Cover art used by permission of
Brenda Gael Smith for
Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge
These twelve amazing artists chose twelve themes and each one created a 12" x 12" art quilt for each theme. The artistry is spectacular. I love reading about each artist's techniques and story, as well as seeing the photos of their creative spaces. Since my art studio is not currently, um, shall we say, up and running (i.e., in boxes waiting to be unpacked) this is a nice jolt of creativity to inspire me. You can view these works at http://www.twelveby12.org/. Truly Paducah Quilt Museum worthy! I believe I can call them inspirational--quite a number of them caused me to intake breathe in amazement and wonder at the exquisite colors and textures. Who knew a sewing machine could elicit such beauty!
This is "Dandelion" by Art Quilter Diane Perin Hock. (c) Diane Perin Hock,
USED BY WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE ARTIST
see her blog at www.goingtopieces.blogspot.com
I think there is crossover between all mediums if the artist is willing to look for the connections. I often use photographs of quilts as an inspirational cue when beginning a new art glass piece. I also draw upon abstract expressionism and even Henri Matisse' collage cutouts to help me design my work. It seems to me that human creativity really has no end. Though I've often heard people say that everything that's been written has already been written, I don't believe that is true. Each story, each piece of glass, each poem, each painting, each quilt, et cetera, is uniquely its own, even if it draws upon similar themes as other works or even borrows heavily from other works. The end result is a unique creation. We seem to have a strong drive toward creating and our creativity pushes the limits of what we've done previously...if we will allow creativity free reign.
