Enjoy the images from the FRCQ Exhibit, “Complements to the Chef”.  This exhibit is currently showing at the

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, October 17th, 2022 to January 14, 2023. 

RMQM location and hours:

Monday—Saturday: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am – 4:00pm

200 Violet Street, Unit 140
Golden, CO 80401
303-277-0377 | rmqm@rmqm.org

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(Click on any image to scroll through and see the overall images)

Susan Sawatzky
Peaches Undone, 20″ X 15″

My eyes spot detail in the many things, a bee on a flower, the wave of a cloud passing by, the tip of a mountain range, cracks in asphalt that look like a cat. Have you seen an old barn and wished you could capture it and take it home or a landscape and wish you could change just one thing? I do that, capture scenes from man’s work and nature’s bounty in fabric, thread and paint. I invite you to share my belief that nature in all its glory, brings Sacred beauty and humor into our lives.

Inspiration for “Peaches Undone”: The inspiration for this piece came from the original “Peaches”. I was doing an online class in Abstraction. The assignment was first to do a work in semi realistic fashion and then to do that same work in abstract design. Abstraction is difficult for me, I usually work in more realistic design from photographs. However this time I was inspired by the colors and found the triangle theme very engaging and entertaining.

Susan Brooks
Bounty, 24.5″ X 18.5″
Growth, 24.5″ X 18.5″

I am a story teller, both of my own stories as well as people with limited voices. I am intrigued with the life of the farmers on the Colorado plains and the years producing food while being subject  to the conditions of weather and the market to survive and prosper. “Growth” and “Bounty” were inspired by my hand drawn sketch of a farmer, turned into a thermafax imaged and applied with paint. I want to honor the source of our food and give complements to the chef.

Bounty – hand dyed cotton fabric with water soluble graphite pencil and thermafax image from hand drawn picture of a farmer Machine stitched.

Growth – hand dyed cotton fabric with paper and paints and thermafax image from hand drawn picture of a farmer Machine stitched.

Mary Ison
Blooming Artichoke; A Farm to Table Escapee, 15″ X 15″
Celebration of Colorado Cherries, 26″ X 25″

I enjoy the adventure of making a quilt without a set idea of the end result. While I usually have an idea that gets me going, I’m most happy in letting the piece evolve into what it wants to be. I am energized and thrilled by “not knowing” when I start out what will be at the journey’s end. It can take many months for a piece to unfold on the design wall, and periods of intense quilting activity are often followed by periods of incubation as other  parts of my life take priority. My completed works often contain pieces of my personal story and hold symbols related to the pleasures and concerns of my life during the creation of the quilt.

Inspiration/techniques/materials: “Blooming artichoke; A Farm to Table Escapee” was inspired by a photo taken by the artist at the Denver Botanical Gardens. Commercial and hand-dyed fabrics;  machine stitching; paint; Inktense; couched yarn. “Celebration of Colorado Cherries”. Digitally manipulated photo taken by the artist of her backyard cherry tree; commercially printed on  fabric, pieced with hand-dyed fabrics, and then heavily machine stitched.

Joan Sowada
Big Table, 30″ X 30″
Beans Beans Lima Beans, 26.5″ X 32.5 $795

“Big Table” was created for a group challenge called ‘Celebration of Color’. I liked the word celebration and made this cartoon version of the family enjoying a meal together in a joyful place.  Fabrics were fused and machine raw edge appliquéd. I used markers, pastels, and thread for the figures and food.

“Beans Beans Lima Beans” shows a child playing with beans, bowls, and lids. I am sad that this grandchild has largely outgrown the fascination of moving beans around! It kept her busy for a  long time! Commercial fabrics were fused and machine raw edge appliqued. I also utilized markers. I was able to use a delightful fabric that was created years ago, using a batik method of hot wax and seta paint.

JoAnne Hoffman
Gift of the Three Sisters, 23.5″ X 21.5″

I love working with my hands and constructing things of my own design. There is something about the texture of fabric and manipulating it that draws me in. Adding texture with the quilting gives each piece a tactile quality that takes this art form a touch beyond 2D. Art quilting is like putting a puzzle together, my own puzzle! Inspiration for this quilt came from my love of gardening and the beauty of squash blossoms.

Techniques: 95% hand dyed cottons by me, 5% commercial fabric, raw edge fused collage, FMQing .

Jean Herman
Farmers Market, 40″ X 26″
Three Friends, 26″ X 16″

“Farmers Market”
Inspiration: Farmers Markets sprout up all over Denver in May; they are one of the signs that spring is on the way. There is wonderful fresh produce, locally produced jams and salsas, and the smell of wonderful baked goods. Vendors are helpful and friendly, proud of their wares and the customers are often out enjoying a beautiful sunny day. In an area near East High school a market emerges like clockwork on Sunday morning. I can ride my bike to it after church services. One Sunday I decided to sketch and photograph the various vendors and customers. Surprisingly to me this piece emerged almost like a piece of folk art; it is a slice of Americana prevalent all over our country, bringing farmers and city folk together in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Materials: Hand painted cotton and silk fabric, commercial cotton, threads, textile paint, oil pastel and gel medium.
Techniques: Figures are drawn using paint in an air pen, fabric is collaged on to the using gel medium. Paint is used for some of the clothing, some is collaged fabric, Oil pastels enhance the shadows. Intense machine stitching creates texture and integrates all the pieces into a whole.

“Three Friends”
Inspiration: I visited Morocco, it is a land of diversity; there are ancient cities with winding marketplaces and the vast Sahara Desert. Morocco is one of the few Muslim countries that is accepting  of other religions and embraces all interpretations of Islam. Women are freer than in many Muslim countries but are still restricted by cultural norms that limit a women’s freedom to pursue  education or interests away from home and children. I had the chance to visit a small coffee shop/bakery that is a co-op, and the women can earn a living. These three women were working and  chatting together. They were clearly friends as well as work colleagues. The clothing and surrounding décor was very traditional. I was fascinated by the experience and photographed the women working and was excited to create this art piece when I returned home

Materials: Hand painted cotton, wool fabric, commercial cotton,  threads, textile paint, oil pastel and gel medium.
Techniques: Figures are drawn using paint in an air pen, fabric is collaged on to the using gel medium. Paint is used for some of the clothing, some is collaged fabric, Oil pastels enhance the shadows. Intense machine stitching creates texture and integrates all the pieces into a whole.

Cynthia Jarest
The Journey, 20″ X 29″
Reap & Sow, 22″ X 17″

There is always the question of why. Why create art? Because it is fun. Because it is therapy. Because it is meditative. There is growth in the process of creating whether you create a masterpiece, or a mess. Growing up in Colorado has its advantages, namely the Rocky Mountains and the many adventures found hiking, camping, skiing, and snow shoeing. My hope is to bring to life some of those adventures and breath-taking views with fiber and other media, connecting the viewer to nature. Using a camera, I capture a point in time of something that catches my eye. Using that photo as inspiration, I create art; sometimes literal, sometimes abstract, usually with deep jewel tones that my inner eye sees. Fabric and thread become my paint to create, communicating with color and pattern. This medium allows for texture and dimension not typically found in paint itself. The fabric is often my own: hand-dyed, painted, and/or stamped. Thread, acrylic paint, colored pencils, alcohol inks, dryer sheets and even paper become part of the art.

Anne Severn
Rainbow Fish Farm, 19″ X 50″

Rainbow Trout are a gorgeous fish and a popular menu item. They are a sport-fish and also have long been raised on fish farms. In a bit of play on their name, each fish in this piece has been colored a different color of the rainbow.

Materials: hand dye silk organza, cotton fabric, acrylic paint, felt batting, pearl cotton and cotton thread.
Techniques: hand dye fabric by the artist, acrylic paint on fabric, raw edge applique, hand and machine stitching.

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