I'm proud and excited join the group of talented artists leading online workshops at Jenny Lemons. I will teach pine needle basket weaving in June! Please sign up and give your hand/eye coordination a workout!
 For more information, visit: jennylemons.com
 Saloma helping me with my quilt during COVID (above). I'm so proud to be in this exhibition, "Trueque," showcasing the work of eight artists from the Bay Area and Mexico to imagine reciprocal systems of exchange beyond the lens of our current capitalist paradigm. Oftentimes, when we think about exchange, we think about an equal monetary trade for goods. But what are the implications when exchange happens without following the guidelines of that system? What happens, when alternatively, there is an exchange of memories, cultures, feelings, shared knowledge, or physical goods with others?
See the show here: https://rootdivision.org/exhibition-rd-gallery/trueque-part-1  I finished my quilt this summer as the heat topped 100 degrees in Indiana. I finished parts of this quilt on a treadle sewing machine (no electricity) at my Amish teacher's house, and some parts I painted with fabric paint. I was inspired by classic Amish symbols (fruit pie, ice skates, laundry drying on the clothing line, jam jars, etc), Icelandic sweaters, Japanese shibori and my experiences (and some fabrics) from Scandinavia. With thanks to the patience and expertise of my teacher, Saloma, who helped all along the way!  Arranging, piecing, sketching the composition  Heating the iron on the gas stove.  A pencil drawing of me and my quilt teacher.  Framed on the wall, a poem at my quilt teacher's house.  Quilts on barns in Northern Indiana, between Orland and Shipshewana I would like to introduce the beginning of my newest body of work inspired by Amish quilts. Though craft is often a symbol of feminine duty and domesticity, my process subverts craft into artifacts of adventure and exploration. For my current body of work, I go back to my hometown in Northern Indiana several times a year to work with my Amish quilting teacher, Saloma Slabaugh, and others in her community of Amish quilters. She is part of an old order Amish group who intentionally separate themselves from mainstream United States population, speak low German, and embrace every kind of do-it-yourself projects imagineable.  Above: The front of my first completed quilt filled with shapes of baskets, an Amish buggy, cardinal in the pine tree, a pickled egg, a blueberry, tea cup, and much more.  Above: A watercolor with loose ideas for that quilt.  My teacher, a master quilter named Saloma, helping me to sandwich the pieced layers of my quilt together in preparation for quilting.  Above: Woodblock print of me staying overnight at Saloma's house.  Above: Back of my quilt mixing shibori dye with a classic geometric Amish pattern.  Above: Headed to class on a beautiful late summer morning.  Above: A woodblock print of having lunch with Saloma and her family.  Above: There are always lots of snacks during quilting - homemade bread, cookies, honey from Saloma's bees, and maple syrup from her trees.  Above: A watercolor trying out ideas for my next quilt.
An in-depth interview with Terra where she talks about the development of her work, her inspirations and her current Amish quilt work at www.textileartist.org. 
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AuthorTerra Fuller is a multidisciplinary artist who makes drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, and textiles such as carpet weaving, quilting and basket weaving. Terra has exhibited extensively on the east and west coast. Terra is currently learning how to make quilts with an Amish master quilter from her hometown. Archives
April 2021
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