The Artist

I am an art quilter exploring stories starting with a photograph.

Vintage images, family albums and camera phone snapshots documenting my life are my primary subject matter.  Every art quilt I make has a rich subtext - a hidden story.

Creating allows me, as an artist; to think deeply about my life and celebrate the joy I find everyday

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My process starts with a digital image. I use photo manipulation software to enhance or create a new composition. The digital file is sent to a commercial fabric printer. When the fabric arrives in my studio, I use a variety of  materials including dyes, pigment sticks and paints directly on the cloth.  As I quilt through the cloth, batting and backing; I am  drawing with thread to create a rich and visually exciting  work of art.

Margaret Abramshe was born in Honolulu Hawaii in 1959 to family of academics. She studied for her BFA at the University of Colorado at Boulder, received a degree in Art Education from Florida International University and a Master’s in Fine Art from the University of Northern Colorado. She spent her career as public school educator, a mentor teacher, wrote numerous grants and was part of district wide curriculum writing teams in Jefferson County Colorado.

Since retiring, Margaret has devoted her time to being studio artist working as an art quilter.  In the past three years Margaret’s art quilts have been included in numerous local, national and international shows.

Recent Posts

Sharing what I know with others….

For many years I spent my creative time making projects for my students.

I was continuously gathering inspiration at museums, galleries, in books, at classes, online and with other artists. Very little of my energy was devoted to my personal work.

Like many of my fellow art  teachers, when I first retired I had zero interest in teaching. I wanted to take the time to be an artist.

My energy poured into my studio.

Being a fulltime artist was my dream job.

My intense focus has paid off for me. I now am beginning to see the fruits of my studio time. I have pieces traveling in shows around the world. The past year I have begun to win recognition.  Thanks to my new schedule, I am able to travel to places like Art Quilt Tahoe.  where I could study with the master’s in the art quilt world including Jane Dunnewold and Sue Benner.

 

Today I just scratching the surface of what I want to create in the future.

This creative life is a great privilege.

blog October

Recently something odd happened. I started to  think about teaching again.

The desire to share what I have learned and to grow the community of art quilters here in Southern Utah has been on my mind over the past year. Lucky for me I belong to a thriving quilt guild that needed a someone to help serve those quilters who were interested in learning about art.

What is great about sharing what I know with other people, is that I learn as much from group members as I (hope!) they learn from me.

Right now there have been two meetings. At the first meeting I pulled out a design problem that I used in middle and high school. By the next meeting I was looking at several little art quilts that went well beyond my simple instructions.

When you share what you know  you are forced to take a few steps back and think about how much you had to learn.

I pulled out set of watercolors and began to work on some simple landscapes. Sharing with others helps me look at a process and define each step.

For example you have to start with the background first. The next steps are to lay down each part of the landscape from front to back. This process is as true for painting as it is for an art quilt.

 Community helps you grow.

There is nothing like being in a room with creative people to get your mind geared up for studio time.

Until next time…..

Margaret

Studio Redesign

My studio remodel is done. It took a little time, some elbow grease and a little under $1000 to create a wonderful dedicated work space. 1. Start with the surfaces. I needed light that filled the space evenly. I painted all the walls with a white with a little sheen (not a flat white). Next […]

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12 Little Secrets to Becoming an Art Quilter

I love Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen’s passion is the study of happiness and habit formation. On her webpage she has long list of “secrets to adulthood”  The secrets are little reminders that help make life more enjoyable and promote good habits. I began more than 10 years ago working exclusively on art quilts. For past four […]

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The Careful Snapshot

Like many people, I am on a summer road trip. My husband and I our heading back to our former home to see our son, visit friends, do a little sightseeing and attending the opening of “Art Quilt Legacies” in Ft. Collins Colorado. While on the road, like many people; I  take photographs to post […]

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BIG Fish in Little Pond or Little Fish in BIG pond

I have been working the last three years on building a portfolio. My process has evolved through SAQA mentorship program, classes, critique groups, professional conferences, journals and my local community of quilters. Along the way my perspective has changed. I think of this change as a shift from the kind of creative “pond” I am […]

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