Barbara Danzi

Artist Statement

I am an artist making large-scale abstract quilts for the wall. My art is inspired by trees, plant life and bodies of water, and the dichotomy of nature with buildings and bridges. While walking I photograph these natural shapes and man-made structures and colors and incorporate them into my textile compositions.
My medium is cotton fabric and I appreciate its history as plant-grown and harvested, woven and dyed by people. I cut fabric freehand and sew the pieces together so the hand of the maker is evident with the seams appearing as hand-drawn lines. Each quilt is layered with wool or cotton batting and I stitch through the layers to add texture.
My professional and educational background in engineering, technology, and cybersecurity trained my brain to be curious, absorb information through diffuse awareness, and assimilate disparate facts and images into a cohesive vision. Combined with my art education using scale, value, and figure/ground tension, my goal is to make beautiful art following good design principles. I often incorporate a deeper meaning from social justice or environmental concerns.