Label
Original Block: "Basket of Scraps"Label
"Except to aim for good design and color, there are no goals to my quiltmaking other than to satisfy my need for a creative outlet. I've done the teaching, lectures, award shows, but nothing achieves satisfaction like the joy of actually creating something tangible from that idea in your head."Label
"My work begins with the quilt blocks created and named by quilters of the past. From these beginnings, with colors, fabric and design I find it a challenge to create a new approach to something as old as a traditional quilt block.
I am interested in innovative design and color, but still want the end result to be more pleasing to the eye than shocking to the soul; somewhere between the faded gems of the past and the vivid harshness of the present. If my work looks traditional to some and contemporary to others, I have achieved the blending of old and new which is my goal.
Though it seems odd to everyone but me, I enter very few competitions. Although much appreciated, the awards are not necessary to keep me going. I'd make quilts anyway - win or lose. Its a joy to win big prize money and I'll sell quilts to those who'll pay, but quilts are less a business and more a creative need. I make quilts because it's my means of self expression. There are no hidden motives. I need no other reason. It's what I do!
Although I understand the reasons for the requests, I am so often asked to explain why and how I arrived at the final project I feel it necessary to express this personal opinion.
The clicks of a creative mind cannot and should not be over analyzed by anyone, least of all the artist. Inspiration may come from anything or seem to appear from nothing. It may be a result of study and training or a gut level instinct. To pick each line and color for a reason for its birth destroys the illusion that is beauty and art."