Kate Stiassni UNCOMMON THREADS. Contemporary Art Quilts

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1 Kate Stiassni UNCOMMON THREADS Contemporary Art Quilts

2 To Max and Francesca This catalogue is printed on the occasion of a solo exhibition at The White Gallery All works of art Kate Stiassni Book designed by Robert Pidkameny and Pamela Chassin. Quilt photography by Avery Danziger and Peter San Chirico.

3 I became a fiber artist and quiltmaker because I love the idea of rendering shape, line, and color with the medium of cloth. I create my quilts with hand-dyed fabrics which I like to think of as my paints! The quilts are both hand and machine stitched. I enjoy the challenge of putting together technically difficult configurations. It is a bit like solving a puzzle, figuring out how all the different pieces fall into place. Patterning, juxtaposing color, arranging, restructuring, allowing for serendipity -- these are some of the words I think about when trying to explain how I approach a composition. I am a big believer that every cut, every sewn seam eventually leads somewhere. Sometimes I work from sketches, either in fabric or on paper, which I grow into larger finished quilts. However, often I start by experimenting with configurations on a design wall and then try to step out of the way while my unconscious thoughts assert themselves into the design process. Vortex 23 x 44 inches 2011 Quilts=Art=Quilts Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY I have concentrated on producing highly colorful, abstract designs which take the medium of the traditional quilt from its historically functional role to a decorative form. Kate Stiassni Private Collection, Sharon, CT

4 There are Seven Spirits who reside within this work which is freehand cut, machine pieced and stitched.this work is made with hand-dyed cotton fabrics. The Seven Spirits 67 x 60 inches

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6 The structural elements of the Falls Village, CT bridge were the source of imagery for this work as was the IDEA of a bridge -- to transcend or to cross a barrier. Country Bridge is freehand cut, machine pieced and stitched. Country Bridge 70 x 70 inches Proceeds from the sale of this work will go to the Northwest CT Arts Council.

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8 "Don't think too hard, just use colors you love," I told myself when I began this work. It is freehand cut and sewn with hand-dyed cotton fabrics. All Stacked Up 29 x 50 inches 2011 Quilts=Arts=Quilts Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY

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10 Images of urban modern architecture are always with me as a result of my many years in New York City. This work is machine pieced and stitched with hand-dyed cotton fabrics. Urban Renewal 23 x 22 inches

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12 The Roman Forum, which inspired this work, suggests the magnitude of the original city. The Eternal City was freehand cut, machine pieced and stitched with hand-dyed cotton fabrics. The Eternal City 36 x 33 inches Tactile Architecture International Quilt Festivals: Houston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Long Beach

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14 I wanted to see what happened when colors were moved from background to foreground within similar shapes. These motifs are freehand cut, machine pieced and stitched. Opposites Attract 47 x 40 inches

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16 Black and white, white and black... I often like to explore how positive and negative images influence each other. This work is freehand cut, machine pieced and stitched. The Inner Sanctum 44 x 21 inches

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18 This work has undergone several renovations! It took some time for me to to discover its exact form. Inside Out 40 x 42 inches

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20 When I compose a work almost entirely with curves, I tell myself this will be "the last time." But I keep coming back to curved lines and shapes. Rhythm and Rhyme 45 x 71 inches 2012 Quilts=Art=Quilts Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY

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22 The working title for this piece was "Ode to David" as it is inspired by my nephew David's ethereal cello playing. It is pieced together by machine and quilted by hand. Allegretto 42 x 38 inches Private Collection Booth Bay, Maine

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24 Terra Firma celebrates Northwest Connecticut's remaining open land and the neighbors who continue to farm it. It is machine pieced and stitched with handdyed cotton fabrics. Terra Firma 48 x 37 inches Private Collection Sarasota, Florida

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26 Can subtle shade changes in fabric and thread color create perspective? I tried to answer this as I composed this work. I used hand-dyed cotton fabrics. Kaleidoscopic 32 x 32 inches

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28 I experimented with moving around the colored shapes in this work. I think of the lines as gentle guides. It is machine pieced and stitched with hand- dyed fabrics. For Every Road We Take 39 x 67 inches

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31 My textile studio is attached to a historic 1740 Saltbox home in Sharon CT. The space I work in was originally used as a barn for livestock! I sometimes imagine that there might have been another quiltmaker working within the walls of this house during an earlier century. There IS an artistic muse here guiding me in this room with its high ceilings, wooden beams, and wide plank floors. However, the romanticized notion of artist as a solitary creator does not completely apply to me. My work is vastly enhanced by a number of talented artists who help me. I am profoundly grateful to several amazing quilters who have added the surface stitching to a number of my quilts -- Julia Graziano, Jackie Kunkel, and Katie Troyer. Many of the fabrics I use are hand-dyed by Lisa Reber. I feel incredibly lucky to have time to make art. It is my hope that some of this joy in the creative process speaks to those who view my work.

32 Detail from front cover My Two TVs 76 x 42 inches