Michele Hardy creates colorful fiber art that explores shapes and texture. Her work is inspired by all that is colorful in this world — rocks, mountains, deserts, oceans, sunsets, wildflowers, outer space, architectural details, and travel.
How did you get started making fiber art? Why did you choose that medium?
I have always loved both color and fabric. As an artist, working in the fiber/art quilt medium allows me to explore the wonders of color and texture using a variety of fabrics, paints, dyes, and lots of thread.
When I was 10 years old my grandmother taught me how to use a sewing machine and I started making my own clothes. I made much of my wardrobe during high school and into my working life, often using unconventional fabrics and rarely following the pattern.
After leaving a career as an oil exploration geophysicist I rediscovered the pleasure of working with fabric and began sewing clothing and quilts for my young children. At some point I became aware of SAQA and art quilting and I was hooked.
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How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I love color. And lines. And shapes. And fabric. And paint and dye. And thread. And a bit of glitz thrown in for fun. My technique is a combination of fiber collage, quilting, and embroidery.
Spontaneity is an important aspect of my creative process. I use a variety of dyed, painted, and commercial fabrics, many of which are transformed by extensive printing and/or stitching prior to construction.
I typically construct a background, arrange and layer images, quilt, then add additional machine embroidery to complete the piece.
Portraying features at different scales, both macro and micro, overlaying and overlapping, and using vibrant color and contrast, I create a new world of abstract forms that combine to make a whole.
I hope to leave a bit of happy color to the world and an appreciation for the joyous forms found in nature.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
I am inspired by all that is colorful and wonderful in our world: rocks, mountains, deserts, oceans, sunsets, wildflowers, outer space, architectural details, and travel.
I am fascinated with the colors, textures, and structures found in raw and polished rocks and other natural forms.
Inspired by maps, aerial views, macro and microscopic geological features, I combine organic lines, structured grids, and areas of heavy machine stitching.
The notion of looking out or looking in and seeing a fragment of our world is a common theme in my art, which I explore in several series of nature-based abstractions.
My lifelong love of geology and the natural world has been the inspiration for this work and continues to supply me with an unlimited palette of color, textures, and ideas. After living in Louisiana for 18 years my family moved to Colorado in 2006, and the colors and light were very different providing another source of inspiration.
Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach?
I have several ongoing series that I’ve been working for years.
Currently the series I am actively working include: Colorfields, Circles, Mapforms, Directions, Dimensions, Surfaces, and more.
Sometimes I create them sequentially, other times I have several in progress at the same time. When working on a piece I frequently think of many more ways to continue the series.
When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?
I often start with a plan, but usually that plan takes on a life of its own and becomes something else entirely. Improvisation is a critical part of my process.
How do you manage your creative time? Do you schedule start and stop times? Or work only when inspired?
No set schedule. If I don’t have a deadline, I work when the mood strikes, but once that happens I’m all in.
Describe your creative space.
Crowded and a bit of an organized mess! I have a large sewing table for my primary machine and a smaller table for my secondary machine, a large cutting/layout work table, and felt covered wall.
Under my work table I have plastic drawers that contain my extensive thread collection. A second work table is for painting/dyeing with supplies stored underneath.
One wall has a row of open shelving to store fabric sorted by type and color, and shelves for surface design supplies. Large corner windows provide plenty of natural light along with an amazing view of the mountains and aspen trees through changing seasons, and the occasional wildlife that stroll by (deer, moose, fox).
Scraps. Saver? Or be done with them?
I pretty much keep everything. Small pieces of fabric that will then be cut into circles or squares for future use in my smaller works. If I trim down or cut apart a piece those will eventually get incorporated in a new work.
Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
Not really, though when I start a piece I may make a thumbnail minimal sketch of the general form and proportions. I sometimes make a stack of paper mockups to generate ideas for future work or use my small experimental pieces as a basis for larger works.
Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
Definitely! I always have multiple pieces in progress at the same time.
Sometimes they get finished quickly. Other times I work on them for awhile and return to them later – sometimes much later and they become totally different pieces than what I originally thought they’d be.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I love how a piece of fabric transforms as I add surface design elements. Also once I add my extensive machine stitching and really see where it’s going. When I can see in my mind the finished piece I sometimes have a hard time finishing as I’m already planning the next one in the series.
And more than anything I really hate writing.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
Just do the work. By always having one or more pieces in progress there’s always something to do. Other times I just dye or paint a pile of fabric, or do tons of stitching on a base fabric with no particular end in mind.
Do you enter juried shows? Do you approach your work differently for these venues?
Early in my art career I entered quite a lot of juried quilt shows and did quite well winning many awards. Through time my work evolved away from “quilty” as I incorporated more mixed media techniques and I entered more fine craft/art shows.
Presently I enter many of the longer running SAQA global traveling exhibits and other fiber and fine craft shows around the country. I also enter gallery shows that are more local to me (Colorado).
In the past, I did create works to enter specific shows, but now I mostly tend to enter shows where my existing work fits the theme.
How has your creativity evolved over the years? What triggered the evolution to new media/kinds of work/ways of working?
Early on I was creating pieces that would qualify for major national and international quilt shows.
When I switched my focus to making art I wasn’t constrained by size, subject, or technique and began to develop many new ways of working with more diverse materials.
In my current work, I dye, paint, screenprint, and use all kinds of paints, metallic foils, and machine stitch with every kind of thread I can find.
Do you keep track of your work? Shows that you’ve entered? Tell us what works for you.
I keep images and an ongoing list of everything with date of creation, size, status (available/sold).
Where can people see your work?
On my website (www.michelehardy.com). Also Artful Home and SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) where I am a Juried Artist member.
Interview posted August 2024
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