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Although my mother taught me to sew, embroider, cross-stitch, knit and crochet when I was very young, my formal art training began in high school. I received a BFA in Graphic Design from Otis Art Institute, California in 1989. While enrolled at Otis, I also had the opportunity to be an exchange student at Parsons School of Design in New York and study painting and art history courses at Parsons in Paris. Perhaps this is where my love affair with travel began.
From 1989 to 1997 I worked as a graphic designer both in Los Angeles, CA and Washington DC, creating brochures, newsletters, identity systems, and packaging. In 1995 I married into a family of quilters and was immediately drawn to the art. The combination of colors, textures and shapes to tell a story with a quilt appeals to the same part of me that was drawn to the combination of color, text, and imagery to communicate in graphic design. The transition was natural, as I already knew how to sew.
In 1997 I left the design world to pursue a career as a full time Army Wife and mother. Since then, I have worked to constantly improve my skills as a quilter, and now to find my voice as an artist. I find that my more recent quilts have begun to incorporate many of the skills my mother taught me years ago. I suppose it should not be a surprise as this sort of women’s work has been handed from mother to daughter, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, for centuries. To share my passion for quilting and other fiber arts, I have been teaching beginning quilting and art classes at the Arts and Crafts Centers on the army posts where my family and I live.
Questions or comments? Please email me at me@kristinlaflamme.com.
“I Pledge Allegiance,” a patriotic quilt I made for a raffle to raise money for our then battalion’s Family Support Group, was published in the Quilting Bee section of the July/August 2001 issue Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine.
“Ich Bin Keine Kaiserin, Ich Bin Eine Reiserin,” a journal quilt, won first place in the 2004/2005 All Army Art Contest, Fiber category.
“Explore” won honorable mention in the Lonni Rossi Typospheres challenge sponsored by Andover/Makower fabrics (2004).
“Abby” won third place in the 27th annual Marin Quilt and Needle Arts Show in the small, realistic, art quilts category (2005). |
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