Press Coverage and Publications

Read several Press Coverage and Publications.Having Fun with Color! Texture! Movement! by Ann Baldwin May
Art Quilting Studio magazine,Summer,2018

https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2018/02/having-fun-with-color/

More Press Coverage and Publications

Art Quilting Studio will feature a two page spread on my art quilt, Along the Path,in their Summer edition,2018.    This beautiful periodical is published quarterly.
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2018/04/bring-your-bravery/

Along the Path 34" x 22" sold landscape art quilt
Along the Path 34″ x 22″ sold

Press Coverage and Publications in Local Santa Cruz.April 21, 2016 By Fleur Williams Local Santa Cruz.com

Mexican inspired fabric collage
El Senor y La Senora Win Loteria – Ann Baldwin May

Ann Baldwin May has lived in Santa Cruz for over 35 years. After creating over 300 bed quilts since the 1970’s, Ann turned her focus to art quilts.

Ms. May’s art quilts may be abstract, whimsical or impressionistic. Her inspiration comes from the natural world, as well as from Mexican and Native American influences. Her materials of choice are often redirected fabrics from the San Francisco Design Center and found objects.

Night Migration,Press Coverage and Publications Black birds crossing the moon
Night Migration

Iguana's Fiesta,34" x 30" 86cm x 76cm Brightly colored art quilt in yellow, red and black.
Iguana’s Fiesta,34″ x 30″ 86cm x 76cm
City Lights 24" x 22" 2012 abstract art quilt
City Lights 24″ x 22″ 2012

Other Publications for Ann Baldwin May Shows and Awards

Moreover, she has completed seven solo shows including one at the R. Blitzer Gallery in 2014. In October, 2015, Ann presented her exhibition, Abrazos Del Alma (Hugs from the Soul), at the Pacific International Quilt Festival held in the Santa Clara Convention Center. In addition,in February, 2016, her art quilt “City Lights” was part of the juried exhibition A Touch of the Blues, held in Chicago.

Similarly, Ann has won several awards for her work. In addition to her art quilts, she retired in 2012 after having taught as a bilingual teacher for 30 years in Watsonville.

Great Blue Heron at Dusk 31" x 25" SOLD!
merit award 2010 Great Blue Heron at Dusk 31″ x 25″ SOLD!
Gees Bend inspired abstract,blue,purple
Along the Shore, 20″ x 28″, 2015

Local SantaCruz.com RelatedTags: Ann BaldwinAnn Baldwin MayAnn Mayartartist profilefabricsquiltssanta cruzPress Coverage and Publications in the Santa Cruz Good Times Magazine

Ann Baldwin May, quilt artist Press Coverage and Publications
Ann Baldwin May

Furthermore, Press Coverage and Publications-ANN BALDWIN MAY’S QUILTS ARE LIKE ABSTRACT PAINTINGS.

Adventurous and prolific, quilter Ann Baldwin May has never met a piece of fabric that didn’t excite her eye. The West Side resident first tried her hand at art quilting in 2008. Several one-woman shows, many awards and 300 quilts later, May is still on a roll.

Anyone who has ever experienced the tactile pleasure of piecing together and sewing fabric for a quilt knows the seduction of this craft. In addition she works in eclectic genres like abstract to folkloric. May designs her art quilts by sourcing remnants from fabric stores and recycling outlets. Then begins to decide what works with what.

MOVING TOWARDS ART QUILTS

“I started out doing traditional squares, but quickly realized I wanted to do something more artistic,” says May of a recently quilted wall hanging in which green rectangles play against sunny-hued circular shapes. “I added circles, coordinated the colors, and then had fun with thread painting embellishment,” she says. “It’s all experimentation. I just start with color and then add textures.” The results are distinctive and playful.

MOVED FEARLESSLY INTO ABSTRACTS

Furthermore,in her most recent pieces May has moved fearlessly into abstracts. Moreover, “It’s all machine quilted,” she says. Turning over the pieces one can observe the free-form shapes made by the stitching. Most importantly,May likes to pick up “repurposed materials from FabMo in Mountain View.” Are these wall hangings or are they quilts?, I ask of the roughly 3 by 3 1/2-foot artworks. “Technically they’re quilts,” she explains. “Because they involve three layers plus stitching.” Yet they resemble abstract paintings. Welcome to the world of art quilts!

UNIQUE FREE MOTION QUILTING

May likes to begin her quilts by assembling the bottom, inner batting, and cover layer, and then arranging the design pieces until she likes the way they look. “Then I lay a piece of tulle netting over the entire piece, which holds everything together. I pin the layers and then do free motion quilting.” That free motion thing is what makes her work distinctive.

Undulating Curves

At the same time,the results are visually exciting. All in all,the free stitching creates undulating curves and wavy arpeggios against the set patterns of the fabric. May’s Husqvarna computerized sewing machine lives in a cozy workroom off of her kitchen. “It magically adjusts to the thickness of the fabric.” For instance,does she quilt all the time? I wonder. “If my husband’s out of town,” she says with a grin.

Admitting to having no formal art training, the Palo Alto native got a  master’s in teaching Spanish at UC Irvine before moving to Santa Cruz.

RETIREMENT

Recent retirement from her 30-year bilingual teaching career in Watsonville, triggered May’s productivity. Wondering how she would stay busy, she decided to get serious about her quilts.Furthermore, “I really get inspired by international fabrics,” she confesses. Above all,examples of work includes some colorful wall hangings. Moreover, they are richly appliqued with Mexican beads, jewelry, braid, and antique rebozo insets.

Three Portfolios

In addition to her “underwater fantasy style” and sculptural Mexican-themed pieces, May is intent on perfecting her abstract designs. “I want to create a recognizable style,” she reveals. “To me this is just so much fun. But I am challenging myself.” She’s challenged her way into a one-woman show at next October’s Pacific International Quilt Festival in the Santa Clara Convention Center.

TO EACH THEIR OWN

Giving me a tour of some of her styles, May notes that “people seem drawn to all my styles. All in all,that gives me confidence.” She also confesses, pointing to quite a few examples, “I’m into lizards.”

May will show her work at the Pajaro Valley Quilt Association annual show on Feb. 21-22. “The guild is a great place to meet other quilters. They have over 300 members in this county and all levels of quilters are welcome.” Is it all quilting all the time? “I did take a break at Christmastime.”

Author Christina Waters Published in the Good Times Weekly, February 18,2015.

PHOTO: Quilter Ann Baldwin May departed from traditional squares to experiment with color, texture and outside-of-the-box shapes. CHIP SCHEUER

Press Coverage and Publications-Santa Cruz Sentinel article

Etsy shop

http://annbmayartquilts.etsy.com

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Award-winning reporter covering Santa Cruz business, housing, healthcare and Capitola Reach the author atjgumz@santacruzsentinel.com or follow Jondi on Twitter: @jondigumz.

Press Coverage and Publications At The SF Library

AT THE LIBRARY, OCTOBER, 2014-APRIL 15, 2015

PRESS COVERAGE AND PUBLICATIONS
SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWSLETTER,

Primal Green II: Our Environment through Quilt Artists’ Vision and Voice Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists will display 37 pieces in the Wallace Stegner Environmental Center and environs this month, ranging from realistic landscapes to more abstract pieces. Each quilt represents the artist’s reaction to the world in which we live.

Read several Press Coverage and Publications. More than 20 local Artists

More than 20 local artists are represented, including Ann Baldwin May,Diane Carver,Dolores Miller, Bron McInerney, Jennifer Landau and Caroline Ogg, among others.  This exhibit is sponsored by the Wallace Stegner Environmental Center, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists.
Primal Green II – Main Library, Environmental Center, Oct. 11, 2014 – April 24, 2015

Read several Press Coverage and Publications.TOO LEGIT TO QUILT   

FROM THE GOOD TIMES WEEKLY,SANTA CRUZ, CA.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014  Dave de Give A&E 

Santa Cruz artist, Ann Baldwin May takes quilting to a whole new level

At first glance, Ann Baldwin May’s decorative art quilts could easily be mistaken for paintings. The award-winning local artist consistently challenges the traditional definition of what a quilt is with her remarkable use of detail.

A collection of her creations is now on display at R. Blitzer Gallery in Santa Cruz, where a playful tagline aptly warns visitors, “These are not your grandmother’s quilts.” While May tends to be modest about her art, gallery owner Robert Blitzer can’t stop gushing about it.

Not Traditional Quilts

“When you Google ‘quilts,’ what mostly comes up are the traditional type of quilts (and) patterns,” he says. “But we all know that there are those quilters who take it to the limit and that’s who Ann is. That’s what she is doing … I don’t know if she can paint or not, but she’s painting with these (quilts).”

From abstract to nature-themed to whimsical to cubicle to marine-themed to Mexican-inspired quilts, May does it all and more with aplomb. Vibrant designs, unorthodox shapes and bold colors bring her imagery to life and would add warmth to any room.

No Plans to be an Artist

Ironically, May never aspired to be an artist. At age 12, she begged her mother to let her take sewing lessons at the Singer sewing machine store in her hometown of Palo Alto. There, she and a friend made shorts and crop tops for themselves. She went on to study design and clothes construction in high school and crafted most of her wardrobe by hand.

As a young woman and a newlywed, May began making traditional bed quilts in 1974.

“I stopped counting at 300,” she admits. “Most of them I gave away or shared with family members—you know, like donations to charity quilts. And then I kind of ran out of beds, so I thought I’d try the art quilts.”

Freedom to Experiment

While there are many similarities between art quilts and traditional bed quilts, when crafting the former, the quilt maker has more freedom to experiment with different materials, shapes and lines.

“You can draw on texture and use different fabrics, rather than just 100 percent cotton,” May explains. “You can bring in synthetics that might be a little stretchy or shiny, and other non-traditional fabrics like corduroy or loosely woven fabric, because wall quilts are not washed. A bed quilt is concerned about longevity and being washed and being used.”
Ann Baldwin May takes inspiration for her art quilts from the works of Mexican muralists and painters, including Diego Rivera, David Siquieros and Jose Clemente. She also likes to incorporate Native American and indigenous themes into her designs, as well as nature imagery from the Monterey Bay.

Wall Art

“What an art quilt does is use quilting techniques to create a picture for the wall,” she says.

Though May never had any formal art training, she has won several awards, including one from the Pajaro Valley Arts Council for her “Great Blue Heron at Dusk” quilt.

Her artistic process always begins with the fabric. Without any artistic endpoint in mind, she gathers fabrics based on textures and colors that appeal to her. Only after she has selected her material does she determine her subject. “You never know what you’re going to find,” May says. “[So] I bring it home and see what I want to do with it.”

May uses a fabric layering technique to create her most complex quilts, because it allows her to more easily incorporate small pieces and details. First, she lays out the odd-shaped pieces that she wants to use, and then lays down tulle on top of her design. Finally, she machine-sews it all together.

She also uses the more traditional practice of fabric piecing to create both abstract and collage-like pieces. And she sometimes employs a technique called reverse appliqué—based on the traditional costumes or “molas” created by the Kuna Indian women of Panama—where layers are sewn together, and then partially cut away to create effects such as depth or contrast.

But it’s not all work and no play for May. She often experiments while sewing. Randomly curving her lines add an artistic effect. She invented a technique that she calls “scribble quilting.” This involves using different colors of thread to quilt lines. She creates beautiful color combinations and designs. Ms. May got the idea after noticing some of her elementary school students scribbling over what they considered to be unsuccessful art projects.

After all these years, May is still amazed that art has taken such a focal point in her life.

“I never planned on being an artist,” she says. “I am surprised and overjoyed with my success so far because it came out of the blue and I never expected it or planned for it.”


From the San Francisco Examiner, March 29, 2013:

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 2, 2012:
THE QUILTER By Christa Martin I started taking sewing classes a year and a half ago. Every once in a while I’ll take a break from my own work and sneak a peek at the nearby quilting class. I’m always thoroughly impressed by what the quilters are capable of.

The time, patience, and creativity that go into fully crafting a quilt from scratch is astounding, and that’s why I admire people like quilter ANN BALDWIN MAY. 

Moreover,Ms. May is self-taught and doesn’t use patterns. Yet churns out piece after piece that are striking in their whimsical style. Furthermore, she uses found objects like shells, buttons, and earrings. The 62-year-old May learned how to sew in high school.

Her first forays into quilting were the standard variety. However, as she humorously points out, “one only has so many beds.” As function turned to art, she moved from the bedroom to the showroom. “I enjoy playing around with different fabrics and colors,” she says. “When sewing one’s own clothes, one’s palette is limited by the colors that go with one’s skin tone. On the other hand, art quilts have none of those limitations.

Above all,”I love to gather materials, fabrics, 3-D and found objects, and put them together in unusual ways.” Her quilts mostly fall into themes of underwater fantasy, abstracts, nature and Mexican­ inspired designs.

Interested in learning more about her art quilts and fiber arts in general? Check out May’s work at the Santa Cruz Art League Fiber Show Aug. 11 to Sept. 9, 2012 or visit her website at annbaldwinmayartquilts.com.

 

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