Local artist wins national award

For most, the art of quilting may conjure up images of brightly coloured patch-work, quilts being carefully hand sewn together by a group of mature women, sipping tea and gossiping about the days gone by.

However, stepping into Wendy Tassone’s workshop, these images are instantly juxtaposed by the half finished quilts with hand drawn life figures, fish made from multiple pieces of fabric, painted trees on fabric with delicate machine stitched detail, mounds upon mounds of fabric (neatly stored) coupled with patterns, watercolour paint and a couple sewing machines. 

One of the Jasperites latest creations, Magical Roots, though no longer in her hands, also breaks the mould of the old-fashioned images of quilt making. A brightly coloured piece of what she describes as “fibre art”, the creation won her first place in this years Canadian Quilters’ Association Trend-Tex Challenge.

“It’s really changed into the fibre art more,” she said, “but you have to support hand quilting. I just do that with my machine. It’s just like drawing with my machine.”

Important for her is the history of the art, originating as a craft, she acknowledges that she had to learn the quilting basics to get where she is today.

With the artists intention just to be part of the competition and have her work displayed at the silent auction, she said she was “really shocked” when she learned of the win.

“These ladies are from all over Canada,” she added noting that, because she came first, her quilt was auctioned off at the formal banquet for $375, which was a little hard to come to terms with given her personal attachment after working on it for months.

“It’s hard when its gone,” she said, “you get attached to it, but I have to slowly get my name out that way.”

This winning quilt, made by pounding flowers onto fabric and melting particular fabrics, cutting out fabric flowers and delicate machine stitching, took the local artist a few months to create - working late into the morning of her final nights before handing over the quilt in Edmonton.

The challenge supplies entrants with five pieces of fabric and a theme which was “roots” this year - the rest is left up to the quilter.

For Tassone, the inspiration for her 22 inch by 23 inch quilt came from the natural environment surrounding her.

“I just love Jasper,” she said, “I go for lots of hikes and I think about my project. I just love the nature.”

Calling herself a visual person, she said, “I see things and I want to create them.”

“There’s just too much to do, I need another lifetime,” she added noting that she currently had a variety of work on the go, including a commissioned piece, a pattern of spirit island to sell to visiting quilters, a muti-layered and coloured fish quilt, a pyramid mountain quilt, and a 60 inch square piece that she suspects will be worth more than $10,000 when it’s completed.

“I’m just always keeping my mind consumed,” she added. 

Aside from all these pieces, she’s also looking forward to next years Trend-Tex Challenge. Not feeling any pressure, she said she would just keep trying, but it was nice to have some interest in what she would make next. 

“I just want to get another piece in again,” she said noting she was already thinking about what she could create. “People are always saying ‘Oh, I can’t wait to see what your project next year is.’”

Not just a quilter, Tassone is also a water colour painter, heavily inspired by Jasper artist Alan Butler, and will often sketch her work outside, before bringing it back to her workshop where she masters her creations.

“I’ve always done art all my life,” she said noting that she uses her fabric like a paint palette. “I’m always searching for colours and then use it as paint.”

With a long-time connection to art, Tassone’s work was first recognized in 2006 when she was accepted into the National Juried Show for the Canadian Quilters’ Association. “That was really exciting,” she said.

The self-taught quilter was also recognized in this years Yellowhead Rotary Arts Festival, the piece that currently hangs in the Brushfire Gallery, won the viewers choice and first class distinctions. 

However untraditional Tassone’s work may seem, she still partakes in the historical arts of quilting - meeting with the local quilting guild once a month and working together on projects for baby quilts for the hospital, or the Centennial Quilt project that hangs in the information centre.