Carolyn Courson: TEXTURE, SHADOWS & PERSPECTIVE
“Painters think of color in terms of the pigment found in the tube or pan. I think of color in terms of fabric colors and prints.”
2022 Artist-in-Residence at Travelers’ Rest State Park
Carolyn presents her watercolor triptych collage
How was your experience as an Open AIR Artist-in-Residence?
Spending a month in beautiful Travelers’ Rest State Park as an A-I-R was inspiring in itself. Having a month dedicated to art was a luxury. The harrowing road trip up there fraught with tornado warnings and a blizzard was only the beginning of an exciting adventure.
I enjoy making art quilts as special projects so I jumped at the chance to make a wall hanging for their new classroom using blocks painted by young visitors and staff. This gave other visitors the opportunity to view the process and reminisce. Some were traditional quilters; others were artists in other media. We connected over stories of our families’ quiltmakers. One park volunteer even brought a gift of deer hide scraps to incorporate in my next (Montana-inspired) piece.
My public presentation at Travelers’ Rest included a brief history of quilting and a trunk show of my traditional and art quilts. Examples featured a hand-pieced and hand-quilted sampler, a watercolor triptych collage, and a wall hanging of origami squares and buttons with no quilting stitches at all. The audience asked technical questions, fondled the cotton, and snacked on light refreshments. Quilting is not dead!
Fiber art of a Lilly created by Carolyn
What was your research process during this time?
Inspiration, however, was not confined to the Park. At the outset, plants and landscapes were on my radar. Regular meetings with the other A-I-Rs introduced me to other media—Holly’s power tools, David’s printmaking, and Aaron’s storytelling-in-song. Organized tours of their bases in the Missoula area and ramblings around Western Montana provided unexpected sparks. For example, I fell in love with a bird specimen, his coloration specifically, while on tour of the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum on the UM campus. Look for pieces in black, white, and blue in the future.
Another surprise was the artist-decorated traffic control boxes in Missoula. They are on every corner! I eagerly looked for them at every intersection. Imagine my delight when our local arts council announced a similar program as soon as I came back. I am happy to announce that I am part of a team who has been selected to decorate a box in Downtown Mobile within the next few months. And our design is based on an original art quilt.
Lesson learned: Keep your mind open to all possibilities.
Carolyn sewing together a collaborative quilt involving students’ artwork
What are you up to now (post Open AIR)?
A month away from “reality” left a lot of catching up to do. I am a member of two fiber art groups and both had successful exhibitions this summer in the Mobile area. Planning and hanging a show was a new experience for me. In addition, I am working on a series based on the bird specimen, or at least his colors. And my team will be decorating a traffic control box within the next few months. So many ideas, so little time!
Fiber art created by Carolyn
How would you describe your work?
My art quilts are always made from fabric, usually 100% cotton, with embellishments, such as beading, embroidery, and quilting stitches. These wall hangings range in size from very small to about 45-60”—not bed-size quilts. They are colorful and convey a positive scene, idea, or emotion. The subject matter is often found in nature; however, the technique can vary from representational to abstraction.
Origami fiber art created by Carolyn
How do you think about color in general?
Painters think of color in terms of the pigment found in the tube or pan. I think of color in terms of fabric colors and prints. I prefer prints to solids. I have quite a collection. How can I portray texture, shadows, and perspective with my choice of fabrics? For a personal test, I challenged myself to only use black and white and I failed miserably; I love color and lots of it!
Carolyn with her husband and dog (Sugar)
