What is an Art Quilt?
I believe ALL quilts are art. Just because something is functional, like a bed quilt, it can still be art. Good examples of functional but still art are the quilt’s of Gee’s Bend or Amish quilts. I love these quilts and they are beautiful to look at and even more wonderful to curl up with. We create cozy art when we create these bed or lap quilts. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy when I am sick and someone brings me their quilt to curl up in. Better than a store bought quilt.
While we are on the subject of store bought or more specifically catalog bought quilts. It makes me furious when I see a “hand quilted” quilt in a catalog for $79.99. I can’t even buy the fabric for that price. Plus what do they pay these people who make them? I boycott any store or catalog that sells them. I would urge you to write them and tell them what you think. It cheapens our craft, our art. Education should be our goal which is the goal of this newsletter.
I want to educate galleries and “traditional” art shows that our work is art. I started creating quilts last year instead of traditional mediums and I feel my work is more creative now. I always felt my work was missing something. That “something” was the sense of touch. A nice oil painting is hard to curl up with. There are quilts that would make terrible blankets but they still are nice to touch. I am a touchy feely type which comes from losing my sight in my teens and then gaining it back in my 20’s. My quilts always have lots of things that would appeal to the touch.
The more quilters’ enter traditional art shows the more we can educate galleries and the general public. What makes a strong painting in oil or other “traditional” medium? Design, line, shapes, color, lighting and emotion. Technique is involved but to a lesser extent. If the design is great then technique is only used to express the idea. I am not saying technique is not important. It is. I have had great ideas but then poor technique killed it. My first few quilts would make it through the first rounds of challenges but when I sent the actual quilt was where I got rejected. My technique back then was not good enough. I work 12 hour days trying to improve my technique and workmanship. Through reading every quilt book and doing the samples. Some people work well with taking workshops but not me. I work better alone. I belong to a wonderful guild where once a month we review and critique each others work and I highly recommend a group like this. Everyone has a different way of learning. Try to find out yours.
So what makes a quilt art? Expression of an idea through line, shapes, design, color, lighting and emotion. Not all quilts use all of the above and neither do all paintings. The most important thing to remember is that art is an expression of an idea, such as a log cabin quilt expressing the beautiful colors of the rainbow or the depiction of a realistic portrait of the pet you love.