ELIZABETH GARLINGTON

ARTIST. DESIGNER. QUILTER.

I have been drawn to the arts since I was young and earned a B.S. Ed. in Art Education from the University of Georgia and a Master’s degree from Georgia State University. I pursued further graduate education at Vanderbilt Divinity School and Appalachian State University in the areas of Theology and Expressive Arts Therapy.

In 1998 I entered my first juried art exhibit and won an award for my quilted fiber art images. That was the start of a twenty five year journey as a professional artist. My quilted artworks are shown in gallery exhibitions and are in corporate and private collections across the eastern United States. Since 2008, I have been a juried member of the prestigious Southern Highland Craft Guild and my work is available through their galleries. For more detailed information please see my Vitae.

I live and work in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina - the heart of American Folk Art.

INSPIRATION

I am a daughter of the South, and hail from multi-generations of artists. I have always been surrounded and influenced by vast collections of paintings, fine craft, and southern folk art.

My current body of work speaks to the very tradition that inspired me to become a fiber artist - the beauty and visual impact of traditional quilt block patterns. I learned to quilt by the process of hand-piecing and have returned to straight stitch by hand. My use of classic quilt patterns as a design foundation symbolizes my coming home, and full circle, in my life as an artist.

Geometric shapes, curves, and symmetrical design are the foundation of these ventures in quilt composition. Some work may navigate toward asymmetry, the use of embellishment, narrative story, or multi-media approaches. Regardless of process, each work embraces a sensitive balance between fine craftmanship and visual impact.

PROCESS

I explore textiles through the lens of collage. My highly textured fabric collages begin with a base layer of organic muslin. Subsequent layers of fabric and thread write the story, dictating both process and message in my works of fiber art.

I embrace improvisation. Machine piecing, appliqué, and hand embroidery are used to create my quilted canvas. My many-colored threads are akin to colored pencils, and my fabrics - from Dupioni silk to vintage feed sacks to African mud cloth - are my tubes of paint. I embrace the gestural energy of free motion quilting, the intentional irregularity of a sewn line, and the slow rhythm of hand stitch.

Throughout my fiber art practice, I am always conscious of the rhythm of positive and negative space and the creation of visual stability in the use of value, contrast, and pattern. My selection of fabrics and threads strengthen both my process and product.

For more insight on my work listen to my interview with Fain House Radio on my Press Page.