Joan Schulze
Articles from Quilting Arts Magazine, ISSUE 49
Art is a unifying phenomenon; its creation builds bridges between people and places. Through her artwork, Joan Schulze certainly exemplifies this concept; her fiber art career has enabled her to forge friendships across the globe. As she reflects, “Having friends in so many locations is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work, and I really appreciate it. I go from one place to another, and enjoy it all for what it is.”
In order to teach and lecture on her work, Joan has traveled across Europe and the United States, and has visited Taiwan, China, Japan, Canada, and Mexico. She is currently planning a trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, where she will give workshops for six weeks. This extensive traveling and teaching is one of the most rewarding aspects of Joan’s work. She admits, “I keep trying to give it up because it’s very demanding and requires so much preparation (especially since I don’t like to teach anything more than once), but there are always interesting places to go, and it’s hard to turn it down.”
Not only does Joan relish the experience of visiting new locations, but she also thrives on the joy of helping others explore their artistic potential. “I love when I have a week with students-that’s just a great way to teach. I don’t do one-or two-day workshops. I like having a week because it makes a meaningful situation for my students, and for me. We can be very experimental; we can grow and offer moral support. People can make great strides in one week.”
Joan’s process for making art has changed dramatically since her first introduction to the needle arts. She traces her art quilting career to her interest in embroidery, which began decades ago, when she first moved to California.” I had no money to buy art, and I saw an ad for s stitchery kit in THE NEW YORKER, so I decided to learn how to embroider.” During American’s bicentennial celebration, Joan was swept up in the widespread quilting fever and created pictorial appliqué quilts, unlike her current work in which photographic imagery is abstracted, rearranged, and layered.
Today, Joan describes her work as belonging to two categories; collage quilts and drawing quilts. And despite their clear differentiation from traditional bed quilts, she does not use the term “art quilt” when referring to her pieces. “I just call them “quilts.” Though people view them as art, that’s their decision.”
For her collage quilts, Joan starts by gathering images and miscellaneous paper, which she then photocopies and prints on silk, or she uses her glue transfer method. “That’s the beginning, and where it takes me, I never know. The idea is there, and then I work with it. Pretty soon, I’m cutting things up and using something from another piece that wasn’t finished. I’m always improvising with what I have and seeing where it leads me.”
There are no limits to what might inspire one of Joan’s collage pieces. Instead, they are results of whatever catches her interest in a given moment. Naturally, her time abroad has quite an influence.
“When I’m traveling, I’m giving lectures and presenting my work, but I’m also looking around and taking pictures. I really like to photograph because it trains your eye compositionally. All of my experiences feed my work; I get ideas on the street and when meeting people.”
“My studio is a very big space with high ceilings, huge windows, and lots of light, so that’s where I do all the putting together of things. I live there part time, and the rest of the time I’m at home, where I do a lot of messy work in the garage. It’s really nice having a separate studio space so that each space (home and studio) can be geared toward something unique. I can pay attention to my work; I’m not cleaning house and doing the normal work of family. But I only stay at my studio for a couple of days because that kind of around-the-clock work wears me out. I come home and get refreshed, but I’m always thinking about what I left at my studio.”
“I’m at the age where staying healthy is important. You have to stay strong to do this work. All the traveling really pushes the envelope physically and emotionally, and the glue transfer process I use is very difficult work. So I try to eat well, walk, and take care of myself.”
“I just continue to love making quilts. When I create my large collages, I feel that I’m being bold and taking risks. These pieces challenge people to look at quilts in a different way.”
“Though my pieces incorporate many mediums, I think of them as quilts because I’m referring to women’s past, and this is the underlying message that I hope to convey. I want to be a part of that history.”
You may refer to her books if you want to learn more about Joan.
