Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Artist Profile: Ann Turley

Ann Turley
Fallbrook, CA

1. What is sitting on the edges of your work table? Multiple swatches of fabric, a couple of works in progress, tools and embelishments I might someday want to use. If I put it all away, I might never find it again!
 
2. If someone looked beneath the surface, what could be revealed that we might not know about you? Oh my, I am filled with insecurity. Am I good enough to do this, will I be accepted for who I am, will they like my work? 
 
3. What occupies the space between your sewing machine and your cutting table? A trail of loose threads follows me everywhere. But more to the point, ideas develop between these two points. My cutting table is in the garage so the trip between studio and cutting table can become a time to change my mind or solve a problem.  
 
4. What is the most exquisite moment in your artistic life? The first SAQA show I ever gathered the courage to submit to was A Sense of Scale, 2012. I was so stunned when I received the acceptance notice that I was jumping for joy! This was an amazing boost to my confidence, and I felt a bit like Sally Fields - you like me, you really like me!
 
5. Do you have daily rituals in your studio? Open the window to let in the fresh air, evaluate and prioritize what needs to be done. New themes and ideas leap from my brain while I sleep, so the first few minutes are spent writing and sketching. At the end of the day my goal is the leave my studio organized enough so that I can enter in the morning with little to no clutter to hinder me.
 
6. Reflecting on the quilts that you have made, which one stands out to you? Mortie Learns To Read, accepted by Dinner@8 for the Affinity theme. We had recently lost our last beloved basset hound and my husband asked that I create a memorial quilt. The theme was perfect and I envisioned a hound with glasses, surrounded by stacks of books. This quilt now hangs in a special place in my home, and my husband has asked that I never offer it for sale.
 
7. What do you have an affinity for in your work? I love the whole process of creating a pattern, then a quilt from just the spark of an idea. It makes my heart race when the pattern practically draws itself and fabrics all work together.  
 
8. What kinds of patterns do you use in your work to create interest and texture? Circles! I love circles. Just when I think the circle has outlived its usefulness, another design opportunity presents itself and the circles jump in. I use them as both design elements and quilting motifs.  
 
9. What personal iconography is identifiable to you exclusively in your work? Whimsy inspires much of what I do. Most of my work is meant to make you smile, or even laugh out loud. When creating an animal-themed quilt, I work at portraying the unexpected. For example, many of my giraffes wear sunglasses, and Mortie wears reading glasses.   
 
10. What was your inspiration for the Best of Dinner at Eight? A recent tour of Peru brought so much inspiration that I was about to explode by the time we returned home. The Inca were and are a fascinating culture who focus their attention on creating textiles with meaningful patterns and lots of color. Gold meant nothing more than ornamentation to them, but a beautifully woven and embroidered piece was highly valued.

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