Needham Quilters Featured in Nature-Inspired Exhibit

Submitted

Needham residents Pamela Goody, Lucy Nims-LaFleche, Susan Polansky and Ferne Weissman are part of the six-member New Wrinkle Contemporary Art Quilters, whose visions and impressions of the natural world are rendered in mixed media on fabric.

From extreme close-ups to landscape views, from the surface at your feet to the sky above, the variety of life is the subject of all the portrayals gathered in their quilts, which are on display at Mass. Audubon's Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick, Oct. 1-31.

The exhibit is entitled, "Flora / Feathers / Fabric." A opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 14 from 2-4 p.m.

Art quilts combine the techniques of patchwork bed covers with those of painting, collage, photography, embroidery, and beading. Though their surfaces may contain a wide range of media, their foundation is a “sandwich” of soft batting placed between two layers of fabric. Each layer is constructed by joining pieces of fabric together with stitching or heat-fusible adhesive.

The presence of the batting between the textiles enables the artist to make a relief pattern on the top layer, by stitching from the surface through the batting and the back of the work. The surfaces of some of the works are further embellished with stenciling, stamping, silk-screened or digital images, paint, dye, foil, beads, yarn, lace ribbons, thread embroidery and other materials. Some of the fabrics in art quilts are commercially produced, and others are hand-dyed or painted by the artist.

New Wrinkle was formed to encourage and inspire each other’s creativity. They design and produce their work independently, and meet once a month for critiques to clarify their vision and promote their artistic development. Their individual styles are distinctive, but they all delight in the colors, textures and patterns of textiles. 

New Wrinkle members’ work has been exhibited in numerous national juried and invitational shows, including: the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas; Art Quilts in Lowell; Quilts=Art=Quilts in Auburn, NY; Art Quilts at the Sedgwick in Philadelphia, PA; Art Quilts at the Whistler in Lowell; New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts in Fort Collins, CO; and the New England Quilt Museum.

All of the artists have been creating works in fabric for more than 10 years.