Artist Profile: Susan Fletcher King

Susan Fletcher King
Houston, Texas

1. What year did you make your first quilt? Traditional or art?  I started quilting in 2003 after receiving a 1-hour lesson from a friend on how to use a rotary cutter and ruler.  I began with traditional quilts and an old sewing machine and I remember calling my mother who sewed quite a bit and asking her what a "bobbin" was. 

2. What is the first show, and year, that you ever entered your art quilts? Venue?   In 2005 I entered IQA but was not accepted.  That was a good thing!  I realized that I had a whole lot more to learn!

3. What is your artistic style?    My background is as an illustrator and graphic designer and I carry that into my quilts - especially my illustration style which is mostly grounded in realism.

4. Have you ever changed your style from when you started making quilts?  Yes, I went from traditional to art quilts in just a couple of years.  As soon as I had learned some (not all) of the rules, I wanted to start breaking them!

5. What other style in quilt making piques your interest?  I love the merging of different media with fabric - rusted metal and fabric together is really exciting!

6. What other medium in art influences your work as a fiber artist?   I like good watercolors and pen and ink line drawings.  I try for those effects in some of my quilts.

7. What do you have coming up? Shows, Articles in magazines, Books, etc.   I will be completing an Artist's Residency this year at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.  There is an annual gallery show that I will be participating in in Feb of 2014 and other things as they come along.

8. Where will your art take you from here?    I hope to be able to participate in more residencies if possible.  I would like to do more "out of the box" work that will allow me to grow and stretch my creative muscles.

9. Describe your studio space:  Small with every surface cluttered while I am involved in a project.

10. What was the biggest challenge you have encountered in the making of your art quilt for "An Exquisite Moment?"  The long, narrow size was difficult for me to work with and I felt like I was trying to wedge the proverbial square peg into the round hole.

http://susanfletcherking.com