Label Type
Artist CommentaryLabel
"My mother, Muriel Stoddart Bishop, was born in Falkland Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada. During a trip to visit our Canadian cousins years ago, we took an excursion boat to a tiny island a few miles off the coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia - home to thousands of sea birds. During the summer, many of them are North Atlantic Puffins. From the boat, using my telephoto lens, I took almost 100 pictures which I promptly tucked away, meaning to do something with them when 'getting around to it.' Two yards of Mickey Lawler's fabric with its blue, red, yellow, and gray sky reminded me of the colors in those pictures.
I never would have had those pictures if my mother hadn’t insisted on the excursion to see her “native” birds. Every bird made me smile as I remembered her excitement. “Puffins” is dedicated to her for her inspiration."Label
"Since my grandmother taught me to sew on an old treadle machine over sixty years ago, sewing and various forms of hand work have become an important part of my life. Because I enjoyed art in high school, Art Education became my major in college. Eventually I taught Creative Crafts, Drawing, and Commercial Art to high school students for 32 years. Hard edged, color-field posterization from photographs developed as a lesson for the latter and became the method I use to create the designs for prepared edge hand appliqué.
I began quilting about 21 years ago, making traditional pieced quilts for family and friends, Then during the first of many trips to Paducah American Quilter's Society Show, in 1992, I was surprised and delighted to see Nancy Brown's fantastic winner depicting animals of Noah's Ark. I also learned that many prize-winning quilts there and at the museum used birds and animals as their focal point. Realistic animals were indeed a legitimate subject matter for a quilt artist.
Having been involved in various competitions since childhood, 'competition' quilts have become my passion. All six of my quilts have won multiple awards. 'Two Minutes in May' was chosen as one of the '100 Best American Quilts of the 20th Century.'"Label
"As an art student, I was encouraged to depict two-dimensional objects in an abstract or non-representational matter. But I always like the challenge of realism, especially the unique utilitarian form and shape of animals.
My first time at an American Quilter's Society show, the realistic depictions of the pictorial quilt categories inspired me to develop a prepared edge appliqué technique which I have used now for about twenty years. The personality of the animals or birds that inhabit my quilts appeal to the children and adults alike. Over and over again they tell me that the quilts make them smile. That is the ultimate justification for my work." [2008]