Artist Profile: Paula Chung

Paula Chung
Zepher Cove, Nevada

1,  What year did you make your first quilt? I began quilting in the 70s but didn't finish a quilt until much later.   Traditional or art? It was very traditional--marking the sewing lines and hand-sewing everything. Then I found I could piece just as accurately with the machine, so went to machine piecing.

2.  What is the first show, and year, that you ever entered your art quilts? I believe the first quilt show I entered was in the 90s at our local quilt guilds in Simi Valley & Thousand Oaks.

3.  What is your artistic style? When I began making art quilts, my style was all over the place, but narrowed it down to large, silk florals, rendered from my photographs. Now I'm focusing on body imaging, as MRIs, X-rays & sonograms.

4.  Have you ever changed your style from when you started making quilts? Yes.

5.  What other style in quilt making piques your interest? I love exploring the many surface design techniques, but rarely use them in my professional work.

6.  What other medium in art influences your work as a fiber artist? I continue to draw and paint. It keeps me humble and helps develop my sense of seeing nature.

7.  What do you have coming up?  Shows, Articles in magazines, Books, etc. I'm very excited to have a new piece entitled Marital Bliss in the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles' upcoming show Milestones: Textiles of Transition that runs May 8th through July 21st. 

8.  Where will your art take you from here? I really don't know--I just keep on plugging at it & trying to keep it fresh.

9.  Describe your studio space: My studio is a bedroom, crammed to the top w/ tons of different kinds of fabrics, threads, paints, machines and photo equipment.

10. What was the biggest challenge you have encountered in the making of your art quilt for "An Exquisite Moment?" I think the size was the most challenging aspect of the piece, but I do love the look of long narrow pieces, referencing Asian scroll works.

http://www.paulachung.com/