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Artist Statement As long as I can remember, I’ve drawn cartoons. These as have appeared as illustrations, cards, posters, and more, but none of these mediums are so satisfying as handcrafting an object of art. Perhaps it was this desire to return to handwork that pushed me to combine my drawings and other diverse influences with fabric. The surprise for me was that turning one of my drawings into a quilt is not just a matter of copying symbols and shapes into another medium. Each fabric I use has its own personality and brings something new to the story. The raw scissor-cut edges have a spontaneous energy that would be lost if those edges were hidden or altered by seaming or sewing. The quilted line creates three-dimensional texture and structure and at the same time, communicates two-dimensional information in the form of symbolic or decorative motifs. Quilting is a meditative process, and I like to think of the stitched line as a thread of thought wandering over the surface of the entire quilt. As I sew, my mind holds images to guide my hands and needle—images of grass, wind, water, leaves, kneecaps, noses…. I try to orchestrate these elements into a story, often working large so I have room to add little jokes and stories within the story. When I’m alone in my studio and suddenly get an idea for something new to add, I find myself laughing out loud. I’ve always believed that humor and creativity are linked; I think they are both related to the ability to step outside of our selves and look at things from a different and sometimes surprising viewpoint. The woman in my current series of quilts first appeared in my drawings in 2004, during a period in my life when I felt I was a stranger in my own body. She fully evolved in my quilt PaMdora’s Box, a contemporary interpretation of the laptop as the mythical box that was opened to release great knowledge and power, but also frustrations and problems into the world. Since then PaMdora has become symbolic of how I see the world -- a big jumbled mess of good, bad, joy, frustration, beauty, and humor. The quilts are not really about PaMdora, although she’s large in her own mind. They are more about how she watches the crazy world around her with a strange mixture of astonishment, dismay, and amusement. My everyday life is usually the seed for one of these quilts – something big like worrying about global warming or something small like being late for a date. Although I embellish the stories for entertainment and to sometimes fantastic ends, elements of each of these stories are real to me, and I find, to many people. I enjoy sharing these connections, no matter how small. It’s a way to bring us a little closer together, and if I also happen to make you smile or laugh, that’s even better.
Artist's Biography Pam RuBert was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but her life and art has been largely influenced by her Japanese heritage. After graduating with a degree in English Communications and minor in art, she met her future husband Russ RuBert while taking a sculpture class. They were married on a cliff overlooking TableRock Lake in the Ozarks, and after exchanging wedding vows, plunged together into the lake and into a life of art. Together they renovated an old 22,0000 square foot peanut butter factory to create an art studio where nowadays they spend most of their time. In the center of this “art factory” is Pam’s studio – a long room where she creates art quilts using fabric, sewing machines, buttons and other found objects, dyes and paints. When not making art at their studio, Russ and Pam are often traveling to look at art and visit other artists. You can read about their art adventures on Pam’s art blog, PaMdora's Box. |
all images and content © 2007 Pam RuBert
