Artist Profile: Sue Bleiweiss

Sue Bleiweiss
Pepperell, Massachusetts

1. What kind of challenges did this theme present to you?  I struggled with the theme at first and spent many hours working through different ways to approach it in my sketchbook.  My original thought was to create a piece that played on the word graffiti but I just couldn’t get anything to come together.  Once I stopped focussing on the word graffiti to drive the content of the quilt the idea for Work In Progress came together quite quickly. I started with a few small rough sketches and then once I had a good vision for what I wanted it to look like, I drew it full scale. 

2. Describe your studio space?  My studio is on the third floor of my home.  It's about 500 square feet - one side is my office and the other has my sewing machine, workstation, ironing station and all my supplies.  It’s a well lit space with a window at each end and two skylights so I get a good amount of natural light.  I have a separate wet studio in the basement where I do all my fabric dyeing.

3. Where can people see your work in the next six months? I have several pieces on display at the Brigham City Museum in Brigham City UT.  You can also see my Inside Out quilt on display at the Houston International Quilt Festival in the Modern Quilt Showcase and in the traveling exhibit 'Threads of Resistance.'

4. Do you ever work in a series?  If so, what benefits or challenges does this present to you as an artist? A good portion of my body of work is part of a series.  Working in a series helps you avoid those painful “what do I do next” slumps that we all fall into at some point.  It helps you circumvent those moments because it gives you the answer to the what’s next question.  I have a sketchbook filled with pages of ideas for quilts in my tutti frutti series so if I’m not sure what to do next I review my notes, an idea is sparked and I’m off and creating again.

5. What other activities do you engage in that “feed” your creative energy?  I live on the East Coast so I spend a lot of time outdoors in the warmer months enjoying the break from the colder winter months when there is snow and ice on the ground.  My husband and I spend a lot of time canoeing and hiking and I always have my camera with me.  Birds are one of my favorite subjects to photograph and the river that we live along provides me with lots of subject matter.