Perspectives and relationships remain an important theme of Joan Sowada's artwork. Each piece is an arrangement of parts that is aesthetically interesting, as well as being a metaphor for some activity or emotion. Sowada's artwork is a fresh look at something familiar. Narrative pieces sometimes contain elements of mystery, allowing the viewer to fill in the story line. The process of building images from fabrics, paint, oil pastel, embroidery floss and thread, creates multiple layers of visual interest and meaning.
Sowada did not have a grandmother who taught her to quilt, and she still identifies with the word artist rather than quilter. Her mother was an art teacher and oil painter, so as a child she was introduced to many art projects and many media. Sowada stumbled upon using fabric scraps in the same manner that she had used papers to create collage pictures. She experimented and developed her own methods for enlarging her classroom doodles and creating appliqué wall hangings on burlap. The zigzag stitch was her friend. Over the 38 years that she has used fabric as her media, there has been a steady evolution of changes, and since 1999 Sowada has presented her work in the form of quilts. Photographs that she takes inspire many of the pieces. Most of her work is realistic, but she does also enjoy creating abstract cartoons.
Sowada approaches the rendering of an image in the same way as a painter would. She thinks about creating strong backgrounds, evaluating value, and using dabs of color side by side that play well together within that value range. She employs disappearing line in some areas and strong contrast where she wants the eye to travel. Sowada applies surprising little bits to make an area pop. She enjoys the variety of visual texture that the wide world of fabric has to offer. One can find delicate, dreamy, gritty, chunky, bold, earthy, and clean statements. In the last few years she has enjoyed altering commercial fabrics and creating new ones, using oil pastel sticks, colored pencils, and fabric paints. Sowada feels that these additional marks, along with thread painting and quilt lines, add a spontaneous imperfect quality to the finished work.
When we hear the word quilt we think of a warm covering for our lap or bed. Sowada chooses nurturing earthy subject matter for her pieces, and thinks it is fitting that her medium is cozy and comforting. At the same time, she feels fortunate to be one of those artists on the cusp of the art quilt revolution. They are making fine art.
Joan Sowada and her unique artwork are thriving in Gillette, Wyoming her home for the last 30 years. Sowada is a nationally known fabric artist who creates contemporary art quilts that capture a narrative of places and people. She embraces many subjects, from snow fence and canoe to a child walking a dog. Sowada’s work is seen at art and quilt show venues across the nation and overseas. “Because of my steady participation in art shows, I am able to share my work with a lot of folks. My quilts travel more than I do – usually a dozen or so are away from home at any given time.” Joan Sowada is a full time studio artist who is presently concentrating on producing accessible affordable work, as well as creating large-scale pieces for special shows and public spaces.
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