Karen

My medium is fabric, my method is quilting, and the source of my inspiration is frequently the written word. It may be a poem, a quotation, a prayer. The thoughts and feelings ignited by those words form mental images, which I sketch first on paper, and refine until I am satisfied with the design. The sketch becomes my working pattern, and I employ a wide variety of methods for creating the image in fabric, from traditional piecing and appliqué to raw edge applications. I frequently embellish my quilts with reverse bobbin embroidery and hand beading. I finish all my quilts with hand-guided quilting on my long-arm machine, using abstract, thematic motifs inspired by the words and images that first caught my attention. I enjoy sharing my interest in art quilts as an instructor and lecturer, and as the author of numerous articles for quilting and sewing magazines.

Professional Affiliations:

• VisArts Resident Studio Artist
• Surface Design Association
• American Craft Council
• Studio Art Quilts Associates

Recent Awards and Recognitions:

• Quilt selected for the 2008 Quilting Arts Magazine Calendar
• Quilt selected for 2006 International Touring Exhibition "Tactile Architecture"
• Quilt selected for 2006 Hoffman International Touring Exhibition
• Self-portrait quilt published in Quilting Arts Magazine Winter 2005, Issue 20
• Review of Touchstone Gallery exhibit in Washington, DC, includes write up of my quilt in the Examiner Newspaper, August 12 & 13, 2006
• Feature article written about my work in Washington Jewish Week, June 23, 2005
• Prayer Shawl entry received Fiber Art Study Group Award at Creative Crafts Council 25^th Bienniel Show

Recent Exhibitions:

• May through July 2007 Creative Crafts Council 26^th Bienniel Show
• February through April 2007 Studio Art Quilts Associates "New Art from an American Tradition" at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival and the Gallery at Merchant's Square in Colonial Willamsburg,
• August through September, 2006 Multi-media Show at Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC
• November 2005 Solo Show at HaMakom gallery, Temple Emanuel, Kensington, MD
• May through August 2005 G Street Fabrics, Rockville, MD. Solo show featuring 14 pieces, including Judaic prayer shawls and quilted wall hangings.
• May through July 2005 Creative Crafts Council 25th Bienniel Juried Show, Strathmore Mansion, Rockville, MD
• November through December 2004 Artsites 25th Anniversary Group Show at the JCC, Rockville, MD

Recent Projects:

• Tifereth Israel Congregation, Washington, DC   I am currently contracted to create all the fiber art for the sanctuary, including the interior of the ark, outer curtain, torah mantles, and lectern covers.
• Glenwood Community Center, Glenwood, Maryland  I was commissioned to create a quilted triptych for the newly constructed center's lobby.

Education: B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University, 1981.  M.A. from The University of Chicago, 1986.

Profile: 47 years old, married 20 years (!) with four children, ages 19, 17, 11, and 9. Fluent in Spanish and enthusiastic about gardening, walking the dog, and eating out.