Author: Sue Lewis textiles

My new website, Sue Lewis Textiles, can be found at http://www.suelewistextiles.weebly.com and is up and running. Check it out to see my vases and spirit dolls.

A very happy new year for me. One of my quilts sold in the Aspen and Evergreen art gallery in Estes Park and I received the news that I was juried into an online exhibit for a Studio Art Quilt Association (SAQA) titled “Waiting”. My quilt for Waiting is the one above with me in a birdcage, waiting to fly. I have felt caged up with all the Covid restrictions. I have to be pretty strict because I am a member of the vulnerable population. If interested to see more of my work, check out my Facebook (Sue Lewis – Arvada) page “Wall Hangings and Art Quilts”.

The quilt sold today was titled, “The Guardian”. It has lots of hand stitching and hand painted dryer sheets with painted twigs hanging “by a thread”.

I plan to enter the online gallery at SAQA (Studio Art Quilters Association) this week with this wall hanging. The photo of my great Aunt Esther was printed on organza and layered over woven strips of paper and silk. The printed tree is also on organza with strips of silk and gold foil.

I had a photo printed on cotton sateen after tweeking it in PicsArt and just finished quilting it. It does look just like a photo on fabric. I’m thinking I will add some textures to the background so the artist’s hand can be detected by the viewer. It is an original photo.

This group of leaves called to me because they seemed to be all lined up for viewing and the light struck them just right to give me detailed veins for quilting.

My quilt titled “First Light” has been accepted into R Gallery’s exhibit, Turning Leaves which opens October 27, 2020. It has been a crazy year with all the cancellations and postponements.

This started with a painted canvas to which I added details, like a mountain range, trees with branches and leaves, foreground foliage and water. It was then quilted on my mid arm quilting machine. and prepared for hanging. It is a small piece, measuring 13″ by 26″.

I was notified today that my quilt titled “From Tree to Tree Together” sold from R Gallery in Boulder.  I am thrilled that I sold one from an art gallery.  Maybe art quilts can be recognized as fine art, after all this time!

This was exhibited at R Gallery from May to July in their exhibit called “Upcycled”.  I have used painted dryer sheets to add color and texture to the piece.  The buyer was also interested in a second piece I had submitted to their “Sunlight” exhibit. The quilt below was titled “Leaves in Sunlight and Shadow”. It has several French knots hand-sewn on the surface and includes skeleton leaves, inkjet prints on organza and gelli plate prints.

Photo on the right has been altered in Photoshop and the dragonfly posed for several minutes even though he was getting wet from our lawn sprinkler.

I often find that nature inspires me and I am compelled to re-interpret the photo in textiles.  I always have my phone with me on my morning walks.

I have made 5 spirit dolls, which I consider to be an attempt at self-healing in the midst of isolation and lockdown because of COVID-19. Check out #selfhealinghopeII, #naturesartmotes, #naturesleavesinstitch, #naturesartincloth and #naturesartinspirations on Instagram.

As Emily Dickenson said, “Hope is the thing with feathers”.

I have been asked to speak at the opening reception for “Evolving Perceptions” on Thursday, July 23, 2020.  This is going to be a virtual opening with several people speaking on a panel discussing what sparked the artist’s interest in becoming an art quilter, how they approach creating a new piece, how they decide what materials and techniques to employ, and what it means to represent SAQA (Studio Arts Quilters Association) internationally and regionally.

The quilt below “Lichen with Branches” is part of a series on lichen.  This is a painted quilt, which was painted after quilting.  This makes the stitches very defined and creates a lot of texture.  The materials used include: felted wool, yarn, cheesecloth, lace, black lava, and heat distressed Tyvek  I added some painted branches to give the quilt more contrast and to push this beyond the perception of a quilt as being soft and cozy!  I have applied hand stitching and machine quilting., which was done before the painting.

The ability to connect with artists around the world, to enter my work in exhibits, an opportunity to learn from webinars and to use SAQA’s resources are the best benefits of being a member.

Hand painted dryer sheets, inkjet printed images, fusing with hand stitching and machine quilting.  Images are from the U.S. National Archives African American Portrait Project.

I have committed on posting photos of my daily creativity for 100 days.  Here are some samples.