Janet Bradtke

Janet is a fiber artist who expresses herself through the medium known as quilting.

“I was always artistic and creative,” she said, “and the quilting process gave me the outlet I was looking for. I start with an inspiration, which may be a mood, a set of colors that speak to me or something I have photographed. I love abstraction and painting with fabrics. My work is an interplay between color, texture, movement, and light, which I love for the emotions it evokes. Fabric and stitch create levels of interest that pull the viewer deeper into the piece.”

Janet creates art through the age-old process of quilting, piecing bits of fabric together and finishing the layers by stitching them together creating texture in addition to design. Janet says “My technique is essentially quilting, done in my own unique way. The finished work has a front, middle batting layer and a back that are sewn together in the manner of a quilt. The design aesthetic of my art quilts is all about color, movement and light. I love the challenge of conveying my ideas through fabric and thread.”

That works well for her. Her work has been juried into the International Quilt Festival, and “Expressions: The Art Quilt,” a juried competition of international work from 63 artists.

“I paint with fabric,” Janet said. “My work is an individual reflection of how I interpret moods and see the world. It is an expression of who I am.” Seeing, for yourself, is believing.