A Visit to the Museum: Targeted Observation | Quilting Arts Podcast Episode 24

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What is it about art museums that calls us to visit? That inspires quilters to create? And that moves us as viewers as well as artists?

In this episode, we encourage our listeners to plan a field trip to their local museum. And while doing so, we’ll challenge you to look at the art with a different eye. Our artist in residence, Jill Kerttula, says, “It is not necessary to understand the subject or to even like the genre of art to learn something from it…” When she visits a museum, she often uses Targeted Observation. Tune in to learn more about this subject.

Jill’s winning quilt from Houston is “Just Thinking”

“During 2020, we did a lot of this; just sitting and thinking. About the political world, our home and family, the creative world, and our health. This piece started as a self-portrait printed on fabric. Additional fabrics were then appliquéd, layered, and woven into and onto the portrait. Texture was added with stitch, and painting helped to merge the fabrics with the photograph so they melded together.”

Meet Jill Kerttula

Jill Kerttula’s fiber art is the culmination of years of professional art experience. Her photography provides the underlying composition for her work. The stitching allows her to celebrate and express textures in a way that photography does not. And the work is influenced by her background in Graphic Design. Through her work she strives to bridge the craftsmanship and traditions of fiber art “women’s work” with the strong concept and composition required in the fine arts of painting and photography.

In 2014, Jill retired from commercial design and began working full-time as a fine artist. Her artwork has received many awards in international and national shows. In 2015, Jill spent a month as the Artist-in-Residence at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and her studio is located at the McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, VA. In 2019 and 2021 she was juried into the Quilt National show, receiving the Award of Excellence in 2021. This year Jill received the Janome Innovation in Artistry award at the International Quilt Festival, Houston.

Website: jillkerttula.com