Biography

Martha Brown is internationally known for her award-winning art quilts, signified by her dramatic imagery and eye for colour. Her painterly style leads many to mistake her works as paintings, but upon closer inspection the viewer can appreciate the textures of fabric and thread.

Her Artquilts are known for their often large-scale size, and attention to detail and embellishment. Martha’s work has been purchased by over 200 collectors, in Canada, the US, Switzerland, Japan and Germany.  

Honours include  World Quilt: Best of Country and Viewer's Choice, 2007, National Best of Show and Viewer's Choice, 2006;  National Best of Show and Viewer's Choice, 2005;  National Award for Best Machine Workmanship,  Best in Category (a collaboration with Michele Scott of Pitman, NJ. USA) 2005;  Best of World (2004, second place); National Award of Excellence for Machine Quilting and Embellishment (2003);  Best Large Wall Quilt (Ontario, 2004); Juried Art Show awards, along with pieces accepted repeatedly into Juried Regional, National and International annual competitions.  

Martha’s work has also been featured in  gallery Solo Exhibitions, and for several years at the One of a Kind Christmas Show in Toronto.

Her degree in Art, with honours, from East Tennessee State University in 1977, focused on figure drawing and painting. Several years later, she discovered fabric as a versatile, sensual medium for artistic expression.

Born in Rochester, NY, she has lived in several areas of the United States. In 1999 she married a Canadian, and now lives in Pickering, Ontario.  

Ever since I was a child, I have expressed myself through some form of creativity in art or writing. Drawing took me into a world of my own, and the encouragement I received led to further training and explorations. In several of my college art classes, I found a fascination with depicting the folds and textures of the garments the models were wearing, but it would be 17 years before I discovered fabric as an actual medium for creativity.

I enjoy the challenge of portraying images with pieces of fabric.  I love the texture of the medium and a few designs allow further embellishment with paint, decorative yarns and beads. 

 It is the creative process that fascinates me, from concept through execution. It is a compelling challenge to answer the question "How can I effectively portray this image or feeling?"  Once the question is answered, I have little emotional attachment to a completed piece, as what I'm going to do next quickly becomes much more interesting to me. 

My next path is taking me into the human figure, animals, and 3-D soft sculptures. (see the Art Doll Gallery).

I hope my art brings enjoyment and inspiration to others as I continue along this creative journey.

Resume  

Awards:  

2008: 

2007:

2006:

2005:

2004:

2003:

Exhibitions:

Upcoming:

2008:  

American Quilter's Society International Juried Show, Paducah, KY. "The Zodiac", April 22 - 26th, 2008.

Art Quilt Elements 2008, April - May. Ft. Wayne, PA, USA. "Mandrill" Juried into international art quilt show.  http://www.artquiltelements.com/

2007:  

Julia's Ristorante, Oakville. part of a Fibre Art Studios group exhibition

Artworks Oakville Annual Juried Art Show, Oakville, ON. "Tidal Waters II" and "Mandrill"  

Glitz Fibre Art Exhibit, Waterloo, ON. 3 pieces part of group exhibition on embellishments.

World Piece Exhibit, Waterloo, ON, exhibition of 2006 National Juried Show winners

Guest Artist, Oshawa Durham Trillium Guild

The Grand National,  National Juried Art Quilt Competition,  Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery. "Centaur" and "Three Wishes" Juried into show.  

Threadworks, A 3-year touring exhibition of Fibre Art, Wellington County Museum, ON. "Shoes and Chocolate" juried in and later sold at the Simcoe County Museum.

Uxbridge Celebration of the Arts, "Mauritius Parakeets" juried into show, one of top three for Viewer's Choice.  

Oshawa Fibre Art Show, Featured artist and curator for a group exhibition of original Fibre Art.

2006:

Oshawa Fibre Art Show, , (spring) Oshawa, ON. Featured artist and curator for a group exhibition of original Fibre Art.

International Quilters Association Juried Show, Houston, Texas. "The Zodiac"

Greenwood Quilt Gallery, Guelph, ON. Fibre Art Studios Group Exhibition,

The One of a Kind Christmas Show, Exhibition Place, Toronto. 

Studio Four, Distillery District, Toronto, ON Fibre Art Studios Group Exhibition,

Canada Uncovered, American Quilters Society Museum, Paducah, KY. USA. "Forces of Nature" one of 32 pieces selected as National Representation.

Oshawa Fibre Art Show, (fall) Oshawa, ON.  Featured artist and curator for a group exhibition of original Fibre Art.  

2005: 

Artquilt Show, Centennial Retirement Residence, Oshawa, ON. Featured artist and curator for a group exhibition of original Fibre art. 

Women's Art Association Gallery, Toronto, ON. , a show featuring Martha's work and the Quiltart of Laurie Swim of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and other artisans from Nova Scotia.

 Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke, ON.   "Wing of an Eagle" and "Motherhood" .

 Art Quilt Gallery of the Atlantic, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Solo Exhibition, June 22nd - July 11th. 

The Grand National, National Juried Art Quilt Competition, Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery, May - June,  "Eagle Wing".  

The Ontario Juried Show, Province-wide Juried Quilt show, "Mandrill".

Greenwood Gallery, Solo Exhibition,  Guelph, Ontario.  

"Red" exhibit at the Greenwood Gallery , Guelph, On.. "Hot Flash".  

2004:

Tactile Architecture, International Art Quilt Competition, Houston, Texas.  On tour through 2005. “Forces of Nature” one of 24 accepted for exhibit.

Colour and Form Society bi-annual Juried Art Show, Toronto, ON. “Raindrop on Grass.”

Threadworks 2004, International fibre art juried show, Fergus, Ontario .“Rose Petals” and “Got Milkweed?” part of three year traveling exhibition until 2007. 

2003:

Art and Soul Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Ajax, Ontario, one of the artists featured for several yrs. in the gallery.

The Quilt Gallery, Solo Exhibition, St. Jacobs, Ontario 

The Bluff’s Gallery Juried Show Waterworks Exhibit, Ontario. “Night Tides” and “Tap Dance Finale”

World Quilt Show, International juried show, on tour for several months. "Alberta Grasslands"

The Station Gallery Juried Art Show, Waterworks Exhibit, Whitby, ON. “Lakeshore Sunrise”

Art and Soul Gallery, Waterworks Exhibit, Ajax, ON. “Sunset Bay” and “Waterdance” 

The Grand National, National Juried Show, Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery. “Alberta Grasslands”

The Ontario Juried Show, University of Waterloo Art Gallery. “Rose Petals"

The One of a Kind Christmas Show, Exhibition Place, Toronto.

2001 - 2002:

Canadian Quilters Association National Juried Quilt Show, Edmonton, Alberta.  “Fire Lily”.  

Ontario Juried Quilt Show,  Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery, Ontario.  “Moonflower”.  

American Quilters Society International Juried Show, Paducah, Kentucky, USA. “Tiamat”. One of five entries accepted from Canada.  

Greenwood Juried Art Show, Pickering Museum, Ontario

The One of a Kind Christmas Show, Exhibition Place, Toronto. 2001 and 2002.

Previous:

Publications:  

2007:

"The Canadian Quilter" Magazine, Autumn issue. An article on the Trend Tex Challenge, "Because Anyone Can Paint" as one of featured auction items and award winner.

"Zodiac", Quarterly Astrology Magazine published in Norway, featured "The Zodiac" as an illustration for one of the articles, Summer, 2007.

The Grand National, "Centaur" featured artwork on show catalog cover.

2006:

"The Canadian Quilter" Magazine, Autumn Issue. Cover Quilt: "The Zodiac".

      Same Issue: A 2-page article by the artist, "A Creative Journey" on making "The Zodiac".

     Same issue: "Forces of Nature" one of featured artworks in an article about 'the "Canada Uncovered" Exhibit, Paducah, KY.

    Same issue, mention of artist as a judge for the National Trend-Tex Challenge.

    Same issue, "The Zodiac" featured in an article on the National Juried Show.

    Same issue, "Mauritius Parakeets" featured in an article about the Grand National.      

The Grand National, "Mandrill" featured artwork on postcard invitations and posters.

The Murray Times, Kentucky, USA. Article on "Canada Uncovered" exhibit at the America Quilters Society Museum. April issue. "Forces of Nature" one of pieces mentioned in the article.

2005:

"The Canadian Quilter Magazine" Winter issue. Two- page article by the artist, titled "Feeding Your Soul" featuring her work.

"Applied Arts"  (visual arts magazine) Fall 2005, an article on Martha and her artquilts.

"The Canadian Quilter Magazine" Fall 2005. Cover Quilt, (Zebraz) and featured in an Article on the National Juried Show.  

2004:

*The Canadian Quilter Magazine, Winter, 2004. Article on World Quilt Show and Canadian entries. "Fancy Birds" featured award winner.

*Condo Central Magazine, Sept. 2004. Article on Martha and her quilts as home decor.

*The Canadian Quilter Magazine, Summer issue, article on The Grand National, “Forces of Nature” one of featured award winners.

      Same magazine issue: Article on the 2004 Ontario Juried Show, “Fancy Birds” one of featured award winners.

Canadian Quilter Magazine, Spring  issue. Article on Artist and her quilts and “The Quilt Gallery” in St. Jacobs, Ontario.  

"Tiamat” featured on Waterloo Area Quilt Festival poster and in catalog.

2003:

*Pickering News Advertiser, Article on artist and Solo Exhibition at the Art and Soul Gallery.

Other art experience:

Juror for the Ontario National Juried Show, 2007

Judge for the Canadian Quilters Association Trend Tex Challenge, 2006.

Employed by Scirocco Custom Framing, Toronto, ON, 1998.

Home-based picture framer for 8 years. 1990 – 1998.

Employed by Jan Goin Gallery, Charleston, South Carolina, 1990.

Large indoor mural painting of Sigma Nu crest at Fraternity House, East Tenn. State Univ. 1976

Large indoor mural painting in children’s classroom, Kingsport, TN. 1972

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of machines do you use?

All quilts are pieced and quilted on domestic sewing machines  (Pfaff Varimatic, Pfaff Tiptronic, Janome 6500) or a semi-industrial Bernina. None of these are stitch-regulated.

How do you design your pieces?

Several hours of research and sketching go into a design. VALUE (light, med. and dark) are by far the most important elements to me in a design. Colour selection is the last thing I consider.

I project a hand-drawn image onto a large sheet of freezer paper pinned to my design wall. Most of my images require several widths of freezer paper to be connected to get the size I want.

The projector can be moved closer or further away from the wall to get the size I prefer. I will back up the projector until the smallest pieces will still allow for a seam allowance turned under. Once the image is drawn full size, I can add details and make adjustments to the pattern shapes. Several hundred pattern pieces can be labeled and given colour/value designations, and once cut out, are ironed onto the back of selected fabrics and cut out with a seam allowance. I  need to take digital pictures of the pattern before I cut it up, and each pattern is one of a kind.

This general technique was taught to me by Caryl Bryer Fallert in her "Getting Comfy with Curves" class in 1991. (The best $90.00 I've ever spent) Her website is here: http://www.bryerpatch.com/

How are the pieces sewn together?

I use a large light box to help me "see" how all the pattern pieces line up back together. I use tape on the wrong side to hold them in place so I can machine appliqué them together.  An edge is turned under a shape and pressed before sewing it to the adjacent pieces. Each piece is attached with an "invisible thread" zig-zag stitch. In works that have several hundred pieces, it's often difficult for everything fit back together perfectly. Additional pieces are designed and added as needed, or pattern shapes are changed to further clarify or detail a specific shape. The paper pattern pieces are removed from the back of the fabrics before basting and quilting.

How do you quilt?

The quilting is achieved by dropping down the feed-dogs in the sewing machine, allowing the quilt to be hand-guided under the needle as it stitches, so I can move the piece whatever direction or speed I choose. I do not use a stitch-regulated machine that guarantees a consistent size of stitch, nor a machine that can be programmed to quilt the shapes for me.

This method of "drawing" with thread (called free-motion machine quilting) is similar to holding a pencil over a piece of paper, and moving the paper instead of the pencil. This takes much more eye-hand coordination and technical expertise than hand-quilting, goes a lot faster, but it's not quite as relaxing! 

I rarely draw the quilting shapes before I stitch, preferring to allow the shapes and motions to be spontaneous, dictated by the "mood" of the piece or my love of variety. The free-motion quilting shapes are unique in this manner, an individual signature similar to handwriting.

Working on larger pieces is akin to a wrestling match. I start from the centre, the most difficult area to reach, and work my way out to the edges. Sometimes I will try to quilt all the areas that will receive the same colour of thread at once, but if it's too far away from the centre, I change thread colours as I get to each area.

What kinds of machines and threads do you use?

I do most of my quilting on a semi-industrial Bernina. It has a belt-driven motor that runs at very high speeds; a very simple, non-computerized machine that is easy to maintain. However, at the higher speeds, delicate threads such as rayon and metallic will break. I've found that cotton and polyester give me the best consistent results. If I choose to quilt with rayon or metallic, I use a slower machine.

The machine appliqué is stitched with Sulky® invisible thread in clear or smoke tints. I use one of my Pfaff machines for appliqué, or the Janome 6500.

Other materials and preferences:

I prefer the overall design, fabrics and colour to be the main components, with embellishments used only as "icing on the cake". Decorative cotton, wool or rayon yarns are couched onto the surface of some of my works with an invisible zig-zag stitch. This technique was taught to me by Ellen Anne Eddy http://www.ellenanneeddy.com/

I've also recently started collecting beads and using them for added texture.

The batting inside the quilts is 100% cotton, Warm and Natural®. This batting is relatively thin, lays flat and will shrink only 3%. However, it is difficult to hand quilt this batting. 

All fabrics in my wall quilts are high thread-count 100% cotton. Some are commercial batiks, others are hand-dyed, or I will hand paint them. I've recently begun explorations with other textiles for soft sculpture applications.

Painted fabrics, sunprints and scenes are created with Pebeo SetaColour® Transparent and Pearlescent Paints onto white cotton lawn fabric.  I prefer this paint because it doesn't change the texture of the fabric. Mickey Lawler taught me how to use several techniques with these paints. I think I had more fun in this class than any other I've ever taken! http://www.skydyes.com/index.html

Any more questions? Feel free to contact me at bluemoonfabricarts@rogers.com