Alison Schwabe

We would like introduce you  to your Juried Artist Member,

starring ...

Alison  Schwabe 

www.alisonschwabe.com

Australian girls in the 1950s were taught cookery and sewing as 'domestic science'. my grandmothers, mother and aunts all sewed and embroidered, so I learned many fabric and thread skills.  I studied at university for a teaching career, but as my geologist husband's career required frequent major re-locations, my teaching career was patchy and brief.  While I sewed and decorated and clothes for children, stitchery became a portable passion, linking me with fellow embroiderers, workshop teachers, quilt makers and multimedia artists wherever I've gone. Living in various different landscapes has always inspired my art.  

Ora Banda (1992)

 127cm x 150cm    Western Australian Goldfields desert surrounds the historic mining town of this name. Selected for Quilt National 1995.  Collection: Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, CO USA

http://www.alisonschwabe.com/gallery-detail.php?cat=3&ID=2

My first designs in stitch were exhibited solo in Sunburnt Textures in Australia, 1987. Combining paint, stitch and found objects, framed mixed media works celebrated the colours and texture of landscapes.  By moving to the United States I encountered traditional American patchwork; an intense love affair that developed as my ongoing experiences in the American Southwest renewed my interest the art of ancient Man.

 I produced the series of art quilts, Ancient Expressions.  My Colour Memory series grew out of realising that I associate places and events with certain groups of colours. The Tracks quilts explore the notion that given a long enough period of time, every surface, from living body to granite mountain, displays signs of change.  Most recently the Ebb and Flowquilts developed around the concept that like tidal action, the balance of various features such as people, health, fame and fortune in our lives changes constantly over time.

 

I publish a blog, www.alisonschwabe.com/weblog/ effectively my visual diary, in which I write on experiences and experiments related to my art. 
I exhibit regularly in USA and Australia, occasionally teach workshops, and welcome opportunities to speak to textile art groups.  My work is usually for sale, so for a purchase or a commission proposal please contact me for further information.  

 alison.schwabe@gmail.com

Timetracks 7 (2008)

99cm x 74cm      37" x  29"  

Quilt National in 2009

http://www.alisonschwabe.com/gallery-detail.php?cat=2&ID=4

colours memories

Green Island

104cm x 102cm      A beautiful island of the N. coast of Queensland Australia

http://www.alisonschwabe.com/gallery-detail.php?cat=3&ID=0

  

By Alison  What your tip for those starting ? You asked what tip I would give to someone who wants to make art quilts.   First of all, learn the basic principles of design and the use of colour -these are so important to making original interesting work. Whether you come from a traditional patchwork and quilting background, or from some other art/design background, if you can cut and sew fabric in some way, you already know enough to get started.  Think about the things that are important to you. Perhaps your family might be the subject of your art - everyone has SOME kind of family, past, present, distant, young, old ...? Do you feel strongly about some social or political causes?  What about 'the environment' ?   Is climate change an issue for you?  Do you have challenges of some kind?   Do you read, watch movies, enjoy music?  Is history something that interests you?  I could go on and on ...    Anyway, While you are thinking about what you want to make the theme, what you want to show or say, in your art quilts, take photos of things, textures, colours, shapes around you. Perhaps you could write a sentence or two about each photo you  take. If your interest is 'people' look at photos and with permission take photos people doing things, or sketch them.  Or you could research online - Pinterest is amazing (because we can't go to museums at the moment) Take time to look at the work of some other artists and designers working in other media than fabric and thread.  now, no one can do ALL these - I am just suggesting some of the ways to start thinking and sorting out your thoughts about your art.  One thing you should do a little of every now and then is to learn the basics of the use of colour and the principles of design.  And most importantly, you need to go through some or all of these kinds of processes to be able to makes to produce original work, not copy what other people have done.   Anyway, I suppose I could summarize by saying design from what you know and have feelings about; learn about design and colour; look around to see what artists in all kind of media are doing, not just fabric; and finally use what technical knowledge you already have and start with that.  When things 'return to normal' you might be able to go and take a workshop with a teacher who knows a technique you want to  use - but there is a lot of material out there online, now.  If you already quilt, sew or embroider, you already have enough skills to start! Alison Schwabe Website www.alisonschwabe.com Instagran https://www.instagram.com/alison_schwabe_/ Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/alison.schwabe1

Ps.: All images and text are © Alison Schwabe