Travel and Art

When I first met the man who would became my husband, I told him that I wanted to marry someone who would take me around the world. Thirty years later we are still traveling! And these trips continue to inspire my artwork.

Stickwork by Patrick Dougherty on the Biltmore Estate

As New Orleans experiences the ravages of yet another hurricane, I remember our visit there where I fell in love with the ancient Live Oaks. Their enormous sprawling limbs are breathtaking. I am working on a composition right now inspired by these majestic trees.

The scale of these trees are enormous! I love how the branches look like rolling waves.

Another trip was to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Beginning in 1888 George Vanderbilt II slowly bought up 125,000 acres of spent farmland in North Carolina. In addition to building a beautiful country estate, Vanderbuilt worked with one of the leading landscape designers of the day, Frederick Law Olmsted. Together they reforested this land, planting over a million trees during a ten year period. Through this effort the science of forestry was born. Later Edith Vanderbilt sold 86,700 acres of the estate’s forested mountain land to the federal government creating one of the first national forests, Pisgah National Forest.

Biltmore grounds

Driving through the estate, I marveled at the beauty of the forest. There was so much variety in the trees. It is hard to express how truly special it was. I also enjoyed the many trees in the grounds around the mansion and formal gardens.

Ironwood, NC State Championship Tree on the Biltmore grounds

Sycamore on the Biltmore grounds

For the past year I have been working in a new series, Trees. Why trees? They are silent sentinels witnessing history over years, decades and even centuries. Exposed to all of the elements, trees endure. Weathered trunks and twisting limbs create resilient living sculptures. It makes me think of a verse from the books of Psalms, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” (Psalm 1:3)

In these changing times, I want to be like a tree.

The beauty of hand stitching

While most of my works are machine quilted, I also love to hand quilt. When I first started quilt making all of my works were hand quilted. However, once my twins were born, I realized I needed to learn how to machine quilt. Hand quilting was just too time consuming. So for over a decade I only machine quilted. But as my children grew older, I began hand quilting a few select pieces again. There is something so soothing about a needle and thread rhythmically gliding through the layers of cloth and batting, creating a texture on a once smooth surface. Here is my latest finished hand quilted work. This composition was pieced in 2008, but I did not quilt it until recently.

“Field & Forest #2” 2008/2021, 28.5” w x 25” h

commercial cottons, cotton batting, machine pieced and hand quilted

If you look closely you will see many different colors in the quilting. When I lived in New Zealand a small shop decided to stop selling quilting thread and sold their remaining stock for a song. I bought one of every color!

“Field & Forest” 2008/2021 detail A

“Field & Forest” 2008/2021 detail B

And for additional inspiration for my fellow needle workers, I would like to share with you a piece by Marie Watt, a Native American who currently has a show, “Each/Other”, with Cannupa Hanska Luger at the Denver Art Museum. This piece was approximately 20 feet long. I found the beauty of the hand stitching on such a large scale breathtaking.

Marie Watt

“Companion Species (Canopy)” 2016

Reclaimed wool blankets, thread and embroidery floss

Loan from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana

Marie Watt “Companion Species (Canopy) detail A

Marie Watt “Companion Species (Canopy) detail B

Marie Watt “Companion Species (Canopy) detail C

“Each/Other” at the Denver Art Museum has several pieces that are textiles or include textiles. I highly recommend it. And in closing I will share a quote from the exhibition. As our world becomes increasingly divided, I think it is vital that we remember how we are all connected.

"Butterfly Garden"

I am thrilled to announce that the International Quilt Museum (IQM), University of Nebraska-Lincoln is adding my work, “Butterfly Garden,” to their permanent collection! My artwork will be part of the Quilt National Collection established in May of 2018 through a collaboration between The Dairy Barn Arts Center, home of Quilt National, the Ardis & Robert James Foundation, and the IQM.

International Quilt Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska

The IQM began as The International Quilt Study Center in 1977 and today has the world’s largest publicly held quilt collection. The collection has works dating from the 1700s to today, and representing more than 60 countries. Its mission is to build a global collection and audience that celebrates the cultural and artistic significance of quilts. It’s a great museum to visit!

“Butterfly Garden” 2016, 92”w x 82” h

hand dyed cottons, wool batting, machine quilted

Quilt National 2017, juried Heartland Award, Persistence Pays Award

“Butterfly Garden” is the 13th work in my garden series. It is also my first piece juried into Quilt National. Because many people ask me similar questions about my work, I began keeping more detailed records about each piece. “Butterfly Garden” is composed of over 500 pieces cut from almost 200 different hand dyed fabrics. Yes, I dye my own fabrics. I spent 427 hours creating this piece over a ten week time period. This includes designing, piecing, basting, quilting and finishing.

A garden is a cultivated space. My garden series explores the themes of growth and beauty in a variety of contexts. There is a reason urban planners create green spaces. Life is busy, demanding and sometimes hard. We all encounter disappointments and difficulties at some point, both in our private lives and the world at large. I personally need a space where I can slow down, breath deep and celebrate all that is beautiful and good. I do this out in nature and in my studio. Ultimately this series is about cultivating joy by reflecting on beauty. Specifically “Butterfly Garden” explores growth in the midst of light and shadow.

Butterfly Garden, 2016 detail

What are you choosing to cultivate in your life? Where are you finding beauty in unexpected places? What refreshes your soul?

Explore, experiment, play!

In order to keep growing as an artist it is important to continue experimenting and exploring new ideas. A great place to do this is in workshops. Let go of the idea that everything you make has to be a masterpiece. Give yourself freedom to fail. Give yourself freedom to play. Make for the joy of making. Make as a process of discovery.

Below is an exploratory piece playing with lines. It is a small study I did in a worksop several years ago that I finally quilted. I love the movement of this piece and the subtle shades of white in the ground. It is very different than anything else I have made, but there is something in this small piece that intrigues me.

“Line Study in Black and White” 2021, 36” W by 24” H

commercial cottons, cotton batting, machine quilted

Once again I used variegated threads in the machine quilting. I must admit I am not thrilled with the free motion quilting in the background. If I had it to do over, I would choose a different texture/design. Not every idea works out like you hope. Half way through I thought about ripping out the quilting and starting over, but life is too short. Instead I let go of perfectionism and continued “swiftly on.” I have many other basted pieces waiting for machine quilting.

“Line Study in Black and White” 2021 detail

What are you exploring in your work? Do you give yourself permission to fail? Permission to play?

My last traditional quilt "Romantic Nights"

For nearly 20 years my parents slept under the quilt I made for their 40th anniversary. Last year my parents finally downsized and in the process bought a new bed and the quilt that I made them was no longer wide enough for them to use. So my mother returned my gift for my safe keeping. In August, Lord willing, my parents will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

I started out in traditional quilt making in 1987. I fell in love with quilting through the endless possibilities of traditional blocks with their beautiful geometric forms and plays on values. Unlimited color combinations provided even more potential for creativity. My biggest challenge in making a quilt for my parents was their decidedly different color preferences. My father LOVES bright, vibrant colors! My mom loves beige. (Sorry Mom, but its true!) But I believe combining the hot pinks, purples, reds and oranges with the beautiful creams, beiges, taupes and soft blacks created a very successful composition

“Romantic Nights” 2002, 87.5” by 102.5” commercial cottons, cotton batting, long arm machine quilted by Roz Waterworth

From The Block Book by Judy Martin

This block, “Silver Threads & Golden Needles,” was designed by Judy Martin and published in her book, “The Block Book” by Crosley-Griffith Publishing Company in 1998. It is a great book filled with original designs giving a little twist on traditional blocks. Each of these blocks has 53 pieces to cut and sew back together. And I have always adored triangles! I actually made two quilts using this block. I love the challenge of the precision in both cutting and sewing the pieces so that you do not lose a single point. Yes, I am a bit obsessive. I actually think many quilters are. I mean really, we take perfectly beautiful fabric, cut it all up and sew it back together. If that’s not a sign of obsession I don’t know what is, but I digress.

Note that all the fabrics are commercial fabrics, and not a one of them is a true solid! Before I studied with Nancy Crow I used solid fabric only in sashings and bindings. The center of each star is a beautiful batik fabric I bought that inspired the bright color part of the palette, and every neutral is tone-on-tone or patterned.

I am blessed to have such wonderful parents who have enriched my life in so many ways. They have been a wonderful example of a loving and mutual supportive marriage And I am so appreciative of how much they have supported and encouraged me as an artist through all these years. My only bigger fan is my husband. I still have a large collection of patterned commercial fabrics that I plan to use again some day. My husband and I are coming up on our 30th wedding anniversary in June and we have been sleeping under the same two quilts all these years. Thinking it may be time for something new.

Joy in having quilted

I have a love/hate relationship with machine quilting. I remember one of my communications professors in grad school telling the class, “There is no joy in writing. There is joy in having written.” That is how I feel about machine quilting.

For nearly a year I have been working on machine quilting a large composition titled “Secret Garden.” I wrote about this same piece in an earlier blog “Getting Unstuck.” At last I am done! This piece took longer than usual for a variety of reasons, one of which was I made many more thread color changes. Every time you start and stop a thread you have four knots to sink in-between the layers of the quilt. Obviously this is more time consuming, but the overall affect I achieved was worth my effort.

Quilting is the last layer of design. It is almost like sculpting into the surface of the flat fabric creating a bas-relief. It makes the surface of the quilt come alive. Look below at my work in progress. You can see the contrast. There is such an opportunity to take your work to an even higher level with thoughtful quilting design.

Detail of “Secret Garden” vine leaves, work in progress March 2021

I will share another secret. I get bored easily. With each figure I try to come up with new quilting designs. In the figure below I tried using a thinner thread (aurifil) to create the little cells in-between the veins on the leaves. As an artist I think it is important to continue exploring new materials in my work.

Detail “Secret Garden” hosta A, work in progress March 2021

Even closer detail “Secret Garden” hosta A, work in progress March 2021

Detail “Secret Garden” hosta B, work in progress March 2021

You can see tails of threads that need to be knotted and sunk.

I am thrilled to have finally finished quilting this major work. I still have more knots to sink, and I need to wash and block it before binding the piece, but in essence it is done. There is JOY in having quilted!

How are you exploring new materials in your work? How much do you invest in your quilting? How does your quilting enhance/support your overall design?

Are you a collector?

Last week I met someone new and was asked if I was a collector. I had been talking about my recent visit to Key West and visiting many of the galleries there to gather research for my future gallery. I answered, “I’m an artist,” but upon further reflection, I realized I am also a collector.

Even from a young age I have always collected things— rocks, leaves, seed pods, boxes, post cards, dolls from around the world. My kids did too —bottle caps, sea glass, shells, interesting bits of wire, wood, bone, and metal. “Hector the Collector” by Shel Silverstein was one of our favorite poems in our homeschooling days.

In 2019 my husband was invited to be a key note speaker at a conference in Perth, Australia. It was a fabulous trip. I visited museums and galleries while my husband worked. I found an aboriginal gallery that I especially liked. I have two paintings in my studio from this gallery. I love the color and lines in these pieces.

Jan Billycan “Kirriwirri” 2009

60.5 x 60 cm, acrylic on linen

This painting is about sand dunes and living water in the area where the aboriginal artist lived and worked. I love these colors — turquoise blue, greens and ochre browns. The colors reminded me of New Zealand, where I lived for almost 8 years. I also loved the simplicity. In my most recent work I am experimenting with simplicity. I have always leaned toward complexity. I admire artists who do simplicity well.

Betty Mpetyane “Awelye and Bush Melon” 2018

60 x 60 cm, acrylic on linene

This second painting is more complex. It depicts the ceremonial designs painted on the bodies of aboriginal women. I love the vibrant colors. I thought the figures kind of looked like legs. Then I learned that these ovals represented lines painted on the women’s breasts. I find it interesting how the designs are done in sets of three. Maybe it shows the movement of the dancers in the ceremony. I can image the figures joyfully dancing across the canvas.

Costa Rica 2011

14 by 3 inches

woven

In addition to paintings, I also have many carvings and sculptures. Two of my favorite figures I found in a gallery featuring South American artists and artisans in San Jose, Cost Rica in 2011. Unfortunately I do not recall the maker’s name or country. I remember being told they took over a year to make. These figures are so detailed. I love the fringe above the eyes, the woman’s earrings, the man’s spear & basket and all the little fingers & toes. The weaving is so very fine and with many color changes. I think it is just amazing work.

I admire beautiful work in all kinds of mediums. Artwork I love has wonderful color usage, interesting line work and exquisite detail — qualities I am trying to achieve in my own work. My collection of art brings me joy and inspiration. What brings you joy? Where do you find inspiration? What do you collect?

Reoccurring Themes

I find it interesting to see how past work relates to my current work. This piece is from 2004 when I was still living in New Zealand. I am very contemplative when I work. There are always thoughts and ideas in what I am creating. This is reflected in the title, “Marriage: man, woman interwoven.” This was juried into Quilt Auckland National Symposium in 2005. My artist’s statement: “As one life intertwines with another, there is joy and complexity. Windows open to new opportunities and expanded horizons. Richness and depth are added, creating a new whole more than a sum of its parts.”

“Marriage: man, woman interwoven” 2004, 73” W by 63” H

commercial fabrics, cotton batting, machine quilted

My husband has always supported my development as an artist. Together we have built a life that supports, sustains and inspires my work. In this early work you will see blooms and leaf forms in the quilting. Plant forms have always represented joy, beauty and growth in my work.

“Marriage: man, woman interwoven” 2004 detail

“Marriage: man, woman interwoven” 2004 detail

Part of finding your artistic voice is discovering continuity and reoccurring themes in your work. How does this earlier work relate to what I am doing now? Plant forms continue to inspire and inform my work. It also shows I love complexity, and I have a preference for using large colorful palettes. Early on I began creating richly textured surfaces with unexpected pops of color through intense quilting using variegated thread. These are all themes that you will find in my work today.

Where are you in the discovery of your voice? What reoccurring themes do you see in your work? How does your earlier work relate to what you are making now?

Developing Ideas

In the spring of 2017 I had the opportunity to accompany my husband on a business trip to Barcelona, Spain. While he was attending meetings, I went to the Picasso Museum. My favorite exhibit was Picasso’s suite “Las Meninas.” He created a total of 58 pieces in this series. His pieces filled two rooms. It was fascinating to see how Picasso explored and developed his ideas as he reinterpreted and recreated “Las Meninas” by Diego Velazquez. Look up Noble Oceans Pablo Picasso: The Many Interations of Las Meninas for further reading.

An essential part of being an artist is exploring and playing and asking “What if…” Below is a series of small compositions where I did just this. The idea started with a small composition from a workshop in 2003. (Hint: if you really want to develop as an artist you must work on your own at home inbetween workshops.)

“Motif Exercise #2” pieced 2003, quilted 2009, 10.25” w by 10” h, commercial fabrics, cotton batting, machine quilted

Pamela Loewen

I loved this little piece and the concept of working with a small motif in both color and neutrals. I decided to try to build on the idea in the larger piece pictured either to the right or below.

“Landscape #1: Waterfall” pieced 2004 & quilted 2009, 7.5” w by 20.5” h, commercial cottons, cotton batting, machine quilted

Pamela Loewen

In this second piece I saw an abstracted landscape. Then I asked myself, “What if I try to make the motif float above the landscape?” This is where I pushed the idea in the third piece.

“Landscape #2: Floating Motif” pieced 2004 & quilted 2009, 16” w by 18.5” h, commercial cottons, cotton batting, machine quilted

Pamela Loewen

From here I thought, what if I changed the motif and made it more bird like and created a composition with a flock of birds flying over a landscape. The following two compositions explored this idea.

“Migration” 2004, 26” w by 36.5” h, commercial cottons, cotton batting, machine quilted

Pamela Loewen

“Migration 2” 2004, 21.5” w by 20.5” h, commercial fabrics, cotton batting, machine quilted

So that is how I got from the original motif study to Migration 2. Being married to a birder also was part of my inspiration.

What ideas are you exploring? The best way to explore ideas is to work in a series. Remember, there is always more than one way to interpret an idea. Be sure to give yourself time to play!

Naming

In 2013 I was invited to create work for a show curated by Nancy Crow based on the traditional quilt block “Bull’s Eye”. I ended up making 4 pieces. Below is the third one in this miniseries.

I had so much fun making this piece. It is vibrant and energetic. But when it was finished I didn’t quite know how to name it. I have been working in my garden series for several years now, and the temptation was so call it something like cosmic bloom to make it “fit” in the series. But this didn’t feel right. So instead I delayed the decision. After I finished the binding I stored this and moved on to my next piece. However, I wanted to share it, so I needed to finally name it.

2019 Flying Sparks 69”w x 65.5” h, hand dyed fabrics, wool batting, machine quilted

When I look at this piece I think of many things: fireworks, african headdresses, comets, hurricanes, vortexes, June Carter Cash’s song “The Ring of Fire.” As I was working on the piece I called it Flying Sparks. This name doesn’t fit in my garden series, but it is apt for the composition. Sometimes it is better to not over complicate things.

2019 Flying Sparks detail