Artist Statement

My gardens provide a never-ending source of inspiration and solace. Flowers especially speak to me. My pieces try to capture their essence, their energy and the awe I feel when experiencing their beauty. Photographs and drawings enable me to capture with my fiber art what the flower says to me. It is a very personal message that I hope to convey. I began quilting in the early 1970s, using the old tried and true methods: hand tracing templates and hand sewing all the little pieces into blocks, then hand quilting the whole piece. Although I enjoyed the pattern and color manipulation, knowing the outcome of the piece before it was completed lost its appeal. In the 1990s, I became aware of the art quilt movement and found a new direction. Currently I'm pursuing an art degree and am enjoying the visual and intellectual stimulation and exposure of the various art forms. This series of garden quilts began with some intriguing photos I took of tulips in the spring of 2005. I was so taken by their stunning colors and forms. My quilts became more stylized, with color and shapes telling the story. I recall a statement by Georgia O'Keefe telling of her subjects in 1926, "They fascinated me so that I forgot what they were except that they were shapes together-singing shapes." I hope that I am capturing those incredible shapes seen within a blossom, and the subtlety of their color. My art quilts are made of hand or commercially dyed silks. I often over-dye the silk many times to capture a fuller, richer depth of color. A fusible interfacing is applied; the pieces appliquéd and quilted with monofilament thread. I hope you can experience what I see and feel. I am endeavoring to interpret those feelings in my images of flowers, some common, some exotic. I hope you will join me in experiencing their beauty.

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Juried Exhibitions

9th Quilt Nihon Exhibition. Tokyo, Japan, 2008 World of Beauty: International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, 2007 Fabric of the Imagination: Visions Art Quilt Gallery, San Diego, CA, 2007 "Quilts=Art=Quilts 2006", Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, New York, fall, 2006 and 2007 "Innovations in Fiberarts III," Sebastopol Center for the Arts, fall, 2006

Selected Group Exhibitions

Artisans International Gallery, Minden, NV, winter, 2007 High Studio, Moorpark, CA, winter, 2007 "Fabulous Fiber Fest 2006," Santa Monica, CA, summer, 2006 Lattimer Quilt and Textile Museum, summer, 2006 La Jolla Fiber Arts Gallery, spring, 2006 VIVA Gallery, Sherman Oaks, CA, fall, 2007 and 2005 Pacific International Quilt Festival, San Jose, CA, fall, 2005 Carlotta's Passion Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, fall, 2005 Surface Design Symposium, KS, summer, 2005 La Conner Quilt Museum, WA, spring, 2005 Lake Tahoe Community College Art Gallery, CA. spring/ fall, 2005 ; 2006 2006 Malaga Cove Plaza Library Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA spring, 2005 Rio Hondo College Art Gallery, Whittier, CA winter, 2004 Ventura County Museum of History and Art, Ventura. CA fall, 2004

Awards

Third Place, Abstract Art Quilt Division, International Quilt Festival Honorable Mention, Quilts=Art=Quilts "Best Use of Color," Lake Tahoe Community College, spring, 2007 "Masters Award" in Visual Arts and "Creative Risk Taking Award," Lake Tahoe Community College, spring, 2006 "Best of Show," Carlotta's Passion Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, fall, 2005 "Most Personal Vision," Lake Tahoe Community College, spring , 2005

Education

Bachelor of Arts, California State University, June 1973 Master of Art, California Lutheran University, August, 1982 Current Course of Study: pursuing art degree Self taught Studied with: Caryl Bryer Fallert and Carol Soderlund

Affiliations

Surface Design Association International Fiber Artists Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) International Fiber Artists Quilts on the Wall Fiber Artists of Southern California International Quilt Association Quilt Visions LA Fiber Artists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2007 Paula Chung