Using a variety of commercial and hand-dyed fabrics, thread and assorted embellishments, Mary Monahan, a well-known quilt artist from Newtown, PA, creates quilts that express an idea or emotion caught in time. Because of its tactile nature, fabric is her medium of choice, reminding Monahan of her mother, an artist who taught her how to sew. “My wall quilts usually evoke a feeling,” she says. “This kind of fabric art is made of three layers — a top design that is pieced together, cotton batting in the middle, and a cotton backing. The quilting enhances the design and adds dimensional texture, so the viewer is invited in to touch the quilt as part of experiencing it.”
A solo show of Monahan’s work opens with a reception on Saturday, September 13 at the Queenstown Gallery, 24 West Broad Street in Hopewell. It is on view through November 1.
Monahan recently gave up her massage therapy business in order to create more art quilts. Prior to that, she was a corporate and agency promotional copywriter. She resides in Newtown with her husband, Jim, and daughter, Kacy.
Acknowledging that she is fortunate to have the time to engage in a peaceful art medium in today’s “frantically-paced commodity culture,” Monahan says, “While creating art quilts, I like to work in a slow yet spontaneous manner that allows the confluence of color, value, and shape to gradually evolve into a work that transmits vitality and expresses what is true to me.” She says the creation of her quilts has almost become “an act of insurgency.”
Art Exhibit, Saturday, September 13, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Queenstown Gallery, 24 West Broad Street, Hopewell. Opening reception for “Art Quilts,” a solo show featuring Mary Monahan’s quilts. On view through November 1. 609-466-0817 or www.thequeenstowngallery.com.
Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
