Fabric is the foundation from which I create images by adding beads, buttons, found objects, and fiber in its various forms. I especially enjoy the spontaneity and surprise of collage. In some of my works, the goal is to express my odd sense of humor and hopefully make the viewer smile. In others, the goal is to remind the viewer of the transience of all things. In this regard, the haiku of the Japanese masters is a great inspiration.
As a pre-teen I learned how to embroider and crochet from my grandmother. When I turned 16 my grandmother taught me how to quilt using the English paper piecing technique. For many years, I focused on quilting as a hobby using traditional patterns and techniques. In 2005, a class with Lisa Chipetine in New York City introduced me to a much broader range of artistic expression through the use of nontraditional techniques applied to art quilts. Around this time, I also resurrected my crochet skills and began creating fantastical animal and human figures, which over time became more complex as I integrated additional techniques and materials into their construction.
Starting in 2007, I developed and started selling a line of dolls, trademarked Guard Dolls. They depict powerful women who serve a talismanic function—to protect and watch over their owners and their valuables. Most are constructed of needle-felted wool, fabric, lace, thrift shop cutlery, custom-welded steel, broken jewelry, and beads. The Guard Dolls are meant to be hung on a wall with a ring attached to the back of the head, but some, especially the larger ones, can sit comfortably on furniture. Appropriate to their strong personalities, all should be placed in a prominent location.
I have exhibited my art quilts and Guard Dolls in venues in Georgia, New York City, Florida, Kentucky, Virginia, New Jersey, England, and France. I currently have pieces in national traveling shows with Studio Art Quilt Associates and the Textile Study Group of New York. My work has also been published in Quick Quilts and Quilting Arts Magazines. In 2011, Katie Pasquini Masopust published pictures of my work in her book, Inspirations in Design for the Creative Quilter.
http://janebb-fiberplus.blogspot.com/
