This single-artist show featuring 21 pieces from textile artist Julia Laraway will be on-view through January 13, 2025
SOLVANG — The California Nature Art Museum (www.calnatureartmuseum.org) is pleased to announce its upcoming 2024 summer exhibition, California, Quilted: Wild in the Oak Woodland, on view from July 14, 2024 – January 13, 2025, featuring new and recent works by artist Julia Laraway.
Courtesy images.
From butterflies to bullfrogs to bobcats, Oak Woodland habitats support thousands of animal species all over California. Inhabitants might find shelter in the open grasslands between trees, scattered shrubs, fallen logs, streams, and tree canopies. The wonders of this important habitat – its creatures, colors, and lines of the land – all inspire Julia Laraway’s collection of fabric collages and quilts featuring flora and fauna of the coastal oak woodland.
“Sitting at my sewing machine, I hope to capture the wonder that these creatures inspire within me. They are our fellow travelers in life, and they share their home with all of us, often to their detriment,” states artist Julia Laraway about her work. She adds, “The California Nature Art Museum’s commitment to putting our environment in front of us so we can see the natural world through the eyes of artists is a gift, and I am incredibly grateful to be sharing my quilt pieces at this museum.”
Laraway found her way into quilt-making many years ago by the side of her mother and has always loved the sound of the sewing machine, the smell of a hot iron on fabric, and the bright threads that give each piece its texture and form. Her hope and the hope of the Museum is that this celebration of local species will inspire interest and passion for a habitat that has already lost up to one-third of its space in California due to agriculture and urban development.
“We were delighted to be introduced to Julia’s work and as soon as we saw the quality
of her quilted wall hangings and her subject matter, we knew immediately they would be a great fit for a museum exhibition here at CalNAM,” said Stacey Otte-Demangate, Executive Director for California Nature Art Museum. “We strive to show a variety of art forms, and fabric art is a favorite of so many.”
A limited number of tickets are available for working media to the members-only Opening Reception on Sunday, July 14, 3-5pm. California Nature Art Museum is open Weekdays 11 am-4 pm (except Tuesday and Wednesday) and Weekends from 10 am-5 pm and is supported by the generosity of its sponsors and members. For more information about California Nature Art Museum please visit www.calnatureartmuseum.org
A FEW WORDS FROM THE ARTIST:
Delving into fabric collage and quilt-making was the direct result of listening to my mother, an accomplished seamstress and quilter. Her eye for color and beautiful fabrics was honed during the years she made her own clothes – along with also clothes for my siblings and I. As I began experimenting with fabric collage, she encouraged me to use quilting and applique techniques to bring texture and movement to the pieces I was making.
Over the course of my quilting life, I have found inspiration in the waves I watched as my husband surfed, the colors and lines of the land, the sea, the sky, as well as our fellow creatures with whom we share our world.
As humans push farther and farther into woodlands, mountains, and grasslands, the animals and plants being forced from their homes have become my prime focus as I quilt. Some pieces in this exhibit are flora or fauna from the central coast grasslands, 100 acres of which were saved in 2021, and others are inhabitants of our local oak woodlands. All these plants and animals have habitats threatened by humans’ desires for more space and land.
I hope these depictions of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, and insects will spark a curiosity about their lives and how our worlds intertwine.
~ Julia Laraway
ABOUT CALIFORNIA NATURE ART MUSEUM
California Nature Art Museum uses art to educate and inspire people to better understand and care for our dwindling natural and wilderness areas. California Nature Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a small staff of 2 full-time and 4 part-time employees, augmented by 35 dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers. The mission of California Nature Art Museum is to inspire our community and visitors to enjoy, value, and conserve wildlife and natural areas through art, and provide artistic, educational, and field experiences of nature for that purpose. Our vision is to be recognized as an exceptional and innovative leader in inspiring our communities and visitors to value wilderness and other natural areas through the lenses of a diversity of artists. The California Nature Art Museum strives to collaborate with others for the betterment of our communities.