Patricia Anderson
Artist Statement
I use quilted raw-edge fabric collage to create images that connect the viewer to their own experiences. My purpose in this work is to capture emotion and memory surrounding what matters: people, pets, places, and ideas. To create my collages, I often begin with a photograph. Small pieces of fabric are assembled to compose the image and are glued to a base, then the piece is backed with batting and secured with a transparent overlay. The entire collage is then quilted, providing texture and depth. The process of selecting fabrics to develop a realistic depiction of my subject is challenging. I do not use paint, dye, or computer generation, but apply a painter’s perspective to the process of creating a collage from my stash of fabric scraps. The result is a piece that closely captures the original image but also evokes the personality or sense of the subject and inspires an emotional response. My work has been included in the Contemporary Quilt Art Association’s West Seattle Art Walk installation in January 2026, and in the Birds of a Fiber exhibit ongoing through April 2026 at the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fabric Arts Museum.
Artist Bio
After a 40-year hiatus, I returned to fabric collage in 2024. My early work began as most quilters’ work does, with pieced bocks to create hand-quilted crib-size blankets, then larger quilts using piecing or applique. My work, Midnight Lake, won a blue ribbon at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh in 1977 (or was it 1978?). I dabbled in raw edge collage using many of the same techniques I use today but then put art aside to concentrate on supporting my family. A few years ago, I realized I might need a focus for my “golden years” and joined several Seattle quilt guilds. There I found encouragement to pursue my art again and developed my current process. My work is my voice, sometimes recalling the past, sometimes suggesting a call to action. My Democracy Defenders series of “protest minis” have been featured at Vain salon and boutique in West Seattle, and posted in my neighborhood. Art can speak to and through all of us.