Artist Profile: Deborah Boschert

Deborah Boschert
Crofton, Maryland

1. What other ideas for this theme "rituals" did you have?  I considered creating a quilt inspired by my daily walk to and from school with my son. The idea stuck with me so I did make a quilt about walking to school for the "map" theme for the 12x12 challenge. http://twelveby12.org/maps/deborah.html

2.  Are you involved in any community or group projects where you donate your work?  if yes, what project or projects? I donate a quilt to the SAQA auction every year. A couple of years ago I volunteered to lead a project in a local elementary school. Several groups of fourth grade students created fused appliqué art quilts on themes such as outer space, rain forest and under water. It was such a pleasure to introduce them to fiber art and to working collaboratively.

3.  Do you belong to a small group of like-minded artists?  I've moved several times since I began art quilting and I've been lucky to find small groups of arty-types in each of the places I've lived. I continue to keep in touch with almost all of them including the Frayed Edges in Maine and "the Wonders" in Texas.   What is the best part of being part of an art group? The best part of the relationships developed in these groups is that we truly know each other as individuals and as artists. We understand how our lives complement our art and how our art complements our lives.

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 am a member of SAQA and a co-rep for the Maryland/DC/West Virginia region.

5.  What is your favorite palette of colors that you use in your work?  My favorite color combination is green and purple. I even have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to it! http://pinterest.com/d_boschert/the-green-and-the-purple/ I also use lots of blue in my work. There are bits of pink and fuscia in my art quilts, but not much..

6.  Describe your creative work space in 20 words or less.  I work in a wide open basement space with areas for creating, ironing, stitching, and collecting inspiration. Are you messy or tidy? I'm pretty messy when I'm in the midst of creating, but everything eventually makes it back to its proper place.

7.  What is your creative process?  Think, draw, design, make or right to the design? I ponder big ideas and themes, then I think about what techniques, colors and surface design elements I want to incorporate. I might make some small thumbnail sketches of the basic shapes for the composition, but I let the real creative spirit happen somewhat improvisationally as I'm working with the fabric.

8.   Is there a particular object or shape that shows up repeatedly in your work?  Why? I just love a simple little house shape and I return to it again and again. For me it symbolizes many things including family and stability, but also transition and growth since I've moved many times in my life.

9.   If you had to choose a favorite artist from another media, who would it be, and why? I really love Sheep Jones who has a studio and gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA near where I live. I am mesmerized by the layers she can create with oil and wax and I'm often thinking about how I could create similar effects with fabric.

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 am a co-author of Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge. I am thrilled that my new video workshop, Contemporary Fabric Collage, has just been released from Quilting Arts. http://www.interweavestore.com/Quilting/DVDs-Videos/Contemporary-Fabric-Collage-Download.html?SessionThemeID=16

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 am determined to spend more time actually making art, but it seems that I have been addressing various administration things that needs attention. Some of it relates to art -- but it's so different than actually making art. My other career, which I enjoy very much, is parenting my two kids and keeping our family running as smoothly as possible.

12.  What is your most thrilling news to date in relation to your art quilt life? It was so fantastic to meet eight of the other artists from our 12x12 group. We've been creating together for more than four years and we all met in Houston last November. It really was "thrilling" in so many ways. (I'm also thrilled when I complete a project, clean my studio and start something new. That needs to happen this week!)

www.DeborahsStudio.com
http://DeborahsJournal.blogspot.com