Realism in Textiles

Surveying this exhibition, viewers are likely to ask, 'is this really a quilt?' These artworks are studies in textile realism and could be mistaken for photographs or even oil paintings. The techniques vary but the results are the same - amazing pictorial quilts. Enjoy the quilts that you can't believe are quilts.

The realism of this work, from the depth and color of the buildings to the reflections on the water is breathtaking. Using appliqué techniques and painted fabrics, Crawford makes you think you are lazily floating along the waterway admiring this scene.

"Port of Cassis was created from a photo that I took in the south of France in the small port of Cassis at dusk. This piece took me nearly a year to finish because constructing a fused piece can sometimes be complicated. I left off the lower water part for several months until I figured out how I was going to construct it.

Fabric is an incredible, flexible, warm medium. The fabric helps to make it better than a photo and can actually add so much more depth than a painting on canvas."

- Lenore Crawford

Ricky and Lucy is a colorful, vibrant example of realism in textiles. You can almost reach out and touch our feathered friends.

"The inspiration for this quilted wall hanging was various photos taken of parrots. Karen Sistek hand painted these parrots onto silk Habotai 16mm silk fabric using Jacquard Red Label dyes. After steam setting the dyes, she sent the piece to me to quilt. My mission...was to quilt it to make it look realistic. With a magnifying glass, I studied how the feathers actually look on the parrots. After a lot of time quilting each and every feather, I was pleased with the overall appearance. Next decision...how was I going to quilt the black background? Parrots are more known to be in a tropical environment so I quilted in various tropical leaf designs...there's even a banana tree in there!"

- Nancy Sterett Martin

Chasing Bubbles is a joyous example of realism. The children are playing, chasing bubbles, and having fun. You can almost hear their laughter.

Hiroko and Masanobu Miyama work together as a team: she pieces the quilt tops, he does the appliqué, and she does the machine quilting. Hiroko was inspired by the colorful bubbles. She designed the dark watermill to make the bubbles more beautiful.

Hiroko writes, "I love to express my grandaughters and dogs in beautiful scenery to make viewers happy."

This stunning example of realism in textiles resembles a photograph of Turkish embroidered throw pillows and blankets on market shelves. The colors are bright, bold, and vibrant. The quilt captures the shadows and light, making you think you can reach out and pull a pillow off the shelf.

“Where east meets west in Istanbul, there is a Spice Bazaar that has been there since 1597. There, surrounded by exotic smells and tastes, the vibrant colors of the silk road come alive. One vendor had so many ornate pillows of various colors and designs, it was like viewing an appliqué sampler. The quilt took five months to make. It is created with layers of fused raw-edge batiks. I thought the designs on the pillows were something that many appliquérs would appreciate and that it would be a busy enough design for me to enjoy working on for many months. After about 4 months into the project, I wondered, “What have I got myself into?” The detail on the bottom section nearly put me into a straight jacket. But as with all my quilts, I just faced the challenges head on, a little more each day, until it was finally completed.”
(Interview from The Backroads to Roads to California, April 2016)"

- Melissa Sobotka

Dance of the Twirly Girls is a wonderful example of realism in textiles. Vibrant, painted fabric and quilting lines give these flowers definition. These lifelike flowers could be found in a glorious garden somewhere.

"This quilt is dedicated to my Aunt Esther and Aunt Helen. They slipped their earthly bonds within a month of each other in early 2018. I needed to put my sadness somewhere, so I pulled out the fuschia top that I had painted that previous summer and turned my sadness into joy. These fuschia blossoms were at least 4-5" long and danced in the wind. While stitching, I thought of my aunties twirling around in a joyous dance. They are the Twirly Girls."

- Andrea Brokenshire

Forest Walk leads you to a staircase path wending its way through the trees. This quilt makes you think you could step through the frame onto the path. This is an amazing study in realism.

"The walk was slow. When I saw the stairway, inspiration hit! Usually I try to eliminate any 'man-made' elements in my pictures - but for some reason this stairway appealed to me. The sun was shining down the stairs and in this shot there was a weed or vine that showed itself to great advantage. When we came home and I viewed all of the shots - this was the one I decided to try."

- Pat Durbin

This blue and yellow bird sitting on the branch with it's brilliant colors is a wonderful example of realism. The colors and composition make this bird stand out in any crowd.

"I was watching birds in the tree outside our house with my spotting scope when I discovered the little bird in a sunny spot in the foliage. I attached my digital camera to the eyepiece and caught the image. The quilt relates to my work in general. I co-operate with my husband, Steen Hougs, and we are usually together on the search for motifs, inspiration and new avenues to explore. In nature we find shapes, lines, curves, hues, and values everywhere, be it in a tiny flower on the beach in Denmark or a grandiose seascape from the wild coasts of Brittany.

There are many aspects to quiltmaking, the predominant ones being their appeal to the beholders, the relief created by the quilting process itself, and the lack of reflections, which often are disturbing when viewing varnished oil paintings or glass-framed watercolours."

- Inge Mardal

The stunning colors and the blue herons in flight are a wonderful example of nature in action. The birds are beautifully detailed along with the colors in this glorious sunset.

The artist lives in a rural area in Southeastern Oregon with wetlands, bird refuges, forests, and lakes nearby. Her goal is to create very realistic scenes in nature that resemble paintings. In the last couple of years, she has started using more color and texture and graphic art elements.

Majestic Flight is Baeth’s interpretation of three large Great Blue Herons in flight. The birds were constructed separately. The bodies were thread painted and each feather was cut out, highlighted with inks, and fused one at a time.

The background started with bright colors that were cut into strips and pieces and then fused together to resemble a sunrise. It soon took on a life of its own. Landscape features were cut from ice dyed cottons, silks, and organzas. Paints were added to create highlights, shadows, and reflections. A flange was sewn to the main body of the quilt and then a border was added that included pieces of fabrics to match the landscape of the quilt.

This quilt appears to be racing memorabilia on the wall of a horse barn. Looking at it, the viewer finds it hard to believe it isn't the real thing!

Remembering Kelly took Shirley Kelly’s usual two long years of work on the quilt itself. The conception goes back to 1959 at a ‘Maiden- Special Weight’ race at Atlantic City Race track. Shirley’s husband Jay bet on Kelso because that was his nickname too. From then until the horse retired from racing in 1966 Jay’s ‘namesake’ earned enough for Jay to buy a new truck.

Shirley and Jay visited Kelso at Woodstock Farm in Maryland many times. Shirley says, “I think he was the greatest racehorse I have ever known because he did more things better on more occasions over a longer period of time. And just because I loved him.”

The 'unexpected beauty' in this quilt is a realistic floral illustration in textiles and fabrics. The colors are deep and contrasting against the white of the snow.

“I am passionate about the traditional framework of the American quilt, and that unique style is always reflected in my work. I personally refer to what I do as ‘illustrating with fabric and thread.’ The lesson I learned was to approach any artistic medium with the same view: that technique is an integral and essential step in the overall success of the final piece and its overall impact. My quilts are designed to specifically incorporate techniques that force me to stretch my abilities. 'Unexpected Beauty' took seven months to complete. Its creation departed from my usual tradition-based style in order to see if I could translate one of my watercolor illustrations into fabric.

With so much anger and media focus on the turmoil in current times, I wanted to point out that sometimes we need to be more open and perceptive to the positive messages and beauty that lay hidden just under our noses if we just choose to find them.”

- Sandra Leichner

Although this quilt does not represent one single image, the different scenes are lifelike and real. The images pull the viewer in, questioning the stories to be told.

"The majority of my quilts depict realistic wildlife and include some traditional piecing. Having a deep appreciation of traditional quilting, I try to display an area of piecing within my design. However, I'm first and last an artist who needs to create an original work of art. Working with today's tremendous selection of fabrics stimulates the imagination and makes the creative juices flow. I hope to pass along my love of animals and inspire others to appreciate their beauty through my work. By the end of my quilting days, I hope to have inspired a number of quilters to expand their talents to include not only traditional quilts, but other forms of the art."

- Cassandra Williams

Wetzler’s work is characterized by strong visual impact, use of color, complex design and attention to detail.

“Breeze is the third quilt in my 'Simply Sensational' Series using architectural settings to highlight each of the five senses. Touch is the only sense that involves the whole body. For this reason I chose a rush of wind through an open window to completely surround the dog with the awareness of this sense.”

- Rachel Wetzler

This stunning work 'zooms in,' cropping the image to just the cowboy's leg, arm, and the saddlehorn. The composition encourages a closer inspection and examination of the intricate details.

"Being born and raised on a cattle ranch near the Beartooth Mountains in the beautiful state of Montana provides a landscape to capture any artist's palette. After Montana State University schooling, my work career was in the medical field. Along in life came three beautiful girls, Brenda, Amanda, and Rebecca to love and cherish. In 1989, I lost my youngest daughter, Rebecca, in a car accident. Life took a drastic journey for the year that followed. One day I walked into a quilting class. Finally, I found a place to go with my heart, mind and hands. When I finished my first art quilt that I had titled 'The Wild Thing' I realized it was a quilt about Rebecca and took me through the steps of grieving. What a gift this fiber art has given to me."

- Karlyn Bue Lohrenz

This quilt resembles an antique photo. The viewer has to look twice to see that textiles are actually making up these images.

“A borrowed 1870's family photograph was the inspiration for this tribute to my great-grandfather, who worked at the Mount Pleasant Gold Mine for 17 years. I selected certain miners and rearranged them in my own design on a mountainside. I remember visiting the mine when I was a child. The colors of the rocks and mountainside are the colors I remember seeing back then.”

- Nancy Brown