Fiberarts, Summer issue 2011

Mastering the Art Quilt
My new book "Masters: Art Quilts, Vol.2" (Lark Crafts 2011), showcases the work of forty-one artists from around the world who work in the art quilt medium. What led me to choose these particular artists? In each case, it's because I can't get their work out of my mind. I return to their work time and again, and each time I find things to delight me. These works always seem to have something new to say.
Color and texture, fabric and stitch are always important, but in this sampling of pieces included in the new volume, I'm struck y these artists' masterful use of light and shadow. They explore myriad approaches and techniques: paint, layering, piecing, applique, photo transfer, stitch, and dye. Yet in their hands, technique is subsumed by the power of their vision and their command of luminosity.
Izabella Baykova. Russia
Izabella Baykova's work is all about the effects of light - light filtering through clouds, light drifting through a haze of smoke and streetlamps. Her ability to make light shimmer is magical. The Russian cityscapes and fairy tales she depicts are inspired by the view from her appartment building in St.Petersburg and by classic folk tales. Her background as a professionally trained muralist and stained-glass artist translates easily into a style that features pieces backgrounds with details created through satin-stitched applique and embroidery.
Baykova makes use of the texture and translucency of many different textiles, but she works primarily with layers of sheer silk, painting the fabric in order to create the desired mood and effect. One could easily become lost, immersed in Baykova's incredibly detailed scenes and the stories she tells through real and imaginary characters.

Martha Sielman.

Martha Sielman's new book, Masters: Art Quilts, Volume 2, will be available in August for $24.95 from Lark Crafts; www.larkcrafts.com

The original article you can find here.