East Bay Heritage Quilters
    Voices in Cloth 2006
An Extraordinary Quilt Show

Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection

Elizabeth Barton, Quilt Artist - Athens, Georgia, USA

www.arches.uga.edu/~ebarton/index.html

In my work I attempt to address both conceptual and formal issues. I wish to explore the beauty of everyday environments; in troubled times it is especially important to be aware of beauty and wonder. I want to reference archetypal memories to assess our own place in the history of time. I want to create a sense of place but also reveal the dynamic bones of the scene. Reflected light, translucency and the effects of time are recurring themes; I strive to translate into fiber the marvelous effects of light and color. Repeated patterns of windows and architectural forms are a leifmotif. Recently more ephemeral patterns such as those created by water and shadow have become a source of inspiration.

The aim is to make work that glows with light and is rich with color and nuance; a work in which the unified composition is satisfying, but the details are fascinating. I enjoy working in series – I’ve made many quilts with cityscapes, whether distant or close up. I enjoy also making landscap e quilts and abstract work too. I’ve made a series of quilts about memories and have entitled the series “Red Shift” to suggest that as memories about events recede, their “color” shifts towards warm tones. The term Red Shift is used by astronomers because early in this century, they noticed that distant galaxies’ light spectra were shifted toward the red end of the spectrum.

The quilt format is highly appropriate for the repetition and serialization that I love. Furthermore, formal issues of balance and color, space and light in landscape (whether urban or rural)are endlessly engaging. I try to use the medium to its maximum, pushing well beyond tradition.

A quilt is formed from layers of fabric stitched together; those I make are intended for the wall, and to be seen vertically. Beginning with plain white or black cotton or polyester, I build up, or reveal, layers of color by dyeing and painting with multiple and various applications: immersion dyeing, pole wrapping and/or other resists, direct dyeing / pigment application, painting and screen printing, heat transfer/disperse dyes and discharge. The fabric is then cut up and re-assembled and heavily overstitched by hand and machine.

I was born and educated in York, England, then emigrated to the United States in 1976, since when I've lived in Missouri and Georgia. I have degrees in Psychology and have taken many art and surface design classes.

I recently resigned from the University of Georgia to devote myself full time to travelling, teaching and making art quilts.