Jan Myers-Newbury

All of my work is in the form of pieced quilts, constructed from cotton fabrics that I have dyed. I have experimented with various fabric manipulations prior to dyeing: bunching, folding, clamping, and pole-wrapping. For two decades I have worked almost entirely with arashi shibori (pole-wrap). The fluid quality of these shibori lines creates lyrical, often nature-referent work. I use somewhat cavalier methods, often layering color with two or three subsequent dyeings, or by applying dye to the fabric before it is wrapped and manipulated on the pole. I have been exploring more traditional use of string to control the patterning, creating a more architectural effect.

I am intrigued by the possibilities of using color to create luminosity and a sense of 3-dimensional space. Through shaped resist dyeing, more depth and luminosity appear within individual pieces, as colors and linear patterns are layered onto the fabric. While I feel that I have a certain amount of control over what goes on in the dyebath, there are always surprises, and that is what I love. The lack of control is what has kept the work exciting.

Jan Myers-Newbury has exhibited and taught nationally and internationally. She has been included in fourteen QUILT NATIONAL exhibitions (more than any other artist) and in 1993 won Best of Show Award. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Art and Design, the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, the Museum of the American Quilters Society, and the Minnesota Historical Society.