Artist Profile: Linda Teddlie Minton

Linda Teddlie Minton

San Antonio, Texas

www.fiberreflections.blogspot.com

1. Did the change in dimensions present any specific challenges for you? I loved it! As much as I enjoyed the "tall & thin" orientation of the previous years' dimensions, this was a refreshing change for me, and allowed the interpretation of the theme that I chose.

2. Describe your design area, specifically your work table:  what is the best thing about it?  My laptop computer in my BCC (Big Comfy Chair) is my primary design area, as I digitally manipulate my photographs. My Dad's old architect's drafting table has become my work table for sketching, painting and dyeing, and I especially love it for its sentimental attachment. 

3. What set this quilt apart from other recent projects you have been working on? It's the first time I've created a quilt specifically with humor as the subject rather than as a side element. It's also the first time that text has been an essential part of my artwork.

4. When you get “stuck” how do you deal with a “design block”? How do you overcome it? If I spend too much time on the initial concept, I can sometimes get bogged down in the process, and have to step away for a day or two. If I can't seem to break free of the "bog", I sometimes go ahead and start the project and let it find its own way. Many times, it takes a crazy turn on its own, and in the process becomes something completely different from the original concept ... and that's often a good thing!

5. Do you work on single or multiple projects at the same time? I usually have one large and several small projects going. This keeps my brain nimble and my body loose. I enjoy working in so many different media that it is stimulating to move from one to the other in the same day.

6. What do you hope people take away from your work? I would love it if people see a little bit of themselves in my work. Much of my work may be seen as nostalgic, humorous, emotional, and maybe even a bit sentimental. Social satire may even find its way in from time to time, but only with sneaky subtlety.

7. What are the best parts of working on an art quilt:  What are your least favorite parts? I love digital photo manipulation and surface design, and use both in almost all my art quilts. Dyes and paints are my friends even after the top is quilted, and often "save the day" if I'm not quite satisfied with the finished look. My least favorite? Facing a quilt ... I always enjoyed hand-stitching the bindings on traditional quilts, but I really love the look of facings on art quilts, so I bite the bullet and face them.

8. What art/quilt-related organizations do you belong to? FiberVoices, a small art-quilt group.

9. Do you have a preferred color palette?  Why? Like many artists, my preferred palette changes sometimes. I still love the yummy citrus colors of tropical summers, but lately have been drawn to combinations of black/cream/rust. I couldn't in a million years tell you why.

10. What do you regard as your most interesting milestones along your art journey? Attending my first Houston International Quilt Festival many years ago was an eye- and mind-opening experience that started my journey. Purchasing my first longarm quilting machine was the second milestone, but the most important one was being a founding member of the small art quilt group, FiberVoices in 2008. The members of this group have continually nurtured, supported and inspired me through the years that we have been together.