Road to California prides itself on presenting the latest and greatest in the quilting world. Having Valerie Goodwin as one of our teachers for our upcoming 20^th Anniversary Conference and Showcase continues this vision.A graduate of Yale University with a Masters Degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, Valerie Goodwin is an architect, a teacher of architectural design at Florida A & M University, and a quilt artist. Her quilt designs are inspired by the realistic and abstract imagery of maps. Says Valerie, “I am fascinated by the language of lines, shape and pattern…My work is noted for its use of color, emphasis on line, and density. My quilts are part of a continuing investigation of ideas that focus on geometrical relationships, patterns, and ordering principles found in architecture. I try to convey these ideas abstractly, through the use of collage, layering, transparency, density, and improvisation.”   

Valerie’s new passion combines both the digital and the physical realm of creating. This connection came together in the summer of 2013 when Valerie was selected to participate in a 3-week residency at Florida State University’s (FSU) Facilities for Arts Research (FAR). The title of her project was Mapping Time and Place. During her residency, she tested laser settings on over 30 natural and synthetic fabrics.  In addition to exploring combinations of layered materials for her experimental fiber artwork, she also created a binder with fabric samples and laser cutting settings as a resource for future FAR researchers.

Valerie has continued to fine-tune her experience with the laser cutter and its interaction with fabric. Not only does the laser cut fabrics, but it can also score and etch.

All of this innovative work has sparked a desire with Valerie to share her knowledge with other quilt artists. Road is thrilled for Valerie to be sharing this technique with our guests at Road 2015.

To learn more about Valerie’s work, please visit her website: Quilts by Valerie

Tags: Architect, Laser Cut-Out Material, Maps, Valerie Goodwin

This entry was posted on Friday, June 6th, 2014 at 12:50 pm and is filed under classes, Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Road to California. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.