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Featured Guests

Featured Guest

Amy Robertson
Artist, Quiltmaker
Web Site LINK

Blue (Da Ba Dee), 2001, 45" x 38"

After Ati, 2003, 48" x 48"

It's All About Arts

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Give us a brief bio of yourself.
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A. R.: I was raised in Ohio and moved to Boston 25 years ago to attend law school. After 20 years as an attorney, I am now a full-time artist, making contemporary art quilts. I was always artistic and creative and had studied art history in college, but I took a detour before I found myself back in the art world. I'm amazed at this recent turn of events and thrilled to have finally found a way to explore color, line, shape and texture and to express what I think and feel. My work is shown in local, regional and national venues. Four of my quilts appeared in Strips 'n Curves by Louisa Smith. I live in Cohasset, Massachusetts, with my husband, Richard Simon, and my teenage daughters, Emma and Lily.

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What is your medium?
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A. R.: My medium is fabric, which I love because it is sensuous, forgiving, complex and random. I look for large scale commercial prints, ethnic fabrics and other unusual or evocative fabrics and then I work to enhance the inherent narrative potential of these textiles in abstract and usually non-representational compositions. I also make a point of experimenting in other mediums-I especially enjoy collage, polymer clay and wire. I find paint a little intimidating, but I'm anxious to learn more.

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How long have you been doing your art?
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A. R.: I started making patchwork things in the 1970's. I took a long break, but when my children were young, I decided to step back from my career to spend more time with them and my textile-obsessed, creative side just took over. Although I've been making quilts for seven years now, I've only felt comfortable describing myself as an artist for the past year or so.

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Do you make a living at your art and what advice would you give someone else who would like to do the same?
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A. R.: Make a living? Not yet! I do sell my quilts and I've been lucky to be able to cover my costs for equipment, supplies, and other expenses. My approach is business-like and it seems to be working so far. Find your market and aim for it without comprising your work. I set goals, timetables and deadlines for both the business and the creative side of things. I work, I don't dabble! I keep working even when I don't have much to say. I've built up a repertoire of techniques and approaches and when I get inspired or when I get a commission, I can just jump right into an idea and get a piece made. I 've created a portfolio for presentation to galleries and other venues and I 've just developed a web site, which also seems a necessity these days.

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What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
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A. R.:  Artists need to earn money, so finding an audience and buyers for our art has to be a priority. I think that the various entertainment industries are eating up the time and money people might otherwise invest in art. We need to be advocates and champions for each other. Art quilters, in particular, have to fight some stereotypes to educate potential art buyers to understand and appreciate the value of our work.

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What art-related organizations do you belong to?
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A. R.: Like many quiltmakers, I belong to a local quilt guild. I've been a member of The Quilters' Connection in Arlington, MA for several years and am currently the chairman of QC's annual quilt show. I also belong to Studio Art Quilts Associates, a national organization which sponsors exhibits, conferences, workshops, and promotes awareness to the public-at-large. www.quiltersconnection.org