What inspired
you to feature a rooster on the panel?
Roosters have always been
one of my favorite subjects. My mother
collected rooster designs, she had dozens around the house, particularly in the
kitchen with everything from cookie jars to salad plates. When I was a kid, for
her birthday or Mother’s Day or Christmas, or sometimes just when I was in
trouble, I’d draw pictures of roosters to give her as presents. She loved them, or at least pretended
to! So I have a lot of experience with
roosters, and a lot of positive feedback!
It just seemed right for this collection. Sort of a tribute to her.
How do you
decide which quilt blocks/motifs to use in your designs?
I like to tell a story
with my art, and try to use quilt blocks as part of the narrative. For an Irish piece I like to use an Irish
Chain block, or for an Angel design maybe something warm like a Log Cabin. For Christmas pieces there’s a lot to choose
from, I like to use the Bethlehem Star or variations of it. But it’s all a part of the story of the
piece, usually giving it some sort of context or grounding. I do have several reference books to help
with that, and the internet is a wonderful thing!
In what ways
do you think that using quilting motifs in your art enhances the designs?
Well like I say, it’s part
of the narrative. But I also think it’s
a way to connect with people. Everyone
seems to have some sort of association with quilts, one way or another. Either they are a quilter, know a quilter or
have a quilt. They look at my art and
see something that jogs a memory or emotion.
And that memory or emotion is usually warm and comforting, like a quilt.
Can you tell
us about the main rooster?
The Awaken the Day Rooster
is one of my favorite designs ever. I
painted it at a trade show as part of the exhibition and talked with people the
entire time I was working on it. I like
to think they all contributed something to the final design.
Do you have a
favorite print in the collection? If so, which one and why?
I like how it all works
together. I think that’s really the
hallmark of a good collection, that the designs interact and compliment. This one fits the bill.
Can you talk
about the coordinates?
Tell us about
the Folky Floral print
It’s my version of
Rosemaling, I particularly like this one because it’s got roots in authentic
folk-art designs.
Do the motifs
in Country Stripe show up in your other prints?
Yes! I think that’s part of the discovery
process. When you look at something new
there are elements in it that bring you back to something you’ve seen. And I think that gives the quilter options to
be creative, ways to bring those elements together or to use in contrast.
Tell us about
the paisleys.
Paisleys are so much
fun! Whimsical settings for scenes or
designs or motifs, a way to coordinate a lot of different elements into a
single piece.
Your artwork
has such a signature look. How do you ensure your fabric collections look
different from each other?
That’s easy! I draw on centuries of folk art and quilting
designs for inspiration. I’ll never run out of unique and different subjects
and motifs!
What do you
like best about designing fabric?
I love it that people will
use my designs to create their own, unique art.
Quilters are fellow artists, colleagues even. It’s flattering, humbling and exciting all at
the same time that I’m providing some sort of material or inspiration for their
work.
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