MARGARET M SHEEHAN
FIBER ARTIST
Artist Statement
I am an artist who transforms fabric into art quilts. The materials I choose speak to me through color, texture and design. In constant dialog with my work, a swirling energy of spirals, playful stitching and poetic shapes emerge. While designing, I listen for the conversation. Questions come up for me like; "Should this line go here or there?, can I remove this? Where is the focus? should I make it balanced or unbalanced?" This ongoing conversation continues to bring the piece to a unique place that is both powerful and exciting.
Margaret M. Sheehan earned her BFA from The University of the Arts, Philadelphia and has been a fiber artist and teacher for 25+ years. She worked in computer graphics for several years before switching from a computer to a sewing machine for her art. She is a juried fiber artist at the League of NH Craftsmen and has exhibited her art quilts in the League Shops, Lucca, Italy and in various places around New England.
Margaret likes to experiment. Using no patterns, her original work features spirals, geometric shapes, wavy lines, paint, stamping and an assortment of fiber. Her art emanates from a place deep within her. She uses a variety of machine and hand sewing embellishments to enhance her work. She is currently writing a book with Michele O’Neil Kincaid about transitioning traditional patterns into art quilts. Margaret lives in Hanover, NH.
About the Book
Along the creative path, an artist begins to ask, “where do I go now that I know how to do this?” and, “How do I get there from here?” We immerse ourselves in beautiful books on quilts that make our heart sing, and inside we want to get there TODAY and RIGHT NOW. The nagging question is, how do I approach the transition? It looks complicated! If only there were a book to spell out the interim steps….
Michele and I are putting together a "cookbook" full of recipes I wish I had when I was transitioning to art quilting. It is the road we paved for ourselves as we stumbled along. This book will take you from using traditional patterns and toeing the line to becoming more aware of how to bend the rules with the skills you already possess. By adding more information to the well, and gaining confidence by experimenting with these new methods, you will be able to relax into your new found skills and allow the natural blossoming of your own "art quilt' to emerge. Enjoy the journey! ~ Margaret
Other Education
Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
Major: Graphic Design, Minor: Photography
North Country Studio Workshops, Bennington, VT
Nancy Crow, Michael James, Katie Pasquini Masopust, David Walker, Joan Schulze and Ilse Aviks.
Haystack, Deer Isle, ME
Surface Design with Gayle Fraas and Duncan Slade
...and I have studied with these fabulous teachers!
Diane Hire, Ellen Anne Eddy, Libby Leman, Wen Redmond, Michele O'Neil Kincaid