Artist Profile: Deborah Boschert

Deborah Boschert

Lewisville, TX 

DeborahsJournal.blogspot.com

www.DeborahsStudio.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: layered, iconographic, narrative, graphic, stitched

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? In the past, I created zines and artist books, but over the past few years, I’ve chosen to focus on art quilting. I never tire of choosing fabric, designing compositions, creating patterns with paint and stitching details, so that’s where I’ve put my time and energy.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I have quilts in several traveling exhibits. (They see more of the world than I do.) I’ll be giving program and workshops around Texas and developing some new online workshops.

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? I need to de-clutter and clean up regularly. It’s not really a ritual, but it’s a cycle. When I’m working on a project, there is a certain amount of active chaos, but it needs to be reigned in before it becomes passive chaos.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? I am continually inspired by my artist friends. When a friend really knows me as a person, but also understands my artwork, that creates a kind of intimacy and support that I treasure.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? a variety of fabrics, fusible webbing, embroidery floss, paint and podcasts on my iPhone

7.  What is on your design table right now? I’m working on a landscape that will be constructed in a completely new way. I also just pulled out the fabric pieces of the silhouette that were cut away to create my Reflections piece. I’m thinking about making a companion piece with those “opposite” pieces. Maybe I’ll use a waxing crescent, rather than a waning crescent.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc? I just try to make good choices about how I spend my time day to day. I go through cycles where I spend more time in the studio and cycles when I’m focused on other parts of my life. 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? My dog, Lincoln, used to love to sit on the red couch in my studio, but he’s got a bit of arthritis in his hips and he hasn’t been jumping up as much lately. 

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Once I settled on the concept and how it related to the theme, the size and symmetrical composition were the biggest challenges. I had to create the silhouette so it fit the space and then she needed to be aligned just right within the dimensions of the quilt. (Actually, she is leaning just a tiny bit.)

Artist Profile: Victoria Findlay Wolfe

Victoria Findlay Wolfe
New York, New York
http://www.bumblebeansinc.com/ 

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words:

​  Scrappy , tradition with artful twists

 

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it?   ​ I'm trained as a painter, although these days, Fabrics are my paint. My paints have all been put away, as fabric holds my attention the best and is less smelly. haha.​ My camera is always attached to me, I need to be bale to snap a memory. I don't like forgetting....anything.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world?  I have 12 D

ouble wedding ring

 quilts, 5 star quilts and three 

​o​

f my grandmother, Elda Wolfe's quilts on exhibit at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts June 25-October 24th, 2015. Traditions Made Modern: 12 Double Wedding Rings, "Full Circle" sketches from life by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  March -June

 ​ 2015,​

 I have an

​other​

 exhibit of the Double 

​W​

edding 

R​

ings at the 

​ International Quilt Study Center & Museum.

I'll be teaching at ​

​Quiltcon! See you in Texas!  A new book releasing in January,

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? ​Not really, only that I spend hours on end in my studio....​and I may or may not have a secret stash of Jolly ranchers and chocolate on it's own special shelf....

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? 

 ​ 

My grandmother, is my biggest influencer.

​ Her quilts, instilled color, and pattern in me at a young age. She didn't need patterns to make her beauties... she found joy in the fabrics she had, even if they were polyester! Also,​ Inspired by 

 

​al

l the quilters who came before me. I'm always looking to see where they took liberties, inserting their personalities into the quilt...​ where they tried something new, and just went with it. 

 ​Creative freedom!​

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without?

 ​ my Juki TL2010 Q​ machines... fabric, of course... toothpicks, sharpies, and my havels seam ripper...

7.  What is on your design table right now?  A huge mess. 

​ A mountain of SOLIDS, about 30 different colors... and fabrics from my last project that hasn't been put away yet... Very little space left for cutting. 

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?   Very good question...I am constantly reevaluating what I am doing 

​to balance

 

​quilting and family. Well, not balance really, tip the scales towards family... Family is numero uno.

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? In my new studio, I can't have any pets... If I am at home in my classroom studio, my furrbeasts, 

​(​

dogs,

​)​

 Jenny Egg and Kia

​,​

 are always in my scrap bi

​n​

s or at my feet.

​ Sometimes my daughter comes over and scoots around on my chairs with wheels. I do that too.​ Like mother like daughter...

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? 

​Working out the design and proportions, and ​p

iecing the full 

​ovals

 was a challenge... But I didn't want to do a quilt without there being a good challenge involved. Each piece of multi colored fabric holds a memory, and all the red ones are memories yet to be made.... I like that the red gets to be more and more the further out it goes... I have so much more to do and reflect on.

Artist Profile: Diane Rusin Doran

Diane Rusin Doran

Glenelg, MD

http://oohprettycolors.blogspot.com, dianedoran.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: colorful, luminous, detailed, layered, surrealistic

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? Photography, which goes hand in hand with my quilts, because I love capturing the moment.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I have many quilts designed and am hoping to find the time to create them and enter some new to me venues.

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? I tell myself “I think I can” when I begin.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? My grandmother, Esther Hepler Ingelsby, who worked in many mediums but especially water colors and oils.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Great lighting, a large table with the machine inset in it, my trusty Bernina 1130, a self-threading needle

7.  What is on your design table right now? Several experimental pieces.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  My art usually takes a back seat to my other responsibilities. However, once I commit to myself to meet a deadline I make it a personal priority. 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? Occasionally one of my three sons.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? I first designed a very complex piece, then at the last minute decided I wasn’t going to enjoy quilting it so designed another instead.

Artist Profile: Linda Frost

Linda Frost

Lawrence, Kansas

www.13thstreetstudio.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Hope this makes someone smile.

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? I also like to crochet, which is another medium that lends itself to using bits and scraps.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I just had my second book "Robots in Space!" published and I am considering whether or not to write a third quilt book.

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? When I enter my studio I try to get the sewing machine going as fast as possible. Otherwise I spend too much time just dithering.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? The classes I took with Nancy Crow, Ruth McDowell, Ann Johnston and Jane Dunnewold gave me the tools to dye and piece just about anything.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Sewing machine, rotary cutter, design wall, freezer paper, thread/fabric

7.  What is on your design table right now? Donation quilts for a local Headstart preschool class.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  Time needed for artistic efforts nearly always conflicts with family life. My only hope is that when I drop a ball it does not roll too far away.

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? I have three Amazon parrots and one conure, but they live in a sunroom with a view. No self respecting parrot would spend time in a basement studio that is also known as the sewing dungeon.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Sewing to a set size is a challenge for me. Most of my quilts want to be the size they want to be and are resistant to my size suggestions.

Artist Profile: Sarah Ann Smith

Sarah Ann Smith

Hope, Maine

SarahAnnSmith.com/weblog

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words:  Collaged, thread-colored and quilted.    

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it?  I’m learning to draw and sketch better, including watercolor and mixed media. It’s faster than textile art, and I like the fact that I know I usually won’t be showing this work, so I can mess around and play. 

3.  What’s coming up for you in your artistic world?  I hope to actually make more artwork, not just samples for teaching or articles!  I’ve written a number of articles for Machine Quilting Unlimited this past year, have two projects that will be in Quilting Arts Gifts 2014, and have three episodes in Quilting Arts TV Series 1400! I’ve also got work in three just or soon-to-be-published books: Lesley Riley’s Inspirational Quotes Illustrated (watercolor lettering), Dare to Dance by Mary W. Kerr, and Inspired by the Beatles by Donna DeSoto (art quilts).  I’m teaching again at International Quilt Festival in Houston and the following year at Vermont Quilt Festival and Maine Quilts among other venues.  Finally, I’ll be curating my first exhibit, Food! for SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) with entries due in September 2014.   I might even get a quilt made to enter in that one!

4.  Do you have any studio rituals?  No.  Maybe I should have some!  Unless of course a tidy attack at the end of a project counts, but that has more to do with finding the surface of the table and not being able to work in utter chaos.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey?  Ooof…. and keep the answer short?   Vincent Van Gogh. Henri Matisse. Hollis Chatelain. My friend Kathy Daniels.  J.R.R. Tolkien.  Auguste Rodin. David Hockney.  Mary Doria Russell.  Stephen King and Twyla Tharp.  Albrecht Durer.  The ancient cave painters and the goldsmiths of Sutton Hoo.  Legions of sketchers and artists. My sons. 

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without?  My Janome sewing machine, thread, MistyFuse, titanium nonstick iron, wide paper to make a full-size sketch (have rolls that are 48 and 60 inches!), design wall, and (sigh) seam ripper.  And yes, I use creative counting.  Off to Platform 9 3/4. 

7.  What is on your design table right now?  A practice project, as I have a complicated new sewing machine and need to develop a good working relationship with it!  

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?   I don’t know that I juggle it well at all.  Something always gets shorted.  As my kids are older now—our younger son is 16—I have more time in some ways, but am still happy to be the mom-taxi.  I figure all too soon he will be in college, I will miss him immensely, and I’ll have to develop a routine where I don’t fritter away time on the laptop!

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)?  We have four cats and a pug.  Our calico, Thumper, and the pug, Pigwidgeon, are my wake-up crew and follow-critters.  They have species-identity issues.  The cat comes when called and is alongside the dog to greet me at the front door.  The dog sits on windowsills like a cat.   Sweetly confused!

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections?  This piece, like a number of my works, is a hybrid of several images, so getting the middle-ground to mesh well with the main figure, ground and distant woods took a couple attempts.

Artist Profile: Carolyn Ryan

Carolyn Ryan

Thousand Oaks, CA

carolynryanart.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: mood, strong lines, threadwork, originality

 

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? Printmaking is a great way to generate ideas which cross over into textile pieces. It requires patience, many tools, which I love, and acceptance of failures. The payoff is the moment when a good print rolls out onto the print bed!

 

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I enter several fine art shows locally each year, so I try to plan my smaller pieces for those shows. I’m debating whether I should try to get juried in to the LA Art Association, where I might find and learn from some cutting edge artists. I currently have 2 large pieces in the local Hillcrest Center for the Arts. 

 

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? Yes – my newest one is – I bought two clear plastic, over-door shoe holders (20 slots, I think), and I now have my 20 key tools at hand at all times for easy access. All my scraps and small studies go into the second one.  My rule is, I must have all my tools back in the pockets before I can begin work. Otherwise I waste lots of time searching, especially if I can’t find my glasses.

 

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? I have 7 really fine artist friends who meet regularly to share dinner and discuss our current artwork and roadblocks. These friends are both critics and supporters, and I am always amazed and inspired by the originality of their art.

 

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Rotary cutter and mats, artist pens, binders full of ideas, fusibles and iron/board.

 

7.  What is on your design table right now? A series of portraits rendered with painted fusible and heavy watercolor paper. I’m experimenting with adding texture.

 

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  I am retired, and feel I have earned my freedom. I make a to do list every morning, and this takes the anxiety out of my day, and allows me the freedom to get into my creative inner world. Sometimes it takes awhile!

 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? No – I love my solitude, especially on a foggy day.

 

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Making my composition fit the size requirement. The vertical format forces me to trim down to just the essential elements, and to set aside the frustration of not being able to include all the compositional ideas I want.

Artist Profile: Sue Bleiweiss

Sue Bleiweiss
Pepperell MA
www.suebleiweiss.com   www.suebleiweiss.com/blog


1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: whimsical, colorful, bright, fun, happy

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? nope, fabric is my favorite and only medium!

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world?  I have a new book coming out in April 2015 that I’m really excited about.  It’s a project based book filled with art quilt, home dec and personal accessory projects.

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? I always clean up after finishing one project before I start another and I almost always only work on one project at a time.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey?  When I first started I was inspired by the work of Jan Beany, Jean Littlejohn, Jane Dunnewold, Maggie Grey, Janet Edmonds and Cas Holmes.  Now that I have refined my techniques and found my my own artistic voice I am inspired by the work of Dale Chihuly, Kandinsky, Klee, Matisse, Miro and Braque to name a few.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Mistyfuse, my BERNINA 750 QE, my iron, tracing paper and brown kraft paper

7.  What is on your design table right now? a huge pile of fabric scraps left over from a large quilt that I’m working on called Tutti Frutti Main Street II

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  I don’t over commit myself!  I keep a tight rein on my calendar and I learned many years ago the importance of saying no so that I don’t end up with too much to do and not enough time to do it all in.

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)?  I have two dogs: a cocker spaniel named Nina and a shepherd/lab mix named Sherry.  Both came from local rescue organizations.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections?  My biggest challenge was trying to get it done before I went in for shoulder surgery!

Artist Profile: Barb Forrister

Barb Forrister

Austin, Texas

http://www.barbforrister.com/

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Painterly, Dimensional, Colorful, Nature Inspired. 

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? I love working in Mixed Media because there are so many options to accomplish what I mean to convey! The possibilities are endless.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I have been invited as a guest artist on a new and upcoming book on fusibles. I also have been working with a new production team here in Austin called Fiddler on the Roof where my work will be featured as part of the set design. How exciting is that? 

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? Not really, I like to be free to design and create so it depends what is happening at the moment.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? Some of my favorite artists include Patricia Gould, Betty Busby, Ginny Eckley, Pamela Allen and David Taylor. 

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Wow, only five? Ok, here goes: fabric, paint/brushes, thread, scissors and my sewing machine.

7.  What is on your design table right now? Right now, I am finishing up a group collaboration with 7 artists including Sherri McCauley, Martha Tsihlas, Kathy York, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Connie Conley Hudson, Frances Holliday Alford and myself. This piece is a bold, graphic, black and white, modern quilt with very subtle traces of chartreuse and cobalt blue. It is the first time that we have ever created anything like this and I am so jazzed about the way it has turned out. 

 

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  I am pretty flexible but I like to keep a schedule so that I am focused on tasks. I work in the studio on weekdays. Evenings and weekends are free for family and friends unless I am under the gun with a deadline! I also teach Surface Design and Mixed Media Art Cloth on Tuesday evenings at the Dougherty Art Center in Austin, Texas. 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? Not really but my family and our dog pop in every now and then to see what is going on.  

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? The format (24X60) is always hard in terms of what looks good in that size but this time around, I had a difficult time with the theme. I kept vacillating on whether to be literal with actual reflections or conceptual. In the end, I opted for conceptual!

Artist Profile: Yvonne Porcella

Yvonne Porcella
Modesto, CA
www.yvonneporcella.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: bold, colorful, black white accent

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it?

Fabric painting, quick abstract designs, paint it, dry it, iron it, use it.  

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? Solo exhibit at Quilt Market/Quilt Festival Houston 2014

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? No rituals, walk in, admire the view, get out materials, begin.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey?  Monet, Matisse, Stuart Davis, Goncharova, Bakst, Biliban, Frankenthaler.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Olfa cutter, mat, Mistyfuse, iron, scissors.

7.  What is on your design table right now? paperwork, jeans to hem, scraps from last project.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc? Living in a remote area, not much to distract me; weekly trips for health issues. 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? I work alone, after studio time, a JRT occupies my lap. 

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? I didn't feel it was a challenge, I wanted to celebrate the water we take for granted, fears of drought, bodies of water drying up, expansive golden hills viewed on my weekly drives, seeing red 

Cal Fire trucks on the move, predictions of long dry hot summer.

Artist Profile: Jeannie P. Moore

Jeannie P. Moore

Escondido, California

JPMArtist.com

jeanniemooresblog.blogspot.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Graphic, mixed-media, painterly, surface designer

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? I love to paint with watercolors because you are able to paint a straight line or let the colors bloom into a surprise texture.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? Creating new quilts for shows is my priority at the moment. I’m in SAQA Silver at IQF in Houston, Butterfly Whirl in Texas, SAQA Radical Elements and my SAQA Seasonal Palette quilt is traveling to 4 continents.

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? Check my deadline list everyday.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? The Modern Quilt movement is inspiring me at the moment. 

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Thermofax screens, gel medium, misty-fuse, paint and my computer.

7.  What is on your design table right now? I just cleaned it! The water-soluble crayons haven’t been put away yet.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc? It’s not so much a juggling act now that the kids have moved out. My husband has as many activities as I do but at 5pm everyday we meet in the patio with a glass of wine to talk (without electronic devices). 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? Rocky my 15 year old cat lives in my studio and Izzy the puppy visits.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? I had the idea but had to narrow all of the surface design ideas that I created.

Artist Profile: Stacy Hurt

Stacy Hurt

Orange, CA

www.stacyhurt.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words:   Graphic, complex; whole cloth; evocative.

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? I’m constantly trying new things and take what I learn back to my fabric endeavors.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? This year I’m focusing on my lecture/workshops and making small experimental pieces.

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? I clean my studio after each project and have an actual ‘bucket’ that has ideas written down on it.  If I have time (between commissions) , I close my eyes, reach in and pick one!

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? All my fellow artists!  I may not be on their path but their insights are invaluable to me!

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Rotary cutter and 26” ruler, Oliso Iron, Bohin Marking pencil; cup warmer.

7.  What is on your design table right now? Wicked challenge-Cherrywood fab, Commission art quilt, Ms. Stella O’Houligan’s CatNip quilt commissions.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  Beer, Wine, and patience.  In that order 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? Occasionally one of my cats might join me but typically the studio is off limits.  It’s not safe for them.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Choosing the idea.

Artist Profile: Lesley Riley

Lesley Riley

Frederick, MD

www.LesleyRiley.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Storytelling: transfer, photos, fabric, color

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it?

I like the freedom of choice, serendipity and texture of mixed media which I translate into books, paintings, collage and yes, quilts.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? My latest book, Creative Image Transfer,  comes out July 2014. I just completed an article for the Nov/Dec issue of Studios magazine so now its time to start work on my 7th book, a Quotes Illustrated workbook. I am also preparing projects for a few episodes of Quilting Arts TV. Oh! And there's a new product launch...

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? Left brain first, followed by right brain. I do my best logical, linear work in the am and devote my afternoons and evenings to the creative side. Other than that pattern, there are no rituals. I'm all about practical grounding for the creative spirit.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? Any artist whose work can make my heart swoon or take my breath away inspires me to move forward on my own creative journey. There are too many to name and many unknown. If I had to pick one person/artist, it would be Jean Ray Laury and her book,The Creative Woman's Getting-It-All-Together at Home Handbook. She was my inspiration and guiding light back in the 70s when I was a 20-something young mother artist/quilter wanna-be and eventually a friend and collaborator when I was in my 50s.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? computer, gesso, scissors, TAP Transfer Artist Paper, iron

7.  What is on your design table right now? 26 books, cutting mat, rotary cutter, ruler, remnants of my latest hand-printed Printed Fabric Bee fabric and a Pigma pen. 

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  

After 42 years of constant advanced juggling (including swords and fire) I like to pretend that part of my life is over. In reality, there will always be a juggle, hopefully with fewer balls in the air. You just do it. The true priorities are always in flux and rise to the top all on their own. I just step up, do what's on top and move on to the next thing. I like to stay busy.

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? Just me, myself and I, if I'm lucky.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Having a surface longer than 60" to work on.

Artist Profile: Cindy Cooksey

Cindy Cooksey

Irvine, California

http://cookseyville.blogspot.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words:colorful, upbeat, whimsical, fun, different.

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? I have worked in several media, including clay, glass, yarn, pen and ink, watercolor. They all appealed to me. I just love to work with my hands and hopefully with my heart, too.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I have a few quilt ideas in my head that are not quite ready to come out.

 

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? Hmm. Always leave it messy?

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? My mother was an artist, among other things. She inspired me from a very young age to create art, and she instilled in me the idea that art matters, that it is important.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Light, radio, windows, space, time.

 

7.  What is on your design table right now? A basket of fabric for a possible next quilt, a notebook, clutter.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  It can be a challenge, but I need all three, so I have to make it work.

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? My dog, Ginger and one of my cats, Matilda are almost always napping nearby when I'm working up there.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Thinking up the idea. I had two or three ideas that I struggled with for months, but I chucked them all when I found some photos that a friend took of Christo's Gates, and one of them had water.

Artist Profile: Wen Redmond

Wen Redmond

Strafford NH

WEBSITE http://wenredmond.com/ 

BLOGs- http://wenredmond.blogspot.com and  http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com

 

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Experimental, Digital, Innovative, Mixed Media, Introspective

 

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? Yes. I enjoy Mixed Media Collage, Encaustic Collage and Art Journals. Paper is the common element in all of these. The tactile nature of paper is similar to cloth. Each surface brings it’s own feel and sound. The receptivity to paint and digital processes make it appealing in a similar way to fabric.

 

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I am teaching several times a year for a while with the current list on my blog, as well as a list of my general offerings. I have a special venue, a 2015 Caribbean Cruise called Fiber Art Directions! Hope you can join us! Teaching allows expression of a different sort, sharing my joy de vive with art!

 

4.  Do you have any studio rituals? I like to jump in first thing in the morning and often work in my PJ’s! I’m fresh, ideas are fresh and the light is great. And I have great paintery PJ’s!

 

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? There are so many numerous wonderful inspirational artists of all media! I truly am blessed to be able to share the artist’s eye, to see though their window!

 

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Epson Printers, paint, mediums, 36” high work table and lots of windows!

 

7.  What is on your design table right now? A bunch of digital samples for my Digital Fiber Workshop, more to come!

 

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc? This is a difficult. Women artists, especially, suffer from a special kind of balance stress. Artists see so much, feel much and share so much yet sometimes those we love don’t get as much.

 

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? I used to. My big black labbie, Elly, was my studio mascot for years. She passed shortly before I gave up my large studio, outside my home. My next dog will probably be a miniature dachshund, to match my new studio.

 

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Getting the color right. Amazements of Tender Reflections is a Digital Collage, combining a photograph of the woods nearby and painted fabric overlaid with a watercolor collage for texture. I found I needed to go back in and repaint some areas of the bottom. Mistakes are usually opportunities and this one worked out well.

Artist Profile: Kristin La Flamme

Kristin La Flamme
Charlottesville, VA http://www.kristinlaflamme.com
1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Conceptually driven narratives in fiber
2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? I am regularly drawing the figure in pencil and charcoal. It helps me keep my drawing and observation skills sharp.
3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I am looking forward to showing my Army Wife series at Campbell House Galleries in NC summer 2015. I'm also working on a series of Security Blankets, which I hope to show next year.
4.  Do you have any studio rituals? I write down my day's goals before I start each morning.
5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? My father has always been my art and design guru, and I am grateful for the inspiration, support, and friendship of my circle of fiber art friends. My artistic inspirations are diverse, from the WWI posters of Ludwig Hohlwein, to Chuck Close's interplay of realism and abstraction. I find it hard to narrow my inspiration down to just a few as I try to soak everything in and let it filter into my work in mysterious ways.
6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? My thimble, my seam ripper, my beloved Bernina, my sketchbook, and the internet!
7.  What is on your design table right now? My security blanket series.
8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  I'm not sure that I do! Some days family and friends win, some days I hole myself up in my room to work. I often feel like I'm not serving either in the fullest way possible.
9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? My radio (tuned to NPR) and my geriatric cat.
10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Once I had the idea of creating a pixelated image using all the fabrics in my stash, there was no way of knowing if it would work or not until I jumped in and started. I was afraid that the diverse fabrics would muddy the image, so it was a great relief to see the face emerge so vibrantly.

Artist Profile: Cynthia St. Charles

Cynthia St. Charles
Billings, Montana

http://cynthia-stcharles.blogspot.com/

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Handprinted, surface designed, layered collage

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? Mixed Media.  I am currently creating a  4 x 6" mixed media postcard every day as a creative discipline.  I love combining collage, paint, print, and sketch.  The small daily exercise is really great for developing my self confidence and composition.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world?  I have work in several traveling SAQA Exhibitions;  Celebrating Silver, Radical Elements, and Earth Stories. I am gearing up to curate the SAQA exhibition; Balancing Act in 2015

4.  Do you have any studio rituals?  First thing in the morning, I retreat to my home studio with a cup of tea to write my Morning Pages.  I fill three notebook pages with stream of thought writing and stop at the end of the third page.  Then, I put it away and get on with my day.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? Billings, Montana is home to some very impressive art quilters - Barbara Olson, Laura Cater-Woods, Brooke Atherton, John Flynn, Laura Heine, and Cheryl Wittmayer are all nationally known for their work in the quilting/art quiltng world, and they are all right here!  Amazing!

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? Thermofax machine, block printing supplies, white fabric for surface design, home sewing machine, and fabric paints.

7.  What is on your design table right now?   My design table is covered with blueprints for a landscaping redesign at a commercial building I own and operate.  I don't spend much time in the studio during the short months of summer in Montana.  I have a few pieces ready for machine quilting and I will work on those periodically as time permits.   

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?   With my studio located right in my home, family life and creative life are fully integrated.  Most of my friends are not art friends, so time with them provides a good respite from all the pressures of work and family.

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)?  Studio time is solitary time for me.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections?  I needed to create special tree images for the Thermofax screens, much taller than the ones I had in my collection, that pushed the limits of my Thermofax machine.