Hi, I'm
Nancy Turbitt. I live in rural Rhode Island and my studio,
which I named Studio Girasole (Girasole is Italian for sunflower), is a
large room at the back of my home. It is filled with light from sliders
onto two decks, skylights and three large triple pane windows. Yes I am
very fortunate that my husband has allowed me to overtake this gorgeous
room. It gives me a lot of light when I want to be sure of my color
choices but it presents problems in keeping fabrics from fading. Unlike
Sue's new and neat studio, mine is always messy. You could do an I Spy
with my photos.
I have been sewing art quilts since 1995,
developing a style which is true to me. But only recently have I decided
it is time to get serious. I stepped away from my full time retail
position to be at home full time. I often help my husband at his jewelry
store but for the most part this is the beginning of my retirement -
straight into my art. I came to art quilts from two directions, as an
art student-college trained, and as someone who learned to sew at age
11. I saw the 'Deck of Cards' exhibit in a Smithsonian Magazine and life
has not been the same since. My two loves fused and I now have a path
to pursue.
I am currently pursuing my goals as if they were a
huge tree with many branches. My roots are solid and I am reaching for
several goals concurrently. I am looking to build a body of work through
several series, my Santa Fe series, my garden series, my fantasy
series, and my nostalgia series. Each series will have 5 to seven pieces
which are cohesive in style. I have completed some in each series. I am
the queen of UFOs, moving from one quilt to the next as the need
arises. Another goal is to exhibit as much as possible. So I have been
looking at my drawings for each series critically so as to apply them to
upcoming calls for entry. Due to time requirements I have moved from
working one quilt to another to complete in time for a show. There is
always something partly done on my board or on my table and I have a
stack of UFOs awaiting the right time to get back to them.
I use
cotton and silk fabric almost exclusively and keep most of it in an
armoire which I keep closed when I'm not using it.
I used to work for
Fabric Place, which went out of business and when they did I purchased
my work table which is massive, with an extension that I always have up
and in use. Below the table are drawers and cupboards where I keep scads
of things from my batting to buckets of trims, ribbons, beads and my
finished quilts. I use my Bernina almost exclusively as it is a perfect
work horse giving me even stitches without breaks. I also have an old
brother I used for teaching kids, a Pfaff, and a Baby Lock serger. Mine
is a dry studio. I do not do any dying any more, but rely on those who
do and sell their hand dyes. I do have paints and fabric markers and
some lino blocks so I can explore printing my own designs.
On my wall
now is a piece from my fantasy series called Queen Bee, she is one of a
series of nature royalty meant to awaken a spirit of concern for our
environment. You can see corners of it but I am not showing it fully as I
hope to enter her into a SAQA show this fall.
On my table you can see
the backing roll of a piece I am doing for entry to one of the IQF
shows. I cannot show you any of that at all. There is a stack of UFOs on
top of the table folded inward. In that stack are 'Monumental', 'Beyond
the Deep', 'Peter and the Wolf' and 'Peter's World'; one from the Santa
Fe series, two from the fantasy series and one from the nostalgia
series.
I tend to be wordy so I will clip it here. If you are
ever in my neck of the woods, please drop by for a visit. My address and
phone are accurate on the SAQA member list. Come on by, we can play in
the studio!"
