Judy Coates Perez
Chicago, IL 
1. 
What other ideas for this theme "rituals" did you have? I thought about 
my father, grandfather, great grandfather and the line goes on… 
involvement with the Masons which epitomizes ritual in my mind.
2. 
 Are you involved in any community or group projects where you donate 
your work?  if yes, what project or projects?  In the past I have donated
 work to Virginia Spiegals cancer fundraisers, but I do not have that 
much free time to make work to donate these days.
3. 
 Do you belong to a small group of like-minded artists?  yes/no  
name/where  what is the best part of being part of an art group? I have a
 group of women friends that began as an art quilt group in Austin, TX, 
15 years ago. Over the years several of us have moved to other parts of 
the country and a few no longer actively make art quilts, but we support
 each other creatively and emotionally, communicating regularly, and 
occasionally still create artwork together.
4. 
 Are you a member of a professional art organization, such as SAQA?  
Have you ever held a volunteer position in the organization, and if so, 
what? I belong to SAQA and PAQA.
5. What
 is your favorite palette of colors that you use in your work?  name 5 
and your least favorite colors?  name 5  I don't have any favorites, in 
my work I choose colors that are appropriate for what I want to 
express. 
6. 
 Describe your creative work space in 20 words or less.  are you messy 
or tidy? I have two large tables (4'x8' and 5'x8'), flat files, file 
cabinets and shelving in the main living area of a loft. I’m a piler and
 it’s definitely messy.
7.  What is your creative process?  think, draw, design, make or right to the desig?  If
 I am making an illustrative whole cloth painted art quilt then I think 
about the concept for a long time, sometimes years before designing it. 
If I am working with mixed media techniques, I work spontaneously and 
often cathartically, applying media directly to the cloth without a 
concrete design in mind. All my pieces for the dinner@8 exhibits have 
been done without a preplanned design.
8.  
 Is there a particular object or shape that shows up repeatedly in your 
work?  Why? No, I tend to work conceptually with new themes and ideas 
and not in a series.
9.  
 If you had to choose a favorite artist from another media, who would it
 be, and why? I am drawn to a variety of different artists and designers
 and would have a hard time ever picking a favorite.
10. 
 Have you written a book related to Art Quilts and Quilting or have an 
instructional DVD?  If so, can you tell us the title or titles? I have a
 DVD called Design, Paint & Stitch Wholecloth Art Quilts from Start to Finish
11. 
 Do you make art full time?   If you have another career, would you 
describe what you do? and how you incorporate art into your life? I 
primarily focus on teaching a variety of painting and mixed media 
techniques based workshops working with textiles and make art when I 
can.
12. 
 What is your most thrilling news to date in relation to your art quilt 
life? I am making two trips down under next year to teach in Australia 
and New Zealand. I am thrilled to have opportunities to share my skills 
and knowledge in exchange for wonderful adventures abroad.
 

 
Judy, I keep up with you through your blog, and am always fascinated by your creativity. Looking forward to seeing you in Houston (?) and to seeing your Rituals entry "up close and personal"!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda, I'm looking forward to our dinner in Houston and catching up too! I can hardly wait to see the exhibit, I'm so glad I get to see it in Long beach in July :-)
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