Juror Karey Bresenhan, the president of Quilts, Inc., and the director of the International Quilt Festival, offers a thoughtful introduction that reflects on the history of the art quilt medium and its bold convergence of a traditional craft, modern art aesthetics, and innovative techniques. The quilts themselves represent the diversity of the medium and the vast array of approaches that can be taken within it. Styles range from realistic to abstract, and techniques from collage to patchwork. Many quilts demonstrate the finest examples of surface design, while others feature superb hand and machine stitching.
One of the most moving aspects of this collection is the diversity of subject matters: portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, abstracts, and more evoke a wide range of sentiments and are a testament to the limitless possibilities of the art quilting medium. Some pieces offer glimpses of reality with nearly photographic precision, while others focus on the fabrics and threads to create equally compelling, nonrepresentational scenes. With so many artists included, this book introduces new and exciting talents amongst many recognizable favorites—also proof of the extensive and ever-evolving nature of art quilting.