Janet Swigler

Columbia, SC

Stitching is my most satisfying creative outlet. My quilts are improvisational, created intuitively and cut free-hand without the use of patterns. Quilting, my art form, incorporates principles of art, such as quality of line, value, proportion, and figure/ground composition. Use of color and imaginative re-structuring of a motif are important components.

A career in music education provides additional depth to my artistic understanding. Childhood years in Japan and continued travel as an adult enrich my work. Observations of daily life and nature, reflections on personal insights, and regular tai chi practice inspire and inform my abstract creations.

This quilt is constructed traditionally–a pieced top, batting, and a backing that are held in place with machine quilting. This final stitching or mark-making adds another layer of dimension to the quilt surface. My work honors the tradition of quilting and shows the versatility of a medium that uses only thread and fabric.