Sharon Buck
Artist’s Statement
I come from a creative, artistic family. My mother was an artist with paints and fabric and my grandmother was an artist with fabric and life. I grew up watching my grandmother create patchwork and braided rugs with whatever was available. She used her cast off hose to stuff the braids and make them tight and round. She and my mother both taught me to never throw anything away: you may be able to use it later, in art or life. I watched my mother paint and draw and she hired another artist to give me oil painting lessons when I was five because she wanted me exposed to a broad range of art and style.
My own “first quilt” was inspired when my best friend was pregnant and I wanted to “gift” her with something special and one of a kind. Picture early seventies and hippy look appliqué with sun rays and bunnies. It did not turn out the way I wanted and it satisfied my quilt making for ten years. It took another epoch event, my divorce from my first husband to make me attempt quilts again. This one was really awful also, and the urge subsided for another fifteen or so years. Then I started helping make quilts for our church’s quilt ministry and the bug bit officially and hard. Traditional was not enough and I transformed my love of painting on canvas, paper and silk to working with fabric.
When I am ready to start a quilt, I begin with fabric I have hand-dyed and piece, appliqué and fuse more fabrics of all genres depending on the effect I am looking to achieve. I use my own fabrics, re-purposed clothing, purchased fabric and all sorts of trims. I draw shapes free hand with my domestic sewing machine and quilt as needed.
My inspiration comes from nature; landscapes, plants and animals. I take lots of photos in addition to sketching and painting. I enjoy two vastly different environments, tropical Florida and the unique rain forest of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. I love the underwater world and visit it every chance I get.
Inspirations and spiritual mentors for me include Georgia O’Keeffe, Annemieke Mein, Noriko Endo, Paul Gauguin, and David Hockney. My favorite fabric designer is Kaffe Fassett and his books are like ice cream cones for your imagination.