ARTQuilts
wild!

I used an approach to improvisational piecing learned in an Irene Roderick workshop, but worked on my own. Units were pieced, arranged on the design wall, then assembled into the finished quilt. Dimensions: 49.5" x 33.5"

Inspired by street culture, video games, and train graffiti, "In the Game" offers my impression of the wild energy and untamed color of contemporary urban life. Dimensions: 42" x 36"

This is a celebration of joy. It is a reminder that life doesn’t always have to be taken so seriously. In a riot of patterns and colors fabrics dance together in a creative chaos. The cat with tomatoes and turtle earrings is out for mischief! Dimensions: 50" x 50"

This is the end result of a Wild Journey I took with fellow PAQA Members during the first 6 months of 2024. The prompts in our Stitcher’s Mystery Challenge were respectively: 1) Stash Audition; 2) Make a base quilt; 3) Chop It up and sew It together in a new way; 4) Rotate quilt at least in a 45 degree angle and stitch to a background; 5) Add extra’s using any technique; 6) Finish edges or not. Dimensions: 38.5” x 35”

This quilt captures the raw emotion of a woman singing the Blues, her face etched with passion. Her soulful voice echoes through the fabric, pulling you into her world. Abstract patterns ripple outward, representing the music that surrounds her, the music that is a part of her. The atmosphere is electric, untamed, and wild. This quilt is a tribute to the iconic Billie Holiday and the timeless power of the Blues. Dimensions: 20” x 20”

Three little cocoons so cozy and snug, each dreamed of wings and sharing a hug. Inside the calm churns unexpected beauty morphing mundane earth-bound beginnings into magnificent winged wonders, untamed and unleashed. Dimensions: 54 "x 52"

I am passionate about creating art quilts that depict the wild aspects of nature. In particular, I focus on capturing the essence of wild landscapes and the flora and fauna of North Carolina. Many of my quilts examine the beauty found in wild things, such as Luna Moths, whose large wingspan, size, and luminous colors always strike me as awe-inspiring and almost magical. I utilize various techniques, including fabric piecing, fabric painting, free-motion quilting, and hand stitching. I use each technique intentionally to capture the essence of wild locations and creatures around us. Dimensions: 12.75 " x 11"

A wild hand-quilted project to keep me sane during a tedious cross-country move. A.K.A. Alien Fingers. Dimensions: 59" x 58"

Humans fight for land, family and resources, as do animals in the wild. Begun in September 2023, this is my response to the murder, destruction, and famine in Israel and Palestine. Dimensions: 59" x 54"

Summer camp in the wilds of the Catskills, age 12 ... cabin bunk beds in the forest, chilly nights, arts and crafts, and a sunrise breakfast in a canoe. Treasured memories. Dimensions: 49" x 40"

My good friend (a bird biologist) has always said that in her next life she'd like to come back as a turkey vulture and ride the air currents over the Grand Canyon. I hope she has fun! Dimensions: 45" x 45"

Our daily routines create a safe structure for our days just as the regimented basket weave pattern marches across the quilt with an easy regularity. But to fully enjoy life, we have to mix it up a bit- or a lot! The loose scribble is a reminder to let go and see what happens when we just go wild! Dimensions: 49" x 47"

While researching for an exhibition at the University of South Alabama Science Library, I was fascinated by the microscopic images I saw. They were teaming with life, had wild erratic movements, and bright bold colors. This is my interpretation of those images. Dimensions: 20" x 20"

"Cottage Garden Runners" draws inspiration from the enchanting beauty of cottage gardens, particularly during the vibrant season of spring. This piece celebrates the harmony of nature and the whimsical presence of animals, creating an interplay of texture, color, and form that reflects the organic rhythms of the natural world. From the rich hues of blooming flowers to the playful movements of garden creatures, this piece invites viewers to reconnect with simple joys. It serves as a reminder of the magic that lies within the gardens we cherish, encouraging us to pause and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. Dimensions: 53" x 42"

Monarchs deserve to be fed banquets and the meal of choice for our butterfly rulers is milkweed. Due to pesticides and climate change milkweed is in short supply. We need to plant more so our monarchs can feast and multiply. My piece shows 3-D milkweed buds and blossoms creating a meal fit for a monarch. Dimensions: 20" x 20"

What an exciting sight it is to see a bald eagle in flight. With a wingspan of up to 7.5 feet, they soar majestically through the sky, drawing the attention of anyone lucky enough to be in the area. Once endangered, the rare bird’s population has increased from 400 pairs in the lower 48 states in 1963 to 316,700 eagles in 2019 in the same area, including 71,467 breeding pairs. The bald eagle on the Presidential Seal has long been considered our National Bird. On December 24, 2024, President Joe Biden signed a bill making it official. Dimensions: 42" x 40"

Hurricane Helene inundated our town with an angry, roiling torrent of water. It pushed tons and tons of rock downstream, turning bridges into dams, destroying fourteen train trestles in its wake. It broke some houses in two, demolished others, and some simply disappeared. Its force rammed a pool table through a solid concrete wall. It only took a few short hours to take out the economic driver of our town costing many people their livelihood. We watched raw power pour through the streets of Damascus, VA. Dimensions: 35" x 34"

This art quilt exudes the playful nature of improv piecing. The design unfolds with each color and shape added. Dimensions: 28" x 20.5"

This quilt was made entirely of scraps, curated to play well with each other. The curves and playfulness of the shapes gave me a feeling of joy. Dimensions: 28" x 20"

As a textile artist, I create quilts and thread-painted wall hangings that explore texture and design. Drawn to improvisational and abstract approaches, I experiment with threads and fabrics to add depth and dimension to my work. Nature, especially clouds, inspires me, and I’m continually exploring ways to translate their shifting beauty onto fabric. A transformative class with Karlee Porter reshaped how I view art and the world, fueling my passion for discovery. Through my work, I hope to inspire wonder and invite others to appreciate the beauty of texture, pattern, and the natural world. Dimensions: 37.5" x 38"

Inspired by a photo by the artist, a sun pillar is depicted, as seen on a lake in British Columbia on a cold winter evening. The fleeting phenomenon occurs when sunlight reflects off ice crystals in the frigid air, creating a vertical beam of light that cuts through the stillness. This quilt celebrates nature’s transient wonders and the peace found in the wild. Dimensions: 24" x 18"

Glaciers move ponderously over the landscape, pushing stones and soil southward until they finally melt. During the Ice Age, they reshaped the land. Sadly, more of them have melted for the last time and will never return. This is my memorial to those ancient carvers of the planet. The rightward chevrons point to the inexorable direction of travel, while the vertical stripes indicate how they are melting, first slowly, then all at once. Dimensions: 62" x 62"

Oceans abound in colorful creatures and micro as well as macroalgae. The rich resources of the untamed ocean flora, full of color, beauty, symmetry, shape and function are exhilarating. I tried to imagine some of those colorful seaweeds which are not only primary oxygen absorbers and carbon dioxide sources, but are also home to fish which live and hide amongst them, and rich sources of biopharmaceuticals. Dimensions: 58.5" x 58.5"

The wind can be bountiful in all the blessings that it can bring (it can cool you off on a hot day, produce power, blow seeds around). It can also be ominous and hugely destructive as witnessed by out-of-control fires. I have tried to create the sensation of movement as the wind blows over plains and waters. Dimensions: 34" x 46"

“Wild” to me suggests the permission and freedom to explore. “Coloring Outside the Lines” was inspired by a painting I completed earlier this year in which I freely explored the materials of paint and crayon. I knew I wanted to add a textural element, so I manipulated the photo of the painting, printed it on fabric and had fun with the quilting. Parts of the piece have added batting to bring portions forward. Dimensions: 24" x 24"

One inch solid strips sewn into half inch color spectrum was an insane and wild adventure. Dimensions: 39 "x 61"

There is a moment when you realize that there is something, someone, some wild thing – on the other side of an opening. What is back there? Who are they? Are they trying to get out or get in? The once-simple geometry of windows and frames becomes a secret, bottomless, wild world. What secrets are hiding behind those openings? Dimensions: 29.5" x 37.75"

We are all wild about our blue jeans, especially their back pockets. Our jeans document our day to day lives in a blues-tune of thread and softness. The faded indigo and frayed edges wrap around our bodies and our hands with familiarity. We rely on those pockets to keep us company, keep us organized, and add a bit of improvisational blues to our lives. Dimensions: 40.5" x 39"

"Cut Flowers" grew from my exasperation at some audiences’ insistence that all art must be "pretty." That notion simply drove me WILD! So, I cut up three floral quilts I had made in the past that were -- frankly -- boring. Slicing them to bits and recomposing the pieces into an abstraction is my wild attack on the notion of "pretty" art. Stitching traces new blooms that emerge from between the chards. This new, wilder life will endure far longer than simple, "pretty" flowers. Dimensions: 54" x 40.25"

Create fabrics with abandon, then tame them. Dimensions: 34 " x 23"

I took a photo of one of my art quilts, manipulated it in Photoshop, and had the new photo commercially printed onto cotton. I cut up the resulting fabric into blocks and altered each block with fused elements, sometimes creating new blocks based on imagery in the originals. The new quilt has the same color scheme as the original quilt but a completely different design. Dimensions: 27" x 27"

This Wonkey Donkey displays happiness but he is known for his stubbornness and sense of independence. He “he-haws” and is a wild and free spirited companion when he is guarding his horse pals. He brings a calmness to his pals but I know he really has a wild streak in him. Dimensions: 19" x 24"

I became passionate about creating art using fibers that capture the beauty I see in nature. It was in my mid-forties when I began to explore my creativity through classes and workshops. My artistic talents developed through self-exploration and were inspired by a crazy quilt workshop where a spark of wisdom given by the instructor to “create from my imagination,” gave me the freedom to tap into my own creativity and awakened my desire to become a fiber artist. The things I love to create are flowers, trees, and ocean scenes. Dimensions: 22" x 18"

One of a series of spiral quilts. Many of the "rays" are made from pieced strip sets, rather than plain fabric. The patterns and fabrics change as the spiral unfolds. Dimensions: 34" x 34.5"

Spiculate means "spikey." When used to describe a mass on a mammogram, it's a bad sign. I learned this word 26 years ago when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. I ran into it again when I was again diagnosed with breast cancer. Dimensions: 31 "x 27"