Gail McGlamery

I’m proud to call myself a quilter.  The very first quilt I made (at right) was in 1996 for my daughter.  I began the nine-patch while pregnant, selecting prints and solids from a grab-bag I bought from a quilter in Vermont.  I remember finishing the hand-quilting while my new daughter slept peacefully in her swing.  I still love this quilt but have come a very long way in terms of my aesthetic and willingness to take a risk.

I am now challenging myself to get in touch with my inner, long-suppressed artist, not only just in color theory, design, and construction techniques, but also in representing my thoughts and feelings into a piece like a painter on a canvas.  I find myself more comfortable with abstract design, using geometry and saturation of color to evoke emotion. One of my most recently completed pieces is “Waves of Calm” made at a time when I was needing more calm in my life.

I now like to think of myself as an aspiring art quilter, experimenting with hand-dyeing and surface design techniques as well as new tools and construction methods.  I am intrigued and inspired by very contemporary work or contemporary interpretations of traditional designs.  I’m also dazzled by the use of simple shapes in daring combinations of prints and color.