Quilting Arts Magazine April/May 2020

MASTERFUL ARTISTS—FROM PAINTERS TO POTTERS—have always looked to classic forms and subjects for inspiration. Art quilters are no different. Who doesn’t remember seeing a portrait quilt for the very first time and marveling at a human face rendered in fabric and thread? Can you walk by a quilt depicting a landscape with exquisite perspective and not marvel at the shading achieved with hand-dyed cloth or the appearance of rain made with rows of running stitch? Probably not—because you see the quilt with an appreciation for the work as a piece of art. What we do with cloth, others do with clay, stone, pencil, and paint. In this issue, we feature art quilts that interpret subjects often portrayed in paintings—landscapes, portraits, and still lifes—with a contemporary twist. What was the inspiration for…

To celebrate new beginnings and fresh starts, Quilting Daily—the parent brand of Quilting Arts and our sister magazines—announces our first-ever quilt competition, Pieces of the Past, which will embrace all styles of quilts and quilt makers. There are many prizes, including an appearance on “Quilting Arts TV” for the first-place winner! Check out quiltingdaily.com/quilt-competitions for details on entering, deadlines, prize packages, and more. We asked our Facebook friends to tell us what (non-fiber) artists inspire their work and why. We learned so much and discovered new-to-us artists. Thank you! Here are some of their insights. I admire a multitude of artists and styles, but I think I am most inspired by Van Gogh, as I feel I can see hand embroidery in his brush strokes, and Klimt—as in ‘The Kiss’—which inspires beading. —Jenny Williams John…

Lynn Krawczyk is a textile and paper collagist living in southeast Michigan with her rescue dog Carter and an unreasonable number of houseplants. Her work revolves around the glorious tension created by layering imagery, color, and hand stitching. She is the author of three books, most recently HAND SEWING MAGIC. lynnkdesignstudio.com Lea McComas is an international award-winning artist, author, and teacher who creates realistic pictorial art quilts. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and venues. She lives in the mountains of Colorado, but lectures and teaches around the world and on line at quiltingdaily.com. Lea is the author of THREAD-PAINTED PORTRAITS: TURN YOUR PHOTOS INTO FIBER ART. leamccomas.com Pam Seaberg is an avid gardener and lives with her husband Jim and two orange cats in Kenmore, Washington. Her deep love of animals…

entering an art museum can be both exciting and daunting. For me, it is always a quandary as to whether to immediately visit my “old friends” or explore new galleries. Most of us wander until either our feet give out, or our brain is full. I have found a way that has helped me turn that wandering into an inspirational visit with the artists: before I go to the museum, I decide on a “theme” for my day. The first time I did this I looked primarily at faces. What brushwork made them come alive? What color were the shadows? How were the portraits rendered in the 1600s different from those of the 1900s? I noticed that I was much more engaged on that visit and more open to looking at…

the International Quilt Association’s annual judged show, ‘Quilts: A World of Beauty,’ is one of the world’s most revered international quilt competitions. The quilts in the show—which premiers each year at International Quilt Festival, Houston—represent the finest examples of craftsmanship, artistry, and design. Winning a ribbon at Houston is every quilter’s dream. Every year, hundreds of entries pour in from around the world, but only a small percentage are selected for the exhibition. In 2019, 650 quilts were entered, and 350 finalists were juried into 22 categories ranging from Art Abstract to Traditional Appliqué (plus Judge’s Choice and Viewer’s Choice awards). The following pages feature a sampling of some of the exceptional winning quilts from the show that featured the human form. WORLD OF BEAUTY AWARD Sponsored by Baby Lock Photo by Mike McCormick/courtesy…

until the 20th century, Western art was mostly narrative, portraying themes that were widely recognized. Stories from religion, history, and literature were visually depicted, along with familiar myths and legends. Beginning in the early 1900s, the movement of Abstract Expressionism represented a departure from accurate representation, changing the focus of the subject matter to emphasize elements of form, color, line, tone, and texture. Contemporary art has taken a recent narrative turn. Storytelling lies at the heart of all narrative art. So, what sets narrative art apart from a simple tale? Today’s quilt artists point to intent as the factor that adds a through line to a body of work. Christine Chester explains it this way: “Narrative art can tell a story. But it can also have a ‘thread’ which develops and runs…