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| Over the Sea to Skye |
When I started art quilting back in 2004 I had no idea where it would lead. It all started with a class that I took in 2004 at Quilt University with Susan Brittingham. That quilt took me until 2011 to finish. I was so stuck on the foreground. I think for years I went to quilt stores looking for the "perfect" fabrics for the foreground rocks and grass. I think eventually I figured out there was not a perfect fabric and just forced myself to finish it. As I look at it now I see so many things that are "wrong" with it. It was created from a photo and if it was in the photo I put it in the quilt. I did not think about editing for good design. I did not think about focal points. Also this was my first departure from traditional quilts so borders were an automatic addition. Now I rarely add borders to my art quilts.
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| Midwinter Visitor |
By 2012 I had improved in my approach to art quilts with my cardinal quilt. This was the quilt I made in Ellen Lindner's class. Now I had a focal point and a much better composition. Also I did not add borders. I still love this quilt.
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| Gathering Storm |
The real turning point came in 2014 when I took a year long master class with Elizabeth Barton. This class was a challenge in that I was still working and had to make one art quilt each month for 10 months. Granted none of these were very large, but each one proved to be a challenge. I did learn a lot about composition that year. This was a big jump forward. The other quilts made that year are
here.
I took another master class with Elizabeth Barton in 2018. This time it
was an independent study class. My goal was to make several quilts that I
had on the back burner for years. With Elizabeth's feedback I finished 4
of them.
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| When the Dark Night Seems Endless |
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| Evolution? | | | |
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| Taking its Toll |
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| Light in Darkness |
Even without Elizabeth Barton's guidance between 2014 and 2018 I did make some art quilts. These are a few of them.
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| Starry Scary Night |
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| Visions Past |
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| Sunlight in the Forest |
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| Midwinter's Night |
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| Dawn on Charles Bridge (in progress) |
In the last year I have actually entered my art quilts into shows (art shows as well as quilt shows) and have been really successful at that. I have entered 4 things and gotten in all 4. Back in 2014 I had no idea where I would be in 2019. As my husband says, "You've come a long way, Chrissy." I'm sure we would all have a similar story to tell about our beginnings and our evolution as artists.
Linking to
Nina-Marie.
Thanks for reading.
Chris
Absolutely stunning.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work, all of them! And kudos on getting accepted at those shows.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. It is nice to see the finished quilts from your Master classwork. I remember you working on several of them on Off the Wall Friday. Great job. Glad to see how you cropped the bridge piece, the decision making on that was the last of your posts that I caught.
ReplyDeleteA great overview. I've seen some in your blog entries and some in the first masterclass (those were good days), but it was fun to see them together with others you've done.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris, thanks so much for sharing your journey in art quilting. You have come a long way. I`ve been considering taking a class with Elizabeth Barton through the Academy of Quilting. Is that where you took her course?
ReplyDeleteI think this is such a valuable exercise for all of us, whether traditional quilters or art quilters. We seldom grow by leaps and bounds but more subtly, and that can only be grasped by looking back at the totality of our work. I am just so proud and happy for you in how this has all turned out and your work's acceptance into the world of exhibiting. You've worked hard at it and it shows!
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