Artist Statement

I often wonder what my life would be like if I hadn't discovered art quilts 32 years ago. I have always loved fiber and creating. I can't remember when I didn't sew. For years my focus was designing and making clothing. All that changed in 1983, however, when necessity caused me to design and make my first quilt. I was so taken with the pure artistry I experienced in creating this first piece that I immediately focused exclusively on quiltmaking, no longer making clothes or engaging in other types of sewing.

I find each step of quiltmaking, from beginning to end, a real challenge, and it is hard to say what part I like best. I love the pure creativity involved in conceiving and designing a new quilt. I love to piece and most of my quilts are made that way. I don't know why, but I purely adore stitching those ¼" seams. Although I used to hand quilt, most of my work is machine quilted now, although I often add seed stitching which is done by hand. I started working in series in 1989. Several of my series are pictured on this site. I enjoy working in a series as it allows me to expand a design idea. I continue to add work to several series already in progess and have added to these my newest Flying Geese Series pieces.

I have been extremely fortunate in the teachers with whom I have worked. I have studied extensively with both Nancy Crow and Michael James, and whatever sense of self empowerment I demonstrate in my art comes from the tutelage of David Walker. I have taken quilting and dye classes from Liz Axford, and I have also learned much in dye classes with Jan Myers Newbury, Ann Johnston, and Heide Stoll-Weber. I incorporate all their techniques when I dye my own fabrics.

My work has been included in many national and international exhibits including Quilt National 1995, 1999 and 2001; Visions 1992; Materials Hard and Soft; Fantastic Fibers. My work has been shown in several galleries, including the Gross McCleaf Gallery, the American Art Company, and Thirteen Moons Gallery.

Brief Biography

I live on Whidbey Island in Washington State with my husband Don and son David. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound, I taught in the area for several years. I started quilting in 1983 when I lived in Houston, Texas. After living there for 21 years, the family returned to the Puget Sound area. I have been totally immersed in quilting for over 20 years. I have been a member of the Contemporary QuiltArt Association for twelve years. My work has been displayed nationally and internationally. I work out of my home studio in Langley, WA, near the shores of Puget Sound. ---Photo Credit: Janet Steadman; Sunset view looking across the shallow shores of Useless Bay into Puget Sound.

Links

Contemporary Quilt Art Association Artfulhome.com Pacific Northwest Art School Fiber Optix Art: An Artists' Group Color Improvisations
Quilt Artists:	Liz Axford Cher Cartwright Ellin Larimer Carol Taylor Nancy Crow David Walker

Selected Resume

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2014 Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
2008 Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
2007 Anderson Art Center, Kenosha, WI
2006 Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
2005 Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
2004 Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
2003 Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
2001 LaConner Quilt Museum, LaConner, WA

SELECTED JURIED AND INVITATIONAL QUILT EXHIBITIONS

2016
Beyond the Surface, Whidbey Island Surface Design, LaConner Quilt and Textile Museum, LaConner, WA
Display at Palmer Station, Antartica
International Quilt Festival/Chicago, April 7-9, 2016.

2015
Featured Artist, Earlville, New York Opera House Gallery
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Mermorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
Featured Artist, Block Party Quilters, Issaquah, WA
International Quilt Association, Houston, TX
Quilt! Knit! Stitch! 2015 , Portland, OR

2014
Quilt Visions 2014, The Sky's The Limit, San Diego, CA
Out of the Blue, Whidbey Island Surface Design, LaConner Quilt and Textile Museum, LaConner, WA
The American Art Company's 12th Northwest Contemporary Quilt Invitational, Tacoma, WA
International Quilt Association, Houston, Texas
Penn Cove Pottery, Coupeville, WA

2013
Schack Art Center, Fiber Art, Whidbey Island Surface Design , Everett, WA
Brackenwood Gallery, Six Artists, Langley, WA
International Quilt Association, Houston, TX
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
Bayview Cash Store, When Your Plow is a Paintbrush, Langley, WA

2012
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
International Quilt Association, Houston, Texas
Textilia, Penn Cove Pottery, Coupeville, WA
Form, Not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
Color Improvisations, London, England
Color Improvisations, Dublin, Ireland
Color Improvisations, Groningen, Netherlands
Color Improvisations, Neumunster, Germany

2011
Texture, Blue Horse Gallery, Bellingham, WA
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
Rio Patchwork Design 2011.Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The American Art Company, 11th Invitational, Tacoma, WA
Twenty-five at 25, special Contemporary Quiltart Exhibit, Tacoma, WA
Color Improvisations, Verona, Italy
Color Improvisations, Munich, Germany

2010
Color Improvisations, European travel exhibit, Stuttgart, France, Berlin, Hamburg, The Netherlands, England, Japan
Form, not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
Fragments of Color, Confluence Gallery and Art Center, Twisp, WA
On the Surface, The LaConner Quilt and Textile Museum, LaConner, WA

2009
The Fiber Quest, LaConner Quilt and Textile Museum, LaConner, WA
Fiber Optix at the Cove, Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
Surface Design Association, Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
International Quilt Association, juried show, Houston, TX
Surface Matters, Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA

2008
Form not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters Quiltfest, Seattle, WA
International Quilt Association, juried show, Houston, TX
The American Art Company 10^th Quilt Invitational, Tacoma, WA
New Focus, Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR

2007
Give and Take, Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH
Evolution of the Art Quilt, Washington State History Museum, Tacoma, WA
Form not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
Pushing the Surface, Johnson Humrickhouse Museum, Coshocton, Ohio
Explorations in Fiber, Penn Cove Pottery, Coupeville, WA
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
Form, Not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
Solo Exhibit: Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI
Give and Take, instructor and student exhibit, Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH

2006
Form, Not Function 2006, Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters Quiltfest, Seattle, WA
The Quilt. Fiber. Art,  Washington State Center for the Performing Arts, Olympia, WA
The American Art Company 9th Quilt Invitational, Tacoma, WA
The Art and Soul of Quilting, Anderson Art Center, Kenosha, WI  
Solo Exhibit, Penn Cover Pottery, Coupeville, WA

2005
Quilt National '05  The Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center,
Athens, OH
Fine Art Quilts 2005, Jay Etkin Gallery, Memphis, TN
The American Art Company, 8th Quilt Invitational, Tacoma, WA
Moses Lake Museum and Art Center, Invitational Exhibit, Moses Lake, WA
Form, Not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
The Quiltfestival Hori 2005, Hori am Bodensee, Lake Constance, Germany
Solo Exhibit, Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, Coupeville, WA
Quilt=Art=Quilt,  Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY

2004
The 10th Annual Invitational Quilt Exhibit, The Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Quilt Expo IX Invitational Exhibition, Den Haag, Netherlands
ARTQUILTART, Invitational Exhibition, The University Museum, Indiana, University of PA
Reaching Beyond, Contemporary Concepts at Oak Hollow Gallery, Yakima, WA
The Quilted Surface, Quilt Surface Design Invitational, The Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH
Fine Focus 2004, traveling exhibit

2003
The 9th Annual Contemporary Quilt Exhibit, The Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Twenty-fifth Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa Arizona
The Penn Cove Pottery Gallery, solo show, Coupeville, WA

2002
Gifts to Gold Mountain, Contemporary Quiltart Association, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle, WA
Husqvarna Viking Masterpieces: A Voyage of Self Discovery, Houston, Texas
The Quilted Surface, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio
The 8th Annual Contemporary Quilt Exhibit, The Gross McLeaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2001
Quilt National, The Dairy Barn, Athens, Ohio
Crow Timber Frame Barn Grand Opening Exhibition, Baltimore, Ohio
Solo show, Instructors, Influences and Inspiration, LaConner Quilt Museum, LaConner, WA
The American Art Company, Tacoma, Washington
One Hundred Blankets, Edison Eye Gallery, Edison, WA

2000
Visual Rhythms, Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Full Flight, Contemporary QuiltArt Association, Sea-Tac Airport, WA
A Show of Contemporary Quilts, The Arts Council of Snohomish County, Everett, WA

1999
Quilt National, The Dairy Barn. Athens Ohio
The American Art Company, Tacoma, WA
Piece Work: Contemporary Quilts, Galeria Mesa, Mesa, AZ
1999 Art Equinox, Paris Gibson Museum of Art, Great Falls, MT
Textile Medium V, The Arts Chateau, Butte, MT
Materials Hard and Soft, Denton, TX
Fantastic Fibers, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY
Fine Arts Show, Anacortes Arts Festival, Anacortes, WA
Island Arts Council Annual Visual Arts Exhibition, Langley, WA
Art in Port Townsend Juried Art Show, Port Townsend, WA
In Good Voice, North Central Washington Museum, Wenatchee, WA

AWARDS

2006 The Art and Soul of Quilting, Solo Show Award for 2007
2006 Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters, Seattle , WA , First Place Award
2005 Fine Art Quilts, Jay Elkins Gallery, Memphis , TN , Second Place Award
2005 International Quilt Association, Houston , TX , Third Place Award, Innovative Pieced
2004 Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters, Seattle , WA , Best of Show
2004 International Quilt Association, Houston , TX , First Place Award, Innovative Pieced
2004 American Quilter’s Society, Paducah , Ky , First Place Award, Professional Wall Quilt
1999 Island Arts Council, award
1999 Merit Award, Port Townsend Art Show
1998 Distinguished Artist Award, Island Arts Council
1997 International Quilt Association, Third Place Award, Innovative Pieced

PUBLICATIONS

2008 CONTEMPORARY QUILTART ASSOCIATION:20th ANNIVERSARY
2006 QUILTER’S NEWLETTER MAGAZINE, July/August 2006
2006 AMERICAN QUILTER MAGAZINE, Summer 2006
2005 ART QUILTS: A CELEBRATION, Lark Books
2005 THE QUILTED PLANET, A Source Book of Quilts from Around the World, Celia Eddy, Clarkkson Potter/Publications
2005 QUILT NATIONAL, THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS, Lark Books
2005 WINNING QUILTS, Sterling Publishing
2004 FIBERARTS DESIGN BOOK SEVEN, Lark Books
2001 QUILT NATIONAL, THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS, Lark Books
1999 QUILT NATIONAL, THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS, Lark Books
1998 QUILTING TODAY, Issue No. 66
1998 DYES AND PAINTS, Elin Noble, Fiber Studio Press
1998 MACHINE QUILTING WITH DECORATIVE THREADS, That Patchwork Place
1997 FINE ART QUILTS, Work by Artists of the Contemporary QuiltArt Association, Fiber Studio Press
1997 ART/QUILT MAGAZINE , Issue #8
1997 COLOR, the quilter's guide, That Patchwork Place
1997 QUILTER'S NEWSLETTER MAGAZINE, May 1997