ARTIST STATEMENT:

My quilts celebrate the visual drama that is present in the natural world and aim to evoke the emotion, awe and wonder I experience when I first encounter my subjects. Often described as bold and sensual, my work employs contrasts of light and shadow to intensify visual impact. Foliage, trees, flowers, and nature's cycles serve as metaphors for my inner world and for the human condition. I use my art as a means of self-expression and to communicate and connect with the world through universally-understood themes of personal growth, wonder, self-acceptance, loss and healing, joy, and the cycles of life.

BIO:

Elaine Quehl is an award-winning Canadian quilt artist, teacher, and dyer who specializes in colourful and intricately-stitched pieced and appliquéd art quilts. Her nature-themed quilts are recognizable for their drama, depth and contrast, exuberant colour and abundant texture. Elaine’s work has been juried into numerous exhibits at the national and international level and has been widely published, including 500 Art Quilts, and Art Quilt Portfolio: Natural World (upcoming 2012). A resident of Ottawa, she is in great demand as a teacher, and travels across the country delivering workshops and lectures to colleges, summer art programs, guilds, conferences and shops. Elaine is currently a part-time faculty member at the Haliburton School of the Arts, where she teaches in the summer arts program. She is recognized for her expertise in free-motion machine quilting, fabric dyeing, and many innovative techniques for creating original quilts. As a skilled dyer, Elaine's luscious hand-dyed fabrics are also in high demand, and she has been selling them across North America for the past 8 years.

Elaine grew up on a farm in Southern Ontario (Waterloo County) where she was surrounded by traditional quilts made by her great grandmothers, grandmothers, and mother. She began her quilting adventure in 1996 as a traditional quilter, but soon found herself seduced by art quilts and became devoted to developing her own artistic abilities in this medium.

Elaine is a professional artist member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), a professional member of the Canadian Quilters Association (CQA), and a member of the Surface Design Association (SDA).