Ann
Johnston
Juried Artist Member (JAM)
Location
Lake Oswego, OR
United States
Region
Artist Statement
I chose stitching as a means of expression, and more than 45 years later, the desire to manipulate cloth is still an irresistible force. I start with white fabric, create my colors, and make my marks. I use dye to allow the surface qualities of the fabric show through the colors, and a wide combination of stitching techniques to add textures that are an integral part of my compositions.
I am extremely interested in how an idea gets a physical form. The only way I can start to understand this is in my own work, observing my own thought processes. While many of my quilts directly treat the theme of balance vs chaos for example, or the complexities of a landscape, they are also indirectly about how the ideas develop as I make choices. As many ways as I have tried to set an idea in cloth, I now find myself with even more ideas and ways to approach it in my designs. I continue to learn as I explore—I think my body of work is about this exploration.
I am extremely interested in how an idea gets a physical form. The only way I can start to understand this is in my own work, observing my own thought processes. While many of my quilts directly treat the theme of balance vs chaos for example, or the complexities of a landscape, they are also indirectly about how the ideas develop as I make choices. As many ways as I have tried to set an idea in cloth, I now find myself with even more ideas and ways to approach it in my designs. I continue to learn as I explore—I think my body of work is about this exploration.
