Artist Profile: Heather Pregger

Heather Pregger
Houston, Texas

1. What kind of challenges did this theme present to you?  As an abstract quilt artist, I don't always work with a concrete theme in mind.  And, honestly, if I AM trying to convey a message it is often discernible only to me.  But I do have a symbol, or icon, that I return to again and again in my work, the tuning fork.  It has great meaning to me.  It has changed recently into something more primitive and graffiti-esque, which I felt made it a good fit for the exhibit.  It was a very interesting challenge.
2. Describe your studio space?  I work in a large, airy L-shaped room with lots of south and west facing windows.  It contains my sewing table, an ironing surface, my cutting table, my design wall and my ancient Gammill longarm machine.  And a loveseat by the west windows, where you can almost always find my cat, Boomer.  He does let me join him for naps there occaisionally.

3. Where can people see your work in the next six months?  I have a quilt in Textile Posters, a SAQA show debuting at International Quilt Festival in Houston.  I have a quilt in the IQF "World of Beauty" show.  One of my pieces is in "Live your Brightest Life", a show honoring the memory of Yvonne Porcella.  It can be seen currently at Sacred Threads.  I am in a group show with Sue Benner, Barbara Oliver Hartman and Carole Trice October 14 through November 9 at North Lake College in Irving, Texas.  


4. Do you ever work in a series?  If so, what benefits or challenges does this present to you as an artist?  I am working on two series right now.  One is the tuning fork series, the other is the geological series, based on sketches of microscopic mineral thin sections I drew in college.  When working on a piece, I almost always have a "what if" moment.  What if I changed this or added that -- my mind moves on to the next quilt while I'm working on it's predecessor.  I find that working this way allows me to expand and refine the series and allows me to grow as an artist.  When I run out of "what ifs", the series is finished.

5. What other activities do you engage in that “feed” your creative energy?  I love to work in the garden.  I love to walk, mostly around my neighborhood or in the Fort Worth Botanical Garden.  I love to travel.  I love to read.  I love to paint in watercolor.  I'm not very good at it, but I love it!