About

QUILTS

I place two colors side by side; together they are magical. I rearrange the composition to kindle their romance. A muscle twitch contracts my elbow, and a previously obedient seam becomes a distinctive gesture. I add another unexpected line to give the first one company.

Learning to honor color, texture and form, to transform disparate elements into an engaging composition — this process both humbles and enchants me.

I live outside society’s templates and approach my quilts as I do my own life: searching the unknown for beauty, delight and yes, comfort.

SAMPLERS

Needlework samplers are traditional displays of feminine devotion and conventional domesticity. Reimagining this historic medium with the full extent of human emotion, I make room for my own experience as a female.

beforehand

Katie Chester received a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Virginia, and a BFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She later worked as the in-house Art Director for RISD before running her own graphic design studio for 25 years. As the computer transformed the graphic design industry from physical paste-up to digital design, the profession ceased being a tactile practice. As a way to keep her hands and eyes in conversation, in 2017, Katie began stitching. Now retired from graphic design, Katie is a full-time textile artist based in Charlottesville, VA.