 Artist's Statement
Rosalinda Brainerd’s well-lighted studio is surrounded by glass
on three sides, and looks out on views of the garden and canyon walls
surrounding her home situated alongside the Van Duzen River. This fact
is significant when considering the number of art quilts she has produced
in recent years that draw upon floral images, wildlife and landscapes.
Working from photographs taken on her many trips exploring local woodlands,
and from close-up photographs of flowers in her own garden, she transforms
two-dimensional photographs into near three-dimensional fabric artwork.
Her palette is an extensive collection of fabric and other textiles she
has amassed over many years, and her artwork features an innate sense
of color and design as well as mastery of the varied tools of the quilt
artist.
Growing up in the Philippines, Rosalinda trained as an elementary school
teacher, following in the footsteps of her mother and father. Her father
was also a skilled craftsman who built the home that Rosalinda was raised
in, and made much of the furniture and fixtures in the home as well.
She met her husband Alan, then a Peace Corps volunteer, when they both
taught at a regional teacher training college, her alma mater, on the
island of Leyte. The move into quilting came in the mid 1970’s
while living on the island of Guam when she saw her first quilt in a
magazine and decided to make one for herself. Using books and magazines
to teach herself basic skills, she began producing quilts in traditional
designs and themes. Following her family’s move from the Pacific
island of Truk in Micronesia to the rural mountains of Northern California,
Rosalinda’s artwork evolved into representations of her natural
surroundings and her interest in animals, birds and flowers. In recent
years she has focused exclusively on art quilts and clothing, producing
pieces that range in size from a few square inches to many square feet.
Rosalinda has shared her knowledge of quilting and fabric art with others
through teaching quilt classes and workshops and providing programs for
quilt guild throughout northern California and abroad, and has been instrumental
in the formation and growth of several quilt guilds in places where she
has lived. She has also won numerous awards for her artwork, both in the
United States and abroad and is a regular entrant into art shows in Humboldt
and Trinity counties. Samples of her artwork are on display at the Ferndale
Arts gallery where she has been a member since 2002. She can be contacted
through the gallery or directly. |
