Susan Koefod
Prairie Window Study, Fabric art: Printed and hand-dyed fabrics, cotton batting, machine stitched and quilted. 20.5" x 15"

Inspired by:

Window, one of a pair, Prairie SchoolDesigner: George Grant Elmslie Glass, lead caming

What does inspiration mean to you?

Creative stimulation results from many experiences – both the natural world and other artists’ reactions to it provide artistic inspiration to me. I take in the images and scenes, and I mull them over in some part of my mind, thinking about how the artistic or natural image was formed. The process of viewing an object, and the thoughts about the object, get me thinking about how I respond to the object, in words or in pictures. When I first saw these windows about a year ago, or more, I knew that I wanted to compose a fabric piece inspired by them. It has taken me 18 months to know how to approach such a design. I’ve learned new techniques in fabric art and today I used a lot of scraps I’d accumulated, sewed them together, cut them apart, resewed them, and took a dinner plate, eventually, to cut the center circle in the design. I call it a study because I was playing with some new ideas, testing them, trying this vision on.

Connect with the artist