Schiffer Publishing has put out a book of unsurpassed beauty and inspiration for those who love quilts and quilting. In their new volume, Art Quilts International: Abstract & Geometric, edited by Martha Sielman, you will find 220 pages of gorgeous quilts and the stories behind them. Martha, who is the director of Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc (better known as SAQA), was able to chose from among 1300 submissions to 97 artists that are featured in the book's galleries, and 29 that are featured with information on their inspirations, working methods, and histories.
The variety of styles represented in this large volume is incredibly inspiring. For anyone who has ever wondered what makes a quilt "abstract," the answer is manifold. Some focus on line. Some focus on color. Others merge those elements with symbolism. There are quilts that are monochromatic but with intricate quilting patterns. There are others that are wonders of patchwork piecing with very simple quilting patterns. Store bought fabrics? Hand dyed fabrics? Surface design and printing? Whole cloth or patchwork? Yes yes yes...all of the above.
My personal preferences are split between purely geometric quilts that utilize lovely fabrics and textures, and abstracted from nature (or other images) quilts that use the real world as inspiration but do not slavishly copy it. But oh, there is so much more, with artists who take their inspiration from just about anything you can think of, even including older traditional quilting and fiber art styles.
If you are a quilter or a fiber artist, or even a collage artist, I cannot imagine that you wouldn't find this book to be a garden of delights!
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