How to identify different types of modern Art Quilts.

Things You’ll Need:

Keen eye for Art
Patience
Understanding of textile terms
Understanding of basic American Textile History
Magnifying glass

Landscape quilts are the most common of the Contemporary Art Quilt movement in America today. Whenever I see a landscape quilt, I always want to look at the details of the piece because for the Artist, it is a wonderful place for them to use all of their fancy stitch work that they have on their sewing machines or the hand sewing skills that they have developed over a period of time. Landscape quilts can often depict the area where the Artist is from in the region of America, so for me, it is a chance to view other parts of America that I haven't seen or gone to.

Portrait quilts are more complex in the piecing techniques that the Artist uses because there can be many difficult sewing intersections and curves that need to be sewn accurately. Portrait quilts are also an example of how the Artist draws or it also shows if the Artist doesn't have strong drawing skills the finished image will show that. In the making of portrait quilts, the rule of thumb for making an effective quilt is to depict the shapes of the face, in all of it's shades, with fabric pattern and shading. So each piece of fabric depicts a part of the face with it's highlights and low lights. Another thing to remember with portrait quilts sometimes artists do not do self portraits but rather spiritual portraits that depict one's own soul into the work with all of it's plains and highlights.

Abstract quilts are one of THE most wonderful types of quilting that I have seen in modern Fiber Art today. Because these quilts help the viewer to explore emotions that they might have inside their soul. Through shapes, color, and textures, the Artist can bring out a feeling of sadness, confusion, joyfulness, or many other emotions without writing text. Abstract quilts also flexible enough in design to have the viewer make his or her decision on what the image is and guess what is being said by the Artist. So in many ways it is a private dialog that the viewer is having within himself or herself that the artist is trying to stimulate.

Vintage Photography/ Mixed Media quilts are one of the more modern styles of quilting. Being able to alter and add to vintage photographs sentiments, emotions, tonal qualities to photographs printed on treated fabric has opened up a whole new world for artists. Many crazy quilts use vintage photos and mixed media to add pop and exceitment to their work!

Political quilts are a wonderful addition to any collection out there! Today in America, there are so many Artists who have a viewpoint on how they want their country to be run. Some artists write their art with words others depict them with pieces of fabric cut and placed a certain way to evoke feeling. Personally, I don't care how it is done I just enjoy the freedom that these people have to make Fiber Art with a message!

Tips & Warnings

• There are many reference materials at your local library about Modern Quilt making, so check them out at your library.
• Museum of Modern Art are on the web and they have a strong textile collection on view to look at.
• United States Textile museum has the best collection of modern textiles to view on their website.