Artist's Statement

As an artist always looking for inspiration, I turn to nature over and over. Whether I'm working with hundreds of tiny fabric squares trying to find just the right shade of color, a different hue or tone, I seem to gravitate to all fabrics depicting natural settings of trees, bushes, and flowers, usually finding the exact color I need. And, oh, how I love colors, all colors of the Universe!

I draw upon memories from growing up in the beautiful, still unspoiled country of Finland, with its thousands upon thousands of lakes and islands. The fresh scent of spring as the birch leaves are budding, the brilliant colors of the first yellow dandelions or daisies, and, of course, the purple lilac hedges at midsummer. Hiking through forests in the autumn gave me a tremendous appreciation and sense of awe seeing all the hundreds, perhaps thousands of colors of the maple leaves.

My intent with my fabric art pieces, be they decorative or functional, abstract or realistic, landscapes or imagined, is to bring my vision of beauty to a world that's losing more and more of its natural environment. The fabric medium is highly visual and tactile at the same time, satisfying the need to create by synthesizing various design and textural elements simultaneously.

As I continue exploring various surface techniques, such as painting with fabric paints on a seemingly finished art piece and adding embellishments or freeform machine quilting to handbags, I'm learning more and more what moves me deeply to begin yet another project.

At this point in my life, I have no other choice but to follow my inner yearnings to be involved in the creative process every day. I sincerely hope that my artworks, be they impressionist, abstract, freeform or textured, will resonate with those who view them so much so that the viewers will be stopped in their tracks and gasp at all the wonderful colors and images before them.

I hope that this new art form, contemporary art quilts, will find a place in your heart and your home.

Katrina