around where they can be seen and not carefully stacked away. The piece Jane's Garden at Twilight (picture on Gwen's web site) was inspired by some fabric designed by Jane Sasseman that was given to me. The twilight part came from living in Michigan where we often walk down to Lake Michigan's shoreline to see the sun set over the Lake. I received a "special award" with $100. at the Senior Network Art Exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center's Renaissance Center in September and I received a second prize on this same piece at the Member's juried show at the Sedona Art Center in Sedona, AZ this March.

Where do you do most of your artwork? I work in my studio space, which in Arizona is in our guest bedroom. In Chicago, it has been in a large attic with a very high ceiling. Now I am moving to a 19' x 19' studio in Bridgman, MI, which is finally, nearly finished, with the exception of the ceiling lights and moving everything over from Chicago. It is a terrific space with nice window lights and I will not have to take the stairs to the attic. When I travel to Arizona, I take along fabrics and threads, but I have another machine, and cutting board there.

What are your goals? I want to exhibit more. This is a hard economy for art and there are a lot of "artists". I have studied the color, design of art and worked at the craft of fabric artwork for years now and finally I am seeing more fabric art accepted in fine art shows. I plan to keep exhibiting.

Do you teach, lecture, or have a business of your artwork? No

Where can your artwork be seen? I have work in Gallery 225 in Gilbert, AZ. I will have 3 pieces in the MAAC juried show coming up at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, Michigan which opens on June 10th. I was also part of "Art Attack" showing with 10 artists at the Burnison Gallery in Lakeside, MI.

You can see more of Gwen's work on her website: www.GwenJonesArt.com

Arroyo

33" x 51"

Earth Journey with Chinese Turquoise

April SAQA Michigan Profile

SAQA Michigan Artist Profile

Carol Tamasiunas

White Lake, Michigan

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts? I have been sewing since I was a teenager. I started by making clothes for myself. I made my first quilt when I was in my 30’s. It was squares sewn together with an army blanket as the batting. I remember my step-daughter & I sitting in bed with the quilt laid out before us while we hand tied it. I didn’t make my first art quilt until 20 years later. I found it totally nerve wracking to work without a pattern at first. Describe your art and its inspiration. My work is pretty representational. I started out doing appliqué, but transitioned into painting most pieces. I like the freedom of creating my own “fabric”. I’m inspired mostly by what I see. One of my favorite pieces “Crocotile” was inspired by a mosaic done by a child. I’m currently doing work for an exhibit called “Inspired by the Masters”. By studying those artists I come up with ideas to incorporate into my work though we work in entirely different media. My van Gogh (see picture below) was a painted portrait of my mom to which I added hand stitching to imply van Gogh’s heavy paint strokes. I’m also inspired by my friends. They all do beautiful handwork which adds so much texture to their work. My latest pieces both had a lot of hand stitching which took me longer than the painting. Where do you do most of your artwork? My quilting/piecing is done in my “office”. My painting is done in the family room where I have a space with a table and cabinet. My husband trusts I won’t make too much of a mess since I have to tote all my water/paint pans up and down the stairs. What are your goals? To learn to add more depth and texture to my work, continue to explore other art avenues to open my eyes and add other techniques to my skill set. Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork? I don't teach or lecture but I do curate the Inspired by the Master's exhibit, which is shown at different venues in Michigan. Where can your work be seen? My work is traveling in several exhibits. Inspired by the Masters, has five of my pieces. I've also participated in the Michigan Quilt Artist Invitational for the past eight years. What are your interests outside of art? I’m a book lover who is currently work part-time at Borders. Spending time with my family & friends is a priority especially if it involves dessert. I enjoy my garden, museums, and attending concerts.

Hot Spot

20" x 24"

2010

"Hokusai"

16" x 20"

2010

"Mom Van Gogh'd"

16" x 20"

Carol's Mom and Carol

2010

February 2011 Artist Profile

Beatrice Hughes
East Lansing, Michigan

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts?
Sewing was part of my rearing. I used my mother’s fabric scraps to make doll clothes for my and my niece’s dolls. Home economics formalized my sewing and quilting sprang upon me when I discovered and purchased a box of sewing notions and Mountain Mist quilt batting at an estate sale. Once I found that batting with a Lone Star quilt pattern wrapped around it, quilting gradually grew into a passion. Yes, my first quilt was the Lone Star and I made two—but oh, the centers, how they peaked! Now that I’ve been sewing for over 50 years, my centers lay flat. I am both an art and traditional quilter. My first “art” quilt came together in 1990 and my philosophy is that a well made traditional pattern is also a piece of art.
Describe your art and its inspiration.
My art is inspired by graphic design, in which I have a degree. I like line and texture and love color. Many of my designs begin by using computer graphics, where I can test shapes, colors, change arrangements and print patterns. Photos also play a part in my work and I take most of the photos that appear in my books.
Where do you do most of your artwork?
I have been blessed with and appreciate space dedicated to quilting, sewing and an occasional craft project. There are no picturesque views or finished ceilings but my well lighted large basement area houses myriad fabrics, tools and supplies. My old model 2010 electronic Singer sewing machine and my new 2010 Janome Memory Craft model 11000, which includes quilting motifs, get along fine. I now realize how much I like having two machines. An 8’ x 8’ pin-up board is an important spot where I pin quilt designs before sewing. The 4’ by 8’ work table, covered which cutting mats, facilitates cutting, piecing and design layout. Other quilters also gather from time-to-time to work on projects. A 2’ x 5’ ironing board, which my husband made (he has helped quilting friends make a similar board), is ideal for ironing a full width of fabric. An office upstairs is where I physically draw, design, and publish on computer and work on business related tasks. It has a pleasant view where I can watch birds at the feeder.
What are your goals?
Striving to improve my quilting and computer skills is an ongoing goal. I am still thinking about 2011 quilting resolutions and usually vow to complete a project that is in the design stages and sometimes I get that done. My next quilting book, which is in progress, will continue to keep me busy. That can take so much time that art and traditional quilting both take a back seat. And of course this year, I want to get my recent, “Crazy for Lemoyne,” quilting book into more hands. The web site, FullCirclePublications, features this book. Creating a photo gallery of my quilts to post on a web site is another task on my to-do list. Learning more about digitizing is another goal so that I can create and stitch my own quilting motifs.
Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork?
For many years teaching has been a part of what I do. Four wives of Japanese visiting professors were my first students and I taught basic quilting skills. Each student got a “quilting diploma” to frame after finishing their project. At least one of these women went on to teach in Japan. In 1991 I began co-teaching a group of MSU women who initially came together to make a scholarship raffle quilt. After completing that project, we continued on to learn new techniques and to make and donate quilts to International Aid and MSU Safe Place. That group has grown to about twenty members. I continue to belong to this group and teach on occasion. I have also taught at local quilt shops and at the MSU Adult Evening College. In 2009 I gave a trunk show and slide presentation to the Roanoke, Virginia Star Quilters.
Where can your work be seen?
Lou Anna K. Simon is the 20th president of Michigan State University. To commemorate the Sesquicentennial of MSU and honor women, like her, who contributed to the development MSU, I steered and worked with women in the MSU quilting group to make the photo quilt that hangs outside the president’s office. The foyer of MSU Safe Place houses another quilt. More recently I had a quilt in the SAQA “A Sense of Humor” travelling show with venues in places like Houston, California, Chicago and New York. This quilt can be seen in the SAQA publication that features all the quilts in that show. Three of my quilts can be seen in my book, “Crazy for Lemoyne.” And some are featured here.
What are your interests outside of art?
I just finished a wood working project (with a little help). I have strips of fabric in a rainbow of colors that were part of past quilting projects. I made a decorative wall-mounted hanging board with 7 long dowels. I now have my fabric strips hung by color. I also play trumpet in the Meridian Community Band, at church and sing in choir.

My best wishes to all quilters, Beatrice

Nebulae

80.5" x 85.5"

Broken Hearts

45" x 45"

Ties at the O ffice

29.5" x41"

Crazy Patch Lemoyne

52.75" x 52.25"

We hope you enjoyed meeting Beatrice and seeing some of her work! Be sure to check out her book 'Crazy for Lemoyne' which can be purchased here.

If there is a SAQA Michigan member you'd like to see in one of our monthly artist profiles, just email us at robbiespawprints@aol.com.

January Artist Profile 2011

Artist Profile for January 2011:

Judi Blaydon

Milford, Michigan

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts?
I guess my first quilt would be classified as an "art quilt" [only because it was non-traditional], but certainly not because there was anything particularly artful about it. It was so unskilled, anyone else would have said "nice try" and taken up tennis or sumo wrestling instead. I'm amazed that I made any more. Really!

It was very encouraging when the next quilt, "Hot Mobius", won a Merit Award in Quilt National 1981 - - - but when I made that first quilt in 1976, I had done everything wrong and nothing right - - - no intersections intersected and no points were pointed . . . . . and no one has seen it since Ami Simms talked me into showing it in an exhibit she curated. If you can recall the most inept quilt you have ever seen and multiply its faults a thousand fold, you'll understand why no one will ever see it again.
Describe your art and its inspiration.
For a long time, my quilts were always about something I wanted to record and remember or celebrate. My quilt "The Mountain and the Magic: Haiku Moon" is an example of that approach, recording memories of teaching trips to Japan.
Currently, I've been focusing on the process that's described in my recent book, "Collage+Cloth=Quilt: Create Innovative Quilts from Photo Inspirations" / C&T 2010. [There's a nice book review on Barbara Brackman's Material Culture website [August 20, 2010] and ordering information will be on my website: http://www.judiwarrenblaydon.com/ - - - which is coming soon.
I begin by exploring experimental collage compositions using fragments and elements gathered from photographs I have taken - - - layering, combining and re-arranging them so they function as 'sketches' for abstract quilts. It's kind of like a work-wall on a small scale. Although the designs are inspired by photos, they are not in any sense 'picture quilts'. When I have an abstract composition I'm drawn to, I’m ready to enlarge the design and interpret all the colors, patterns and textures in the collage, transforming the 'paper quilt' composition into pieced fabric, to make a quilt that reflects the design elements and visual content of the collage. The quilts are very personal, because personal photographs are the inspiration. The collage serves as the "map" of the quilt.

What has resulted is a series "Sub Rosa" quilts that make reference to an abstract horizon line that allows me to suggest imaginary landscapes where things happen 'above' and 'below' that line. The "Sub Rosa" series got me out of a comfort zone of left-right symmetry [which came very naturally to me] and sent me in a new direction that always challenges and surprises me.
I use commercial fabrics, and combine them with Skydyes, Lonni Rossi, Judy Robertson, and Laura Wasilowski fabrics. (You can see pictures of this series of Judy’s quilts at the end of this profile.)
Where do you do most of your work?
I don't have a swanky studio with skylights and a view of the garden - - - - I have half of the basement of our house, with an inspiring vista of the washer and dryer. But there's lots of fluorescent lighting, a Bernina for dark value thread and machine quilting, and a 1960 Singer sewing machine [always filled with light value thread. I work at a 4' x 8' architect’s drawing table, an 8’ x 8' flannel-covered work wall and another 4' x 8' panel that I can move around the room . . . and most of my students have larger fabric stashes than I do. I also have a separate room beside the studio for doing my Stitched Paper prints, which are off-shoots of my quilted Icons.
What are your goals?
To learn something from each new quilt and then make the next one. And the next one. And to make every day count. . . .
Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your art?
I teach and lecture, mostly doing 5-day Color and Design workshops for guilds and quilt conferences. At the end of January, I'll be offering a new workshop at Monarch Quilts in Brighton, Michigan. In the coming year, I will be teaching for East Bay Heritage Guild in Berkeley CA, at Katie Pasquini-Masopust's Alegre Retreat in Colorado and 2-weeks at Quilting By The Lake in Syracuse NY. What I love most about teaching is the chance to meet so many fabulous, funny and industrious women.
Where can your work be seen?
There will be a retrospective collection of my work in The Gallery section of my up-coming website; and my quilts are also in several books, including "Uncommon Threads: Ohio's Art Quilt Revolution" by Gail Pritchard; "The Art Quilt" by Robert Shaw" and "88 Leader's of the Quilt World Today" published by Nihon Vogue. "The Mountain and the Magic: Night Lights" is in the permanent collection of The National Quilt Museum in Paducah KY.
What are your interests outside of art?
Spending time with my husband Frank, [a retired architect and restorer of sports cars]; I love being with my children and my funny wonderful grand-daughters, The Detroit Tigers, reading, writing, Lake Michigan, and keeping in contact with old friends and fellow quilt artists.

Haiku Moon

84" x 73"

Sub Rosa: Aquifer

52" x 52"

Sub Rosa: Portal

53" x 70"

Sub Rosa: Venice II

54" x 54"

Jurors Choice Award

Quilts=Art=Quilts / Schweinfurth Art Center 2010

Sub Rosa: Venice I

47" x 38"

Artist Profile for December

Our Artist Profile this month is:

Mary Vinovskis
Ann Arbor, Michigan

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts? I learned to sew from my mother, who helped me make clothes for my dolls, then, later, for me. My grandmothers taught me to knit and crochet, and, over the years, I used all these skills to make things for myself, my family, and my home.

My first quilt was a baby quilt for my son. He was also the recipient of additional quilts (all traditional patterns) as he grew. My first art quilt was made in 2004 after I took some workshops at the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild's weekend retreat (called Quilt University then.) In the quilt, I combined all the techniques I had been introduced to at QU: dyeing, texturizing fabric with Tyvek, and stack and slice fabric mixing. I had also started to watch Alex Anderson's TV show, Simply Quilts, at about that time, and that first quilt included many of the techniques I learned form her show: chenille strips, wired petals, free motion stitching, applique (hand and machine.) See description of "Bouquet for QU-2003" below.

Describe your art and its inspiration. My art is evolving - I'm trying to find my own style. It is more abstract than realistic. The fabric is often the inspiration. The interaction of shapes, patterns, colors, line and layers is what I focus on.

I have worked in several art media: watercolor, acrylics, serigraphs, but working with fabric is now foremost. An early influence in art quilts came form the books of Ruth B McDowell. Her techniques appealed to me because they combined careful piecing and any level of abstraction of the source idea you wished. Her fearless combinations of fabrics was also a big influence. Another important inspiration came from Rosemary Eichorn's book, The Art of Fabric Collage. Her use of a variety of fabrics and her raw edge applique methods were very liberating for me. I've taken many workshops and continue to try to learn additional ways of working.

Where do you do most of your artwork? I work in a spare bedroom that I have filled to bursting with fabric and books. I'm working on reorganizing the laundry room so I can do some dyeing.

What are your goals? I want to create more of my own fabric using the new methods I've sampled recently: soy wax batik, gelatin monoprinting, screen printing, and painting. I also want to continue to enter shows - the deadlines help me focus.

Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork? No.

Where can your work be seen? None of my work is currently on exhibit. I had a piece in the Threadlines 2008 exhibit at Missouri State University Art & Design Center in Springfield, MO. Another quilt has been traveling for two years with the SAQA Points of View exhibit. It just returned from the William Bonifas Fine Art Center in Escanaba, MI.

What are your interests outside of art? My other interests include gardening, cooking, and bridge.

The quilt in Mary's picture above is called, Bouquet for QU-2003. It is 24 x 28 inches and was created in 2004.
Description/Technique: Many of the petals and leaves are three-dimensional. Some have wire satin-stitched to them and can be bent into various positions. The snail shell was texturized with Tyvek that was stitched to the back and then heated until it wrinkled the fabric.

Riga Remembered
37" x 48"
2006

Description/Technique:
This quilt commemorates our family's trip to Latvia. I used Ruth B. McDowell's pattern for the sweet peas and then used her design methods to adapt my photos of the cathedral and the surrounding buildings for the background.

Opposing Forces
39" x 49"
2008

Description/Technique:

This quilt has fabric strips and shapes, dressmaker trims, cords, ribbons, tapes, yarns, rickrack, rayon and metallic embroidery threads, suede strips, and beads applied to a pieced batik background. The title refers to the two forces necessary to move an object in a spiral path.

October SAQA Michigan Profile

Our October SAQA Michigan Profile is:




Marilyn M. Prucka
Monroe, Michigan







How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts? I’ve been drawing, painting, sewing and making fiber things ever since I can remember. My paternal grandmother was a tremendous influence. She made and did about everything. My grandfather only had to mow lawn. I can still hear the clickety-clack of her treadle sewing machine. I’ve always had the notion that ‘hey, I think I can make that.’ Under the direction of my mother I started using a sewing machine when I was 14. I started formal quilting classes in 1998 and making art quilts in 2002 while in graduate school. In 2001, I was studying printmaking and by chance took a dye and fibers class as an elective. I fell in love with the possibilities of fibers as an art medium. I now have an MFA in Textiles from Eastern Michigan University, 2005.

Describe your art and its inspiration. My work is abstract expressionist. I love to dye and do any kind of surface design technique. I’m particularly interested in texture both real and implied. For many years Monroe’s River Raisin and its surrounding landscape has been the seed for my art. I’m fascinated by the colors of fleeting light whether early morning or late day. Where do you do most of your artwork? A year ago I found a unique little house along the river and have since converted it into a fiber studio. I weave as well and between my sewing tools, looms and related paraphernalia I had really crowded my family. It took me 23 years to get through art school. I have a lot of supplies! The only thing about a studio away from home is that now I have to set a timer to remind myself to go home. I have two etching presses but those are at home in the basement. I still do print sessions a few weeks a year.

What are your goals? The first and already in motion is to spend more time in studio. So, I’m cutting back on being active in local fiberart groups. The second is to finally get my website going. I took a couple website classes from Ypsilanti artist, Dee Overly, last fall. I want to be able to make my own site and maintain it. I’m considering taking more web classes at my local community college. The next is to apply for exhibition venues outside of the state of Michigan and to find a gallery to represent me.

Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork? Yes to all of the above. I’ve been a guest lecturer at Wayne State University, Adrian College and Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. I’ve taught workshops in indigo, textile paints, chemical resist, potato and corn dextrin, collagraph printmaking and polymer clay. I’ve coordinated several local fine art and fiber exhibitions mostly as an officer of various groups. That started in graduate school. I find that it gives one confidence and a good idea of organization. It’s also a great way to meet all kinds of artists and patrons. My art has been a part-time business for a long time. With graduation 5 years ago and the new studio it’s now fulltime.

Where can your work be seen? I try to schedule at least one solo show every year. Plymouth Community Arts Council in Plymouth, MI, the latest was September 1-30, 2010. “Confluence” Of 18 quilts on display, I had 8 new little quilts from a series I called River meets Land. It reflects the area around my new studio. I’ll have two quilts in a show sponsored by the River Gallery of Chelsea, MI, and curator assisted by Ann Arbor fiber artist, Susan Moran. The show “From Tradition to Innovation” will be September 27 – December 6, 2010 at the University of Michigan, Rackham Building. I enter several local competitions a year. I recently had a quilt that won an honorable mention at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center’s Michigan Fine Arts Competition. I think it’s important to enter general fine arts competitions. I’ve gotten into the Toledo Museum of Art’s, Toledo Area Artists several times as well, with a quilt and prints.

What are your interests outside of art? 1st, is my family: Bob, my hubby of 40 years, and I now have grandchildren. We are blessed with one grand baby from each of our three sons and their spouses. 2nd, I always have something crafty that I’m working on. I learned to spin 2 ½ years ago and so now I’m incorporating that into my crochet, knitting and weaving. And of course I love to dye those fibers. I like to collect old crochet patterns, especially anything baby or doily or thread crochet related and older than 1950. My weaving is getting more intense. I’m in my 5th year of membership in Cross Border Weavers, a weave study group, with members from across southern Michigan and two in Ontario, Canada. I’ve met some fabulous artisans and made grand friends through my various fiber group affiliations. That dye and fiber class in 2001 and the late EMU professor Pat Williams, opened the doors to something really exciting.

Waterbug Wake

2010

56"x42"

Detail

Technique: the cloth is a linen-like heavy textured cotton, the piece uses textile paints for the shibori work. there's devore to 'cut' out holes and pieces for rough-edge applique' the 'bugs' are hand-dyed rayon, hand embroidery -- that rya rug influence of fields, reeds and bug wings. 56" x 42" machine quilted, whole cloth with machine rough-edge applique.

Glacial Tracts

2009

60" x 45"

Technique: From the River Mudflats Series: originally black Kona cotton. Heavily discharged shibori work, over dyed with indigo and walnut hull dye, hulls gathered from the river’s edge. Devore’ reveals walnut dyed cotton batting. The binding was left off to reveal the walnut dyed batting on the edges as well. Machine quilted, appliqué’. I was inspired by the islands revealed by a period of little rainfall. I imagined the mud scoured and marred by the spring ice break-up. **There’s a detail picture in the lower right hand corner.

Floral Reflections

2010

14” x 14”

Technique: Background is textile paint on white Kona cotton, the binding is a black and white commercial fabric that I stained with textile paints. The yoyos are white cotton with textile paints. The ‘foliage’ and French knot ‘water spots’ is hand embroidery, hand dyed 5/2 rayon. Machine quilted. I was inspired the by the order of the fields across the road from the studio, seed heads and flower colors. They reflect into the sky lit waters. I see rya rugs (A rya is a traditional Scandinavian rug) everywhere in the fields and reeds in the river. It’s my new inspiration for this coming year.

This is one of Marilyn's 'inspiration' pictures! Images from the river and land – rya rug influence.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Marilyn and make sure to look for her work at exhibits in and out of state. Marilyn is in the process of getting her website up and running, until that time you can reach her at:

Fine Arts and Design Studio
8923 North Custer Road
Monroe, MI 48162
Studio Phone: 734-868-0013
mmprucka@aol.com

August SAQA Michigan Profile

August SAQA Michigan Profile:

Gretchen Jackson
Ann Arbor, Michigan

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin to make art quilts?

I began sewing while in Junior High School and made my clothes and those of my family for many years. I hand pieced my first bed quilt at age 16, using scraps from my sewing and I continued to do traditional functional quilts for many years always using traditional patterns. Following my retirement in 2000, I decided to see if I could create my own designs which gradually led to art quilting.

Describe your art and its inspiration.

My art and its design takes many forms. Some of my pieces are quite contemporary and abstract. For others I draw my inspiration from nature. Recently I have been dyeing much of my fabric, often utilizing various Shibori techniques. This has led me to a number of pieces that employ hand dyed fabrics in simple designs which have been heavily stitched and embellished with beading. Even though my current work is more contemporary, I still hand quilt all of my pieces.


Where do you do most of your artwork?

My studio is a small room at my home and this is where I do my design and construction. My dyeing is done in the basement and my hand quilting, stitching and embellishment are done on the sofa while I watch movies on TV!

What are your goals?

My goals are to explore many different techniques and styles, to entertain myself, to share my work through exhibits both locally and nationally. I am blessed by not having to support myself or even the expenses of my work – having a very supportive husband. So while I do occasionally sell a piece and/or do a commission, this is not my focus.

Where can your work be seen?

My work can be seen in various locations in Southeast Michigan. I occasionally have a one-person show, but also exhibit through two fiber groups of which I am a member: Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild and Paradigm Art Quilters.

What are your interests outside of art?

My education and early professional career was in music where I was an organist, church choir director and public school music teacher. Music continues to be important to me and I attend concerts regularly. I have also restored 5 old homes that had been badly neglected as well as created extensive perennial gardens for each of them.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Gretchen and look for her work in venues throughout South East Michigan. Here are two of Gretchen's art quilts for you to enjoy.

URBAN ABSTRACT

STOPPING BY THE WOODS

July SAQA Michigan Profile

July SAQA Michigan Profile is:

Laurie Ceesay
Menominee, Michigan








How long have you been sewing and when did you begin to make art quilts?
I have been sewing since middle school when I made clothes for myself. I went to the University of Wisconsin-Stout in the mid ’70’s and took a Fiber Arts class. It was there I made my first quilt top. I dabbled through the ‘80’s and joined the local quilt guild in the early ‘90’s and never stopped! I made my first art quilt in 2003 after taking a year off from traditional quilting-I was bored with BOM, log cabins, Ohio stars, and Thimbleberries.
Describe your art and its inspiration.
I love to draw the human figure. I am a hairdresser and love hairstyles especially anything from the ‘60’s or ‘70’s. A friend recommended finding a niche so I combined my figure drawing and quilting. I tend to do a lot of portraits because I love to create the facial features and hairstyles the best. I find inspiration in hairstyle books where I work. I am also inspired by regional and national quilt challenges.

Where do you do most of your artwork?
I have a studio in my home in which I work. It is not as big as I prefer so I end up “expanding” into other areas of my house.

What are your goals? I have a goal of winning a ribbon in a national juried show. My art work has been juried into several shows but haven’t won a ribbon yet. I also have a goal of teaching for quilt guilds and quilt shows. I have had a continuous goal of spreading the news that art quilts are worthy at an art gallery or museum and not a blanket for the bed. Also to expand my creativity to the next level and continue to grow as an artist

Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork? I do teach and lecture.

Where can your work be seen?
I have some of my work at The Old Church Gallery in Cedar River Mi. and I will be in two exhibits back to back at The Bonifas Art Center in Escanaba Mi this summer. I'm participating in the Michigan Art Quilt Invitational exhibit which begins in Flint MI this September. I also have my work in various local exhibits in Menominee Mi where I live.

What are your interests outside of art?
I love to garden in the summer and make garden art. I love old wooden chairs which I paint in funky colors and stencil designs on them. I collect rusty garden, hardware and farm items for my garden. Walking for exercise and bike rides, when the weather permits are high on my list of other interests. I also have three cats that are my sewing buddies!!

To see more of Laurie's work visit her web site:
http://www.laurieceesay.com/

Tina Turner

8 1/2" x 11"

This piece appeared in Quilting Arts Magazine

April/May2009 Issue

The Blue Wig

35" x 25"

June SAQA Michigan Profile

Our SAQA Michigan profile this month is:

Jacqueline Lams

Plymouth, Michigan

http://www.studiolams.com/

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts?
Up until about six years ago I had never sewn anything in my life, then one day someone left a 1950's Singer sewing machine in its stand, out for the trash. With a little TLC and a tune-up from a local shop the machine up and running. I attempted to make a traditional wall quilt from a kit, but lining up my points was pretty much impossible for me so I ended up teaching myself decorative stitching to cover up my poor piecing job. Later, I had an old feed bag that belonged to my grandmother and I kept envisioning it as some sort of a cool wall hanging. I kept thinking about how to combine paint and images with the feed bag. I began playing around with different mediums and visiting the local thread shop, where I got involved with Running With Scissors, a local fiber arts group. I started participating in their group challenges and learning all sorts of tricks of the trade for mixed media fiber arts.

Describe your art and its inspiration.
While earning my Bachelors of Fine Arts from Michigan State University in Studio Art, I was exposed to various forms of visual art, such as painting, ceramics, photography, and print making. These are the basics from which I draw when I’m creating a piece. I love to experiment with new techniques and figure out how to combine them with fabric. My work usually has several visual layers in order to create a sense of dimension and texture for the viewer. Themes for my work usually come from an art challenge with my art group or a show theme. Often times though, the world around me gives me an idea to run with.

Where do you do most of your artwork?
A majority of my artwork is done in part of our family room at home. My kids can play with their toys and games and also get an art lesson or two while I work on a project. In the summers, I’ve been known to set up in the backyard to do large amounts of fabric dyeing and any other messy projects I can’t easily do inside.

What are your goals?
Creating mixed media fiber art started out as way to keep my creative juices flowing while being a busy mom, wife and graphic artist. Over the past year or so I have started exploring juried art shows, publications and generally getting more of my work out into the world. While graphic design is still primarily the bread and butter of my business, I wouldn’t mind if someday the artwork took over in that area.

Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork?
I run a freelance graphic design business called Studio Lams and I plan on having an Etsy shop up in running soon to sell some of my artwork globally.

Where can your work be seen?
I have two 4’ x 4’ installation pieces that hang at Michigan State University’s new recycling facility. 1000 Artisan Textiles: Contemporary Fiber Art, Quilts and Wearables by Sandra Salamony and Gina Brown features photographs of four of my pieces. I’m also providing two pieces to the Fiber Arts Show at the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg, Ohio, in June. A piece called My Muse Box will be at the Northville Art House in a show called West of Center in June as well. In addition, I participate in a recurring exhibit in the American Sewing Expo in Novi with my fiber art group Running with Scissors.

My latest artistic adventures are documented on my blog at http://www.studiolams.com/ . My blog links to my flickr.com page with extensive photos of all my work.

What are your interests outside of art?
Most of my time is spent with my husband and two boys. I also enjoy gardening, photography, and playing video games with my kids.

Be sure to check out Jackie's web site/blog to learn more about her daily adventures and creations! http://www.studiolams.com/

“Crescendo”
16" x 20"

Deconstructed screen print from relief rubbings with musical instruments
Cotton fabric, watercolor crayons and pencils, matte and fabric mediums, Golden Open Paints

“Unraveled”

20" x 24"

An exploration of reusing old materials to create something new. A hand-dyed old doily, mixed with silk fibers, paint, pencils, hand stitching and beading.

Our Michigan SAQA profile this month is:
Carolyn King
Ann Arbor, Michigan
http://www.carolynkingartquilts.com/

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts.

I've been interested in sewing and needlework since I was a child. An aunt taught me about crochet and cross stitch and my mother had a sewing machine that I used even before I knew how to sew. Home economics in seventh grade taught me the basics and when I got married one of the first things I wanted was a sewing machine. I made garments, embroidered and crocheted but didn't make my first quilt until I was in my mid twenties, a baby quilt as a gift. I made a completely hand made quilt in the 1980's but it wasn't until I retired in 2002 that I began making art quilts.

Describe your art and its inspiration.

Caught up in the women's movement of the sixties and seventies, I didn't take needlework seriously for a long time. I continued to do it but considered it a vestige of the past and didn't give it the respect it deserved. Just before I retired from a career in social work in 2002, I joined a group of women knitters and through this group of talented women, was re-introduced to the world of fiber art, including quilting. I explored lots of things, felting, shibori, beading, fabric dying, weaving and, of course, knitting. After seeing a segment on portraits in fabric on Simply Quilts, I decided I wanted to see if I could do that. I made a portrait of my dog and was so taken by the process that I tried one of my grandson. The rest is history. I found I loved doing the quilts and since then have done mostly nature inspired pieces. I find that subject endlessly inspiring. I work from photos, taken by me or by my husband. Almost all of my subject matter comes from my own garden and back yard.

I can't emphasize too much how my relationships with other fiber artists and quiltmakers have encouraged and influenced me. They helped me explore, join guilds and groups and provided feedback and support.

Where do you do most of your artwork?

I work in a small studio space that I've carved out of one end of the utility room in my basement. It's small and not ideal but has a nice southern window, a design wall and I make it work. I'd love to have a bigger, dedicated space to work.

What are your goals?

My goals for this year are to enter one or two juried shows, to develop a better work space, and to devote more time to my work. I'm excited by the direction my work is taking and more confident of my style.

Do you teach, lecture, curate, or have a business of your art work?

I've just begun to sell my art work. As a result, I've just created a website, had my work professionally photographed, and had business cards made. These were things that I had on my list of goals for this year but selling some pieces sped up the process. I wanted to create a more professional presence but how this will all fit with selling my work is yet to be seen. I haven't taught, lectured or curated.

Where can your work be seen?

My work can be seen on my website, www.carolynkingartquilts.com , and in upcoming Ann Arbor Fiberarts guild shows at the Ann Arbor Library and University of Michigan Hospital. Paradigm, an art quilt group that I belong to, plans shows at the Northville Art House and Riverside Art Gallery in Ypsilanti. I have two quilts touring with the Michigan Quilt Artist Invitational.

What are your interests outside of art?

I love reading, dance, gardening, the arts of all kinds, genealogy, animals and politics.

Peony
29"x37"

November Dogwood
33"x39"

To see more of Carolyn's work, visit her web site at: http://www.carolynkingartquilts.com/

Artist Profile for April

Our Michigan SAQA profile this month is:

Bonnie Peterson

Houghton, Michigan

http://www.bonniepeterson.com/

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts?

Like many women my age (54), I've had a variety of jobs while raising kids. I took sewing class in ‘junior high' and made all my clothes in 8th grade, but didn't pick it up again for many years. I had a career in marketing, did taxes, got an MBA at night school, and was a landlord. Most of my life I've lived in the Chicago area. About 25 years ago I was living in Tallahassee, FL. Winter was coming on, and I wanted to make a double Irish chain quilt similar to one my sister had made. I bought 4 blue & cream prints at The Quilt Shop but after a few hours I tired of strip piecing and returned to the Quilt Shop for different fabrics. I started making a Chicago skyline wall hanging. The women at the Quilt Guild of Tallahassee admired my efforts and this encouraged me to proceed with more small wall hangings. A few years later, a close friend died of breast cancer and the Yes Mam! Mammogram Challenge inspired me to use bras in Talk to Me. When it was displayed at a show, I stood quietly and watched people laugh upon first seeing the bras from afar. As they got closer and realized the subject was breast cancer, they often began to talk to each other about breast cancer. Its hard to believe now, but in the early 1990's the subject was taboo. My friend was isolated by people's fear of saying the ‘wrong' thing, and I wanted people to talk and bring the subject out into the open. In 1995 I received an Illinois Arts Council (IAC) Fellowship and 3 subsequent IAC Fellowships and Finalist Awards encouraged me to keep making political and environmental work and to try to get my work ‘out there.' My work was accepted more readily by art shows than quilt venues and I went in the direction of art exhibitions. I like to use the term: ‘mixed media textile' because I find people often do not get beyond traditional thinking when they hear the term 'quilt'.
Describe your art and its inspiration.
I enjoy backpacking and skiing and am interested in cultural issues. California's sierra mountains are my favorite and last year I backpacked the John Muir Trail solo in 16 days from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney. For many years a major portion of my work has been about Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. Probably the best entry to my work and inspiration is a short 5 minute WTTW-Chicago Public Television segment filmed last year.

This is my basic artist statement: My textiles and paper maps chronicle my adventures in the wilderness and through life. I developed an early passion for the outdoors while backpacking at summer camp and sailing with my Dad on Lake Michigan. A pivotal change in my family's life occurred in 1971 when my father was hired to set up an anesthesia program at the university in Zaire (Congo). We moved to Zaire and that experience motivates my interest in human rights issues. I embroider text from wilderness journals and historic research using thick wool and rayon threads. I transfer photographs to silk then cut them into small scraps to fasten back together with large, irregular primitive stitches. I like to use velvet for its softness and deep color saturation; brocade for the complex thread design, and silk because of its reflectivity and color brightness. I want the work to resemble early 20th century Victorian crazy quilts, or old tapestries I've seen in dark museum hallways. From far away, the viewer is drawn in by the texture, richness and color; by the fantasy of touching the work. Closer up, the viewer deciphers a message, sometimes poignant, and sometimes just another adventure story.
Where do you do most of your artwork?
I recently moved from Elmhurst, IL (Chicago suburb) 420 mi north to Houghton, MI, near Lake Superior. I built a studio overlooking a major ski trail system. It's in town, but skiing, walking, running and mountain biking are just out the back door in the forest! This is usually the first thing I do in the morning.
What are your goals?
I am interested in social issues, the environment and history. These are huge topics and will keep me busy for a long time.
Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork?
A couple of years ago I was part of a rewarding artist-scientist art exhibition project about climate change in Wisconsin's northwoods. I am interested in numbers, graphs, statistics and demographics and the project resulted in some interesting work with climate data. I also made a globe. There were 20 artists and 5 scientists at the initial weekend workshop. The interaction was stimulating! I enjoy being in a community of artists and have found communities in Houghton as well as Chicago and even California. I spend a lot of time marketing my work, sending out proposals and working on my website. The art market is diverse and the business aspects are important. I've lectured at many Chicago area venues including a very interesting format: Pecha Kucha, and a small segment of that is in the WTTW-TV video.
Where can your work be seen?
My website lists current shows in red on the resume page. Some current shows include:
International Jewelry Quilt Project, Bihorel, France

St Michel l'Observatoire, Provence Luberon, Invitational May 13-24
Fresnoy-Le-Grand Textile Museum October 4 - March 4, 2011

International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ through March 19

Firelands Association for the Visual Arts, Oberlin, OH. May 16 - July31

Rockford Midwestern Exhibition, Rockford Art Museum, IL. through
April 18
What are your interests outside of art?
Art is integral to my life. I enjoy seeing all types of art. Of course I love being with my children and was able to combine that with museums in NY and DC in January. This year has been a transition to a different lifestyle with a new routine. I ski instead of running or walking, and have restructured my time. Being outdoors and making art are my focus.

Bonnie Peterson

630-673-5530

To see more of Bonnie's work go to her web site @ www.bonniepeterson.com

'It's Just Math'

Mixed media, embroidery, heat transfers, and stitching on silk, velvet, and brocade.

46" L x 54" W

Crater Lake Quadrangles

Heat transfers and silk transfers of maps, trail descriptions, historical stamps, stories from an artist residency, pen and stitching on topographic maps of Crater Lake National Park

27"(L) x 38"(W)

Artist Profile for March

Our Michigan SAQA profile this month is:


Sidney Savage Inch
Lake Orion, MI
http://www.savagefiberarts.com/

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts?I first started sewing in high school. I spent much of my high school art hours dyeing silk in a gutta resist style. When I had made my (what felt like) 100th scarf, I decided there had to be more I could do with this technique. I designed a pattern for a quilted jacket with the signs of the zodiac on it. The trouble began when I tried to construct the actual jacket. I did not have much experience with a sewing machine and after the tenth time I destroyed the tension and my poor mother had to step in and finish the construction in order to save her sewing machine! The good news is that over the years my sewing skills improved and now that same machine is my trusty friend (I mean machine!)

Describe your art and its inspiration
I tend to work in a whole cloth method and appliqué and embellish from there. Sometimes I work with realistic figures but more often I work in the abstract. I see the fabric as a canvas and the stitching (machine or hand), beadwork and embellishments as the message. I like to take inspiration from the relationships we are surrounded by. Relationships with others, our relationships with ourselves and our relationship with the natural world are a never-ending fountain from which to draw inspiration.

Where do you do most of your artwork?
I have a wonderful walkout basement studio that is next to my daughters’ playroom. That way we can all play at the same time! The room was bare studs when we bought the house and I was able to design the layout in a way that best suited my working style.

What are your goals?
I do not enter competitive shows. My art quilts are sometimes in exhibitions and exhibits, but I make art quilts for myself. They are the way that I confront and deal with the turmoil and/or the joy inside and around me. My goal is to continue down the path I have found for my art. I want to continue to find my voice and create artwork that I am proud of. This past November I also put on my first art bazaar with the help of my friends from the Running with Scissors fiber art group. We had a wonderful time and a successful show. I hope to continue this show as an annual tradition.

Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork?
While my art quilts are made for myself; I do have a business selling my other passion. I create jewelry from unconventional and repurposed items. I use quite a bit of fiber in my jewelry but I also use items like dominos, hardware store washers and paper. Many of those unconventional items can be found in my art quilts as well! I find that there is crossover everywhere. Anytime I am inspired by a new technique I try to use a version of that technique in all of my creative outlets.

Where can your work be seen?
I always take part in Lynn Krawczyk’s “Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit.” She finds the most wonderful causes to support each year. This year it is Art Now for Autism. With my jewelry I do a number of outdoor art festivals and I sell them at galleries throughout the year. A list of all the places that I am exhibiting and /or selling is available on my website www.savagefiberarts.com.

What are your interests outside of art?
Running my own business, raising my two daughters and trying to find time to spend in my studio creating keeps me pretty busy, but when I have some spare time I like to get outdoors. As a family we enjoy camping, hiking, swimming and letter boxing. My girls and I spend as much of the summer as we possibly can in the lake!

You can see more of Sidney's artwork on her web site at http://www.savagefiberarts.com/

'Sacred Spaces: Dead River Falls'

18” x 22”

I went to college at Northern Michigan University and I will always remember those days fondly. Deep in the woods of the Upper Peninsula I fell in love, had my heart broken, made friends for a lifetime and took the first steps on the path to growing from a girl into a woman.

Materials: cotton batiks, hand-dyed cheese cloth, glass, bone and resin beads.
Techniques: hand beading, matte medium photo transfer, machine and hand quilting.

　
'My Muse; I Must Wait While She Grows'

40” x 30”

My muse starts as an nucleus of an idea. I must be careful, take my time and nurture that tiny nucleus of an idea into fruition.
Materials: batik cotton fabric, hardware store washers (brass & steel), yarns, fibers and assorted beads.
Techniques: machine quilting, hand embroidery and hand beading.

SAQA Artist Profile for February

Our SAQA Profile this month is:

Karen Hoekstra

From Grand Rapids, Michigan

http://karenhoekstra.com/

How long have you been sewing and when did you begin making art quilts?

My mother and grandmothers were wonderful seamstresses who taught me much, but I never felt I could equal their expertise. While earning my art degrees in college, weaving classes drew me back to textiles and I continued weaving during the years of teaching art. However, physical limitations (my back didn’t like what I was asking it to do) slowly made operating the loom more challenging than enjoyable. Upon retirement, when finally I had the time needed to pursue my own art was the time I returned to my sewing machine and quilting.

Describe your art and its inspiration.

Before I could even begin to quilt, I decided I had better learn some “correct” quilting techniques, so I started with classes in strip piecing and free motion quilting. It was fun and the outcome was pleasant, but it wasn’t satisfying for me. It was when I added a class in free motion embroidery / thread painting taught by Carol Shinn, that the inspiration hit. I couldn’t work fast enough to keep up with all possibilities of putting these three techniques together. Piecing, layering, appliqueing, texture, integrating became a consuming process.
I basically have been working in two different ways. One method is to begin with a wash of paint on canvas just to suggest placement of forms that will be developed with thread painting. The overlapping and building of threads creates the image, usually completely obscuring the original painting. Some images are inspired from the world I see, others are reflections of an idea expressed abstractly.
The other method is to begin with a quilt. The bottom layer consists of an alternating integration of two strip pieced quilt designs. Shapes of transparent fabrics are then appliquéd to the quilt with the purpose of extending the existing block of color beyond their boundaries and adding an organic element to the rhythmic design. The thread painting further extends and integrates the existing shapes and colors.

Where do you do most of your artwork?
I do all of my art in a studio space in our home. It’s a loft area with wonderful lighting of a northern skylight and eastern windows, with a sense of space in every direction. The space is an inspiration in itself.

What are your goals?
I only started entering competitions during 2009 and was pleased to be accepted into shows and even more pleased to receive a couple of the awards. The response, of many positive comments and especially the thoughtful questions, that I experienced at my currant solo show was enough to make me quickly slip back into my teacher role. So who knows where that might lead but my goals right now are to simply continue with what has thrilled me for the past few years; exploring, designing, creating and showing my work. Since much of what I have done is now showing, it’s a good time to reflect on the direction I’m going. A pretty good guess is that it will not be in a straight line.
　
Do you teach, lecture, curate or have a business of your artwork?
I taught art for 39 years and now I take great pleasure in being selfish with my art time, spending my hours developing my own work.

Where can your work be seen?
From now till the end of February I am in two shows; a solo show titled Capturing Spirit, One Stitch at a time, in the Keeler Gallery at Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids, MI., and a group fiber show at Second CRC church in Spring Lake, MI.
You can also check out my web site at http://karenhoekstra.com/

What are your interests outside of art?
As the years go by the importance of family and friends are of prime important. Since we, my husband and I, are still raising our grandchildren, I am still savoring my mother role.
We designed and started building our own home 30 years ago but since parts still need to be finished or refinished there are always ongoing projects. Just this morning we were designing exterior light posts. Even light posts need a personal and creative touch, which demonstrates that art is not a separate part of my life. It affects the total quality of life.
Traveling has always been high on my list of priorities and we have been to many places in the world, but have many more yet to visit. While teaching I enjoyed taking students on local as well as overseas trips with emphasis on culture and art.
I push myself to do the physical routine challenges. I succeed better at some than others but always enjoy cross-country skiing, roller blading and biking.

You can see more of Karen's art on her website at http://karenhoekstra.com/

No One Is an Island

The close interrelatedness of us humans with our environment is depicted with layers of transparency and thread. The symbolic images often change, become blurred or almost disappear as each shape interacts with its neighboring image.

Size: 36" x 32"
Medium: fabric, thread
Technique: quilting, applique,free motion embroidery

Finding Focus (detail)

Life experiences are not always clearly defined as the whole or as the part. Remember the question of whether we are seeing the forest or the trees? In this piece I'm using the woods as an image to play with both the whole and the part of our life experiences and how we move in and out of focus between them. Circles of light aid the focus, yet edges still blur as colors change and fade.

Size: 18"x40"
Medium: commercial fabric, thread
Technique: strip piece quilting, applique, free motion embroidery