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Image provided by: Suffolk Cooperative Library System
BY DONNA NEWMAN Sometimes a single event can serve as the catalyst for an evolutionary change: the proverbral lightbulb goes on, nating a new path. So it was with Por Jefferson Staton resident Esterita Austin, award-winning art quilter and popular internatuonal teacher, who designs images with the character and imagination of museum-quality art. Trained as a teacher. Austin continued her studies toward a MFA in graphics and photography at Pratt Institute. She taught graphic arts to high school students in the Smithtown schools before returning to raise a family. Qunlting started out as her hobby in 1984 By the 90s she had begun view ing tabric as another artistre medium and quilting not just as craft. but as art Austin had never been keen on matching points and dining up seams \It just slowed down my creativity.\ she sard When she discovered raw edge quilting. t propelled her in a whole new direction Her tirst raw edge project was created in answer to an impossible deadline She was offered an exhibit space at a Fifth Avenue gallery in New York City in 1997 - Allotted anly four days to produce On the cover: Quilts by Estenita Austin Photos courtesy of Estenta Austin Art quilts: light-years beyond bed Coverings Esterita Austin shares her techniques for creating fabricfine art a new finished piece for the display. Austin sped through the quilting process by fusing fabric to backing and machine quilting the assembled piece. The result- ing art quilt far exceeded her expectations and was quite wel received. In fact, it sold immediately. Austin had found her niche. Experimenting with quilts based on images of stone structures, a series that is now familiar to many quilters, each fin- ished prece inspired another as Austin sought to find ways to intensify the sense of depth and realism in her quilts. \Color gets all thecredit,\ she said, \butvalue does all the work. Most of the work [in creating a quilt} is done by properly pick- ingthe fabrics.\ Using light, medium and dark values in very specific ways, Austin is able to create quslts that have the painterly look of fine arn. Pleased to have found this immensely rewarding creative outlet, Austin was cager to share it with others. She began teaching raw edge fusing in workshops around the country and around the world, tocusing on creatingthe illusion of depth and on new techniques for fabrication. This summer she'll teach workshops in Tuscany. a place artists have flocked to tor centunes to steep themselves in the natural beauty and extraordinary lighting of the Italian peninsula. \I especially love teaching women because there is such an untapped wealth of talent out there,\ she said. \When you give it up {control] and let go, it {creativ- ity] just happens!\ She encourages stu- dents to experiment. \What's the worst that can happen? \she asks. \You throw it away and start over? Accidents are the portals to discovery.\ When Austin began employing the fusing process, whereby a hot iron adheres the pieces of the fabric design to a backing by sandwiching a fusible sub- stance between the two, she found the materials on the market not up to her standards for ease of use or for ability to create desired effects. So Austin worked on bringing to market a supenor ultra- sheer fusing material. Her environmenital- ly friendly, thermoplastic polymer-resin is extruded to a very fine web, which is strong. yet soft. As an added benefit, it won't gum up needles. To allow for different artisuc effects, she decided both white and black fuses were required. It took a long while. and a lot of experimentation, but once Austin had it perfected, she launched the prod- uct. In partnership with Iris Karp. a woman she first met while studying art in Siena many years ago, she has created a line of art quilt pattems - with full. photo-illustrated instructions - which sell under the Esterita Austin name. \We feel we have really raised the bar in the industry,\ Austin said. The growing popularity of quilting is keeping Austin quite busy. \These days there are guilds in almost every town,\ 'There's that moment when you turn the corner and, suddenly, a piece just comes together. That's a wonderful feeling...\ «-- ESTERITA AUSTIN she said, and she is booked for workshops and presentations all over. Stateside, she spends most of her time on the east and west coasts. \'The center of the country is much more traditional in their quilting.\ she noted. \But even in the heartland they are slowly moving into this century, leav- ing behind the structuredpatterns passed down through generations. More and more, quilters are willing to take be original, be more creative.\ Here on Long Island, Austin partier pates in the 13-member Studio Art Quilters. It's another thing she loves about her chosen field. \There's a kind of sorority unity to the group. It's amazing when we get together.\ The members are supportive. not competitive. They hap- pily applaud each other's successes. As a group and as individuals they submit their art to shows and competitions and often are chosen to exhibit. 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