ARTIST SPOTLIGHT - APRIL FOSTER

Santa Fe Sunflowers: Enchanted Threads 2012  Albuquerque, NM, 

New Mexico Unfolding, 2013, Capitol Rotunda Gallery

Shades of the Southwest, AQS show 2015

I guess I have always had a desire to be an artist but never seemed to have the talent/ability.  From my earliest memories I wanted to draw, to express what I was feeling, thinking or imagining.  This was always an inner struggle for me but when my mother began to make quilts again in the 1970’s, I became fascinated with the colors and patterns and soon was off and quilting.  So here I am now finally being able to do what I always wanted to do - make art.

In trying out several different types of art quilts, I finally found that I like to tell stories and share what is in my imagination.  I want my quilts not only to tell a story but to be fun.  I want them to leave room for the viewer's imagination to add to the story if they want, but always the ultimate goal is to make people feel good.

 Snap Dragons:  Art Quilts XIX 2014 - Permission to Play
Chandler , AZ
2015 Fiber Arts Fiesta

I work from things I visualize in my head and when I first started making art quilts, I would just start sewing everything together, but with some workshops and coaching from my husband I now work sketching out my ideas and finalizing the design.  This is still a very frustrating thing for me to do, as I want to just jump right in and start sewing, but I now understand the value of planning.  This doesn’t mean that everything will turn out exactly as planned because I may want to make changes as I go or I may think of something that I feel will might make the piece more interesting.

I wish I would have started doing this a lot sooner, but as it is I do get a lot of support and encouragement at home.  I have learned that the only way to get better and grow is to keep experimenting and trying new things.  If you just keep doing the same thing the same way life will become really boring really fast. My hope is that when people see my quilts they go away with a little more joy in their lives.  Life should be about joy, happiness and having fun.

Contact: aprilspring43@msn.com

Once Upon a Time:; Art Quilts XVIII: ARTrageous 2013 

2015 Fiber Arts Fiesta