Member Profile: Suzanne Housley-Noonan

Suzanne Housley-Noonan is our latest member to be featured on the blog. You can see more of her work here http://www.suzannehousleynoonan.com/ and here www.etsy/shop/OceanStateHomeDecor.

If you would like to be featured please click here.

When did you start making art quilts?
I started making quilts when I was 15. My Aunt Nell would teach me how to sew on summer trips to Tennessee. My Father bought me an antique Singer sewing machine. All it had was a “straight stitch,” but I was on my way and have been sewing ever since. 

What type of work do you do - abstract/realist/representational...? What styles or techniques do you use?
My art lends itself to be a representation of the landscape and nature around us. I tend to represent a view of a familiar area or just a close up of nature.

How did you learn the techniques you use?
I studied textile design at RISD. I learned screen printing, painting, and the dyeing process using acid and natural dyes. My mentors were teachers, my Aunt Nell, and my father.

Do you have a favorite color palette?
My color palette usually starts with one color I like. Then I will choose a contrasting color or a shade darker or lighter. I have a good sense of what color formulas are made of. Primarily all colors have red, blue and yellow in them. The color scale may tip depending on the amount of pigment. I love all color pallets. I find myself using earth tone colors a lot. 

 

Are you working on a particular theme or series now? Tell us more about it.
I am working on a series of landscapes. Landscapes are a constant theme for me. Mostly New England wet lands and tall grassy fields. When I am stitching onto the fabric I try to depict the wind movement, and the lines in nature. Trees are also a passion of mine. I am fascinated by their strong foundation that roots itself into the earth.

How do you work? Give us some insight into your design process?
Photos are my starting point. I make several sketches with notes on colors and the types of fabric I need. I draw the design to scale on tracing paper twice, once for design and once to dismantle. Next, I go to my wonderful source of hand dyed and hand painted fabrics. If the fabric is not exactly what I am looking for I may re-dye or paint the fabrics again and again. I will also work with commercially made fabrics in conjunction with my hand dyed fabrics. I may also paint a landscape with oil paints on canvas before stitching the fabric.

Do you work on a single project at a time or do you work on multiple pieces at once?
I work on multiple pieces. There is never enough wall space or time. Many times I need to step away for a piece and come back to it later.

What are your sources of inspiration?
My inspiration is definitely landscape textures, color and beautiful nature everywhere. I love to go to museums and get inspired by the art around me. 

What is your studio like and when do you like to work?
I am so fortunate I have a nice studio space. I work in the third level of my home. I have two rooms connected. One I paint in and the other is a clean space for sewing. It makes me so happy when I step into my space every day.

What are your goals or aspirations for your art?
My goal is to share my work with others. I have sold many of my small pieces. Now I would love to sell my larger pieces or show them in galleries or quilt shows.

How are you making the most of your SAQA membership? Which aspects of the organization are you enjoying?
SAQA is a group filled with wonderful, talented people. I have been following you for many years and finally decided to join. I found the meetings to be very informative and enjoyable, having met many artists that share my passion for textiles.

Do you design your art with a purpose in mind (function of the piece, for a particular call for entry, a commission)? Tell us about that…
Since I joined SAQA I found myself designing for the call for entry. I always have multiple pieces under construction at once, and I continue to work on them until they are complete.

Profiles: Melanie Johnston & Joan Blade Johnson

 

                 Melanie Johnston                                                           Joan Blade Johnson

Melanie Johnston and Joan Blade Johnson are Connecticut based fiber artists who exhibit, lecture and teach together. They will be the focus and featured speakers at the SAQA MA/RI Regional Quarterly Meeting on August 7, 2016 at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, 115 John St (2nd floor auditorium) in Lowell, MA from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

Of their art and working together, Melanie and Joan state, "Our art is expressed through textile and often incorporates our own dyed, printed or painted fabric. Each of us has our own distinctive style and preferred processes. Joan enjoys interpreting the natural world using non-traditional methods and materials. Melanie’s work often includes bold color and geometric shape. Through selling and exhibiting our art, we hope to introduce others to fiber art as fine art."

Melanie and Joan answered a few questions, giving us an introduction to themselves and their work.

When did you start working with fiber and why?

We both began as traditional quilters and were independently drawn to surface design and art quilting. Joan’s career was in nutrition and Melanie’s in health care. We met about six years ago and bonded as friends over our mutual love of fiber art. For the last five years, we have both been working as full time fiber artists.

What types of techniques do you like to use in the creation of your work?

We love creating our own fabric using dyeing, printing, painting, marbling and a variety of other surface design techniques. Joan loves photography and often incorporates her photos into her work.

What is your studio like and what is your working schedule like in your studio! Do you use a work wall or long arm?

For our sewing/construction activities we each have separate studios with large design walls and lots of storage. Additionally, Melanie has a large wet studio in her basement where a Handi-Quilter long-arm also resides. Tuesday mornings are dedicated to wet studio time. We work 8-16 hours per week on our own individual projects and another 2 or 3 hours getting together to work on planning for classes and other upcoming events.

What or who inspires you?
Joan is inspired by nature. Melanie is often inspired by abstract painters.

What benefits of SAQA do you find have helped you best in your development as an artist?

SAQA has been a wonderful resource for meeting amazing fiber artists, access to exhibits and resources for the business of fiber art.

How and why have you decided to work together in your teaching, lecturing etc.? What are the benefits of forming a partnership?

We believe the right business partner increases the likelihood of success and definitely makes life easier and more fun. We respect each other’s art and business skills, we motivate each other and we each have complementary strengths.

Do either of you have a degree in art, business, etc. and how has that helped you to achieve your goals as an artist?

Neither of us has a formal art or business degree but we have taken advantage of many art and business classes, groups and seminars. We also draw on our leadership and organizational skills acquired from our business careers. We both believe that knowing how to communicate well in a variety of media and how to set, measure and achieve goals has been critical to our success.

Melanie and Joan will be talking about their experience exhibiting and selling their fiber art. They have many recommendations for anyone thinking about or interested in taking this next step as a professional fiber artist.

For anyone reading this who is not a member of SAQA, the MA/RI Region of SAQA has an active group of about 130 members. Meetings are held around the two states quarterly. All members are invited to these meetings. Our next meeting, featuring speakers Melanie & Joan, will be held on Sunday, August 7, 2016 at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum on 115 John St, 2nd floor auditorium in Lowell, MA from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. If you are considering joining SAQA and would like to attend this or another meeting as a guest, please leave a comment below and we will contact you with information. To join : SAQA 

Member Profile: Sue Colozzi

Sue Colozzi's landscape quilts first caught my eye at the 2013 Melrose Arts Festival, but it was only recently that I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with her.

Boston Public Garden by Sue Colozzi

When did you start making art quilts?
My first art quilt was a pop-up quilt.  As an assignment for a college design class, I sewed blue and green squares together to represent a background of grass and a river.  Fabric houses, flowers, trees and bridges were filled with foam rubber chips and stitched onto the top of the squares.  When the quilt was unfolded, up would pop a village and surrounding woods.  Now that I’m retired I have time to sew again, and I’m back to making quilts - without the foam rubber!

What type of work do you do?  What styles or techniques do you use?
The quilts I make now are landscapes.  Using raw edge appliqué, I try to replicate scenes around me using fabric color and texture to suggest reality.  I make up my techniques as I go – sometimes satin stitching and other times free motion stitching my edges.  I’ll add unusual materials to convey reality – raffia to represent dried grass, clear vinyl to simulate strawberry boxes, and bridal lace to resemble tree blossoms.  I’ve also fabricated 3 dimensional floral pieces.  My small framed mini quilts are photo-sized, but completely finished so they can be placed in commercial frames.

Detail from Five Houses in the Marsh by Sue Colozzi

Give us some insight into your design process.
I prefer to take my own photographs and then sketch the scene as I’d like to create it.  Starting with the background and working forward, I fuse my fabric pieces to a muslin background and then sew each layer before moving on to the next.  I do a lot of experimenting as I go.  I often layer different colors of chiffon to create depth and shadow in water.  Sometimes I’ll thread sketch an area to achieve the light and shadows of color I want to portray.  Each quilt presents new technique challenges.

Coleus by Sue Colozzi

I definitely like to complete one piece before moving on to another.  Partly that's because my sewing space is so tiny.  Also, I don’t like to lose my focus of creative thought on a project.

I usually start a quilt to challenge myself, reinventing a scene I’ve photographed. Occasionally I’ll design a quilt to enter into a challenge or show, but I’ve learned there’s no guarantee it will be accepted.  So I create quilts to please myself and hope others will enjoy them too!

What inspires you?
I moved to Boston forty-two years ago because I fell in love with the city and its different neighborhoods.  On the other hand, I’m fascinated with the combination of sea, salt marsh, and ever-changing sunsets on the Cape.  I’ll never run out of ideas for a new quilt!

What is your studio like? When do you like to work?
My studio is the smallest bedroom in my home.  While extremely cramped, it's only one step to reach my sewing machine, ironing board, or work tabIe... and two steps to reach my stash!  I’ve obviously spread into other rooms, with my quilts sleeping face down on the bed in my spare room, and my teaching bags in the hallway.  I usually sew during the afternoons and evenings. Many times I step into my sewing room just to get something and don’t come back out for an hour or more.

Which aspects of the SAQA membership are you enjoying?
 I’ve been fortunate to be able to exhibit some of my quilts in SAQA exhibits and found the speakers at my local meetings to be very informative.  I appreciate the Calls for Entry announcements listed in monthly emails.




Sue will lead a landscape quilting workshop at the Falmouth Art Center on Saturdays from February 20 to March 5, 2016, if you'd like a taste of collage and quilts.