Lauren Maskowitz
Quilting is one of the most feminine ancient crafts. It is the technique of joining layers and patterns of fabric together through stitching to represent objects of the surrounding world and natural phenomena.
Quilting is a world of colors. Let’s immerse ourselves in this bright world of Naples quilt artist Lauren Maskowitz.
It has been said that you are never too old to start over, to find your best self in a new way. In her 70s, Lauren discovered quilting and elevated it to a new art form.
She has had a lifelong passion for textiles. Maskowitz began sewing on her grandmother’s Singer treadle machine—doll clothes at age seven and prom gowns in her teens. She learned to weave in her mid-twenties and continued for the next forty-five years. Lauren combined this passion with a background in fine arts and a career in art therapy. As a result, quilting became her own late-life art therapy.
Left: Lauren Maskowitz | Flower Garden | 28 x 24
Middle: Lauren Maskowitz | Sunflower | 30 x 24
Right: Lauren Maskowitz | My Hawaiian Shirt | 44 x 36
Lauren says: “There is adventure in the art of creating—being unafraid to cut apart and sew back together, getting past the notion that anything is too precious, taking one path-destination in mind but having the courage to travel a different path if that road does not take me where I want to go. Art, just like life, is unpredictable…you begin a certain direction but never know exactly where it will lead.
“My pieces are textile collages, paintings using fabric as the medium. Each quilt begins as a blank canvas: fabrics and shapes are ‘rehearsed’ on my design wall, moved around until the composition emerges.”
Lauren’s goal is to create pleasing fabric assemblages—more painterly than traditional quilts, using a variety of techniques.
She starts with a general idea, often working from a photograph or sketch. Lauren admits that she is influenced by the aesthetic of her favorite artists: the serene landscapes of David Hockney, the dynamic flowers of Robert Kushner, and Henri Matisse’s use of textiles and interiors.
Lauren states that each of her pieces is a journey. She begins with a blank canvas intuitively adding layer by layer. The artist enjoys the interplay of colors and the rich textures of silks and cotton.
Plain fabrics are printed, stenciled, and stamped. Others are fused and appliquéd. “I have a general sense of how I want to construct the piece, but I allow the colors and shapes to guide me. I work on a design wall by pinning and ‘auditioning’ shapes. This process allows me to change direction as I go, to see images and move pieces to create the vision I see in my mind.”
For Lauren quilting is not just a relaxing pastime. “I came into the art quilt world at age 70 and hope to never stop. Creating art quilts has become a daily ritual. It is a spiritual experience that has carried me through troubled family waters, two hurricanes, and the Covid lockdown. Quilting feeds my soul.”
Lauren’s quilts are available in the Mercato gallery location at 9115 Strada Place, Unit 5155
East West Fine is also open downtown at 472 5th Ave. S.
info@EastWestFineArt.com | EastWestFineArt.com
Comentarios