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Artist Statement

Sue Siefkin

I am drawn to cool, quiet, natural places. I love streams, trees, tide pools, river rocks , flowers, and the lichen and moss-covered boulders I discover in parks, gardens and in the wild. I try to evoke the magic of these hidden places in my artwork with fabric, thread and paint.

 

Sometimes I begin with photographs, other times from memories, real or imagined. I work on just one composition at a time in my studio, using dyes, paints and inks to create or alter fabric for my desired palette. Layering and fusing fabric from background to foreground, I try to achieve the illusion of depth, volume and complexity. The free motion machine stitching is the final step, creating contour and texture. 

 

My hope is that on seeing the finished pieces the viewer will experience a sense of discovery and shared wonder that in turn evokes his or her own memories of hidden places.

 

A one hour interview exploring my art journey may be seen on YouTube: Expose Yourself to Art with Sue Siefkin.

About Sue Siefkin

A passionate quilt artist, I have been sewing all my life. I first began making traditional quilts in 1990, joined a guild (Country Crossroads Quilters of Modesto, California), and began developing my quilt repertoire. In 1999 a five day seminar with quilt artist Joan Colvin in Asilomar, Pacific Grove, California, radically altered my quilt-making trajectory. Since then I have focused almost exclusively on producing original pieces that bear little resemblance to my early efforts.

 

Inspired by the works of nature- Yosemite, tide pools, ponds, trees, Japanese gardens and rock formations among them – I develop my own designs. Freed from the traditional quilt block format, I now paint and dye many of my own fabrics and collage them by fusing, embellishing and free-motion quilting.

 

My art work is exhibited principally on the West Coast in galleries and museums with Studio Art Quilt Associates, including the California Heritage Museum, Visions San Diego, Peninsula Art Museum, Haggin Museum, Museum on Main (Pleasanton) and the San Jose Quilt and Textile Museum. I also lecture on the history of quilt-making and on art quilting illustrated with a collection of representative quilt styles. I am a proud member of Studio Art Quilts Associates, Country Crossroads quilters and Central California Art Association. In addition to the late Joan Colvin, my most valuable teachers include Sue Benner, Mickey Lawler, Betty Busby and Velda Newman.

 

I live in Modesto, California with my husband, Randy Siefkin. I am a retired California Superior Court Judge.

 

Education:

BA, Political Science, U. C. Santa Barbara

Attestation des Etudes, University of Bordeaux, France

MA, Political Science, Rutgers University

JD, Humphreys College School of Law. 

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