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Melody Johnson
Medias Used or Areas of Interest:
Fiber
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I favor visual thrills. I think Fiesta! It is all about the color, surface texture and design. I strive for visual music; a banquet for the eye is my goal. I make art for the fun of it, and I hope it shows.
This is direct communication from my internals to your externals. If it sinks deeper, that is fine with me. The fabrics and threads I dye are my inspirations, and then I play with them to find interesting compositions. Occasionally I actually plan a design, but I really prefer to discover one in the act of creating. My quilting designs reflect my training as a drawing student, and my color choices speak of my Latin heritage.
Melody has been a quilt artist since 1981, leaving behind her lifelong interest in painting and drawing in favor of working in fabric. Her works have been featured in many national and international publications and she is working on finding the time to create her own book.
Melodys vibrant quilts are inspired by the colors of the fiesta. Playfulness is a hallmark of her graphic and abstract designs. Her techniques are primarily fused fabric collage with extensive surface decoration involving hand and machine embroidery. She loves teaching and has traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad, sharing her excitement for color and pattern. Her award winning quilts are exhibited internationally, including Crafts National, QHC, American Quilters Society, Visions and Quilt National. In 1994 she completed her M.A. degree in fiber at Northern Illinois University, and she was awarded the Pfaff Master of Machine Artistry prize at the 1998 International Quilt Festival in Houston. She is one of the original founding mothers of the Professional Art Quilters Alliance.
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