As a viewer of art I want to be visually engaged. I want to enter the piece and I want to be changed for the better. I want to keep looking. That is what I strive to provide for the viewers of my pieces.

My current work has evolved from a more intentional use of line, shape and color. The deliberate exploration of these elements is fueled by a powerful internal force to create the work.  Initial inspiration for any particular image can come from a variety of places.  Often there is something in the living, breathing world around us, an image, an environment, which haunts me and will not let go.

The intent within the work is always to create an immediate visual impact which draws the viewer in. The artwork itself is an invitation to move forward, look closely, then to stand back and float for a moment in the space between.

Photography - Sheila Frampton Cooper (Website)

“Art is not about exclusive experiences. Art is not about something the artist knows; it is about something we all know. It recapitulates life. We all share a creative goal with art. The goal is difficult; it is an invitation to change the world. We can expect that our strength will be spent, used up in a difficult struggle . . . But the “difficult” has never been a reason for not trying. And perhaps in the end the only unforgivable sin is the refusal to try.” - Brother Thomas Bezanson as cited in  Creation Out of Clay  the Ceramic Art and Writings of Brother Thomas, edited and compiled by Rosemary Williams, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999.

My connection to fabric is primal, going way back to my toddler attachment to the transitional object of my blanket.  Like Harlow’s monkeys I find sustenance in the feel of fiber. I have been sewing since the age of nine, and quilting for the last 30 years. All of my work is original. I began by making quilts for the bed and 25 years ago began making quilts for the wall. I am a self taught artist with master’s degrees in Human Development and  Social Work. In addition to my part time clinical social work practice, I have pursued my development as an artist full time for the last 5 years, spending countless hours in the studio and studying with many talented artists.

My journey with fiber began with making clothing, then followed a path to create original one of a kind quilts for the bed which included repeat block and medallion designs. From there I made representational art quilts for the wall often inspired by nature. These art quilts taught me to truly see, and helped school me in basic design principles, teaching me about line, shape, color and proportion. I am currently creating abstract pieces as I learn to rely solely on my interior sense of design.

I believe in the transformative power of creativity.  My art, created mindfully, transforms me and hopefully those who view it.

Selected Exhibitions

2012
Invitational Group Exhibition,  Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum, Bethesda, MD

2011
Kramer Gallery, Silver Spring, MD, Invitational Exhibition
Tribute to Fiber Art, Black Rock Center for the Arts, Germantown MD, Juried Exhibition
Creative Crafts Council, Show at the Strathmore, Rockville MD
Solo Exhibition,  Black Rock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD

2010
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Auburn, NY
The Quilted Surface VI, Ross Art Museum, Delaware, OH
Tribute to Fiber Art 2010 (winner), Black Rock Center for the Arts, Germantown MD
Creative Threads: From Fiber to Fine Art, Popcorn  Gallery, Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD

2009
Quilts=Art=Quilts 2009, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
Conversations in Fabric,  Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio (2009)
Fisher Gallery, Otterbein College, Westerville, OH
Points of View, International Quilt Festival, Long Beach, CA
Freemont Center for the Arts, Canon City, CO
William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, Escanaba, MI (2010)
Creative Crafts Council 2009 Exhibition, The Mansion at Strathmore, Rockville, MD
Tribute to Fiber Art 2009, Black Rock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD
2009 Form, Not Function: Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN

2008
Threadlines 2008, Missouri State University Art and Design Gallery, Springfield MO
Amazing Art Quilts, Staunton Augusta Art Center, Staunton, VA
2008 National Small Art Quilt Works, The Main Street Gallery, Groton NY

2007
Quilts: A World of Beauty, award winner, International Quilt Festival, Houston TX
Quilter’s Heritage Celebration, Lancaster PA
The Sky’s The Limit 2007, International Quilt Festival, Houston TX
Creative Crafts Council 2007 Exhibition, the Mansion at Strathmore, Bethesda, MD

2006
In Full Bloom III, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX
Lower Town Arts District Quilt Walk, Paducah, KY
Quilter’s Heritage Celebration, Lancaster, PA

Publications

Portfolio 16
Quilting Arts Calendar 2007

Memberships

Studio Art Quilts Associates (Professional Artist Member)
Surface Design Association
Fiber Arts Study Group
Cloth & Chocolate
MetroThreads

Studio Art Quilts Associates - SAQA
Surface Design Association
Quilt Surface Design Symposium