Artist Profile: Virginia Greaves

Virginia Greaves
Roswell, Georgia

1. What kind of challenges did this theme present to you? The majority of my work is in portraits, so when I received the theme for this show, I was perplexed. In order to create a portrait with iconography, the best interpretation that I could find was through tattoos. I have a family member with several, and she puts a lot of thought into each one, In reality, they are little windows into her personality. I do not have tattoos, but if I were to get one, I would probably get a raven, which is on the arm, and the moon was added for balance. I felt that the piece needed the balance of it on the upper back near the shoulder. Models are often an issue, and I am always available, so this is a self-portrait. The graffiti in the background was a nice rounding out of the theme, and it added to the personality of the piece to have it in the background.

2. Describe your studio space? My studio space is in a large room in my house. It has a lot of natural light with two large windows. There is a bookcase for books, one table for extra sewing machines, and another table for cutting. I have a large craft table in the middle of the room that can fold into a small space or be expanded. It has a cover for ironing when I’m working with large pieces. In the back window, I have my Janome sewing machine in a Koala cabinet. Directly behind it, I have an ironing board with a large, padded piece of plywood to expand the ironing area. When I’m quilting a large piece, I bring one of the height adjustable tables over and put it behind the ironing board, and I put the other one to the left of where I’m sitting. I have a closet where my older work is stored and my fabric is stashed.

3. Where can people see your work in the next six months? I have a piece in IQA’s World of Beauty exhibit in Houston October/November. I also curate a local exhibit at an art gallery in Marietta, GA, The Art Place, and will have work included in that show September 7th-29th. I have a piece that will be highlighted in the September/October edition of Machine Quilting Unlimited, I have an interview in Art Quilt Collector issue 8 that will be available in late August, and I wrote an article that will be in Be Creative that will be available in late January 2018.

4. Do you ever work in a series?  If so, what benefits or challenges does this present to you as an artist? I have been making portraits of people and animals since 2006. It has been a tremendous learning journey as I have learned how to refine my skills, and each new piece teaches me something new. I have reached a point that I’m comfortable portraying an accurate representation of a person in fiber, and I’m now exploring the finer points of portraiture, the things that make a portrait successful, such as posture, facial expression, composition, background, and accessories.

5. What other activities do you engage in that “feed” your creative energy?  I enjoy photography, and my Instagram account shows a fascination with landscapes, sunrises/sunsets, and cloud formations that are very different from the portraiture that I explore in fiber.