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About
Ruth B. McDowell
After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967 with
a B.S. in Art and Design, Ruth spent several years working as an illustrator,
while simultaneously expanding her interests in fibers and nature. She began
her quilting career in 1972.
Since that time, she has become a full-time professional quilt artist, with nearly 600 quilts to her credit. Her wall quilts have been exhibited nationally and
internationally in many galleries and museums, as well as in juried, invitational
and several solo shows. They are also represented in many public, private and
corporate art collections worldwide.
Ruth’s very active career includes teaching design workshops and lecturing
about her work throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and South
Africa.
Ruth wrote her first book, Pattern on Pattern (Quilt Digest Press) in
1991. Symmetry: A Design System for Quiltmakers (1994) and Art and
Inspirations: Ruth B. McDowell (1996) were both published by C&T Publishing
of Concord, CA. The latter book, a retrospective of Ruth’s career, features
full-color illustrations of 97 of her quilts, many color details and drawings,
and a fascinating text.
Ruth's most recent books, Ruth B. McDowell's Piecing Workshop (C&T
2007) and Ruth B. McDowell's Design Workshop (C&T Fall 2007) replace
and update her well-loved Piecing: Expanding the Basics. They contain
excellent instruction for quiltmakers to explore Ruth's methods for
designing original pieced quilts. A Fabric Journey: An Inside Look at
the quilts of Ruth B. McDowell (C&T 2005) discusses in detail the
creation of 18 of her art quilts. Pieced Flowers (C&T 2000)
and Pieced Vegetables (C&T 2002) are pattern books and visual feasts
of great pieced quilt ideas.
The art quilts of Ruth McDowell represent a sustained and extraordinary development
over time, intertwining the themes of nature, geometry, the piecing medium and
her abiding love of fabrics.
Click
here to read her artist's statement
Click
here for Ruth's resume
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