I’ve always considered myself an artist

by Ellen Nepustil

My phone was whining about lacking space, so it was time to move the photos I took to my desktop. With these photos, I was looking back at the places I visited recently, and was reminded of places where I unexpectedly saw artworks that spoke to me.

 I haven’t always consider myself an artist; I am a retired software engineer that sewed as a hobby.  The earliest art I remember seeing was at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston as a young girl. My father, whose hobby was work working,  was building a desk and his inspiration piece was at that museum. This is where I fell in love with the Postmaster Roulin by Van Gogh, and The Girl with a Watering Can by Renoir.Artists I still love today. A copy of the Renoir is on the wall of my sewing studio, and on a coffee cup! The small copy has been with me since those early visits to the museum, it even went to college with me.

Renoir

While I think of the Van Gogh as my earliest introduction, one of my brothers painted. I have several of his pieces, this favorite of mine hangs in my studio. Another brother builds furniture, and my sister, like me, loves to make quilts and anything fiber related. 

While my early influences were traditional, I actually love modern  abstract pieces. I saw these fascinating large installation pieces waiting for a flight home from O’Hare airport in Chicago in June. I can easily see them in fiber, either as individual pieces or attached whole cloth like an applique quilt. Why did I immediately see these as inspiration for a future quilt? I guess it’s just how my brain sees things!

O’Hare airport mural

Shortly after the Chicago trip, I was seeing a movie in Boulder about the rainforest. The same venue had an art gallery, featuring paper works. This paper piece by Christine Nguyen was fascinating. It reminds me of the mountains in Colorado. Again, I can envision this in fiber as well.

Usually when I travel, I intentionally visit quilt museums, and art museums. After taking a week long class in Denver this spring, it was great to spend a day outside at the Botanic Gardens. Years ago, they had a large show of Chihuly pieces. I didn’t realize they still had one.

Chihuly sculpture at the Denver Botanical Gardens

And truthfully, I don’t need to travel to see art, there are plenty of places near where I live. I went to the Sarasota Art Museum earlier this summer to see the Gees Bends quilts that were there. I absolutely loved the Lillian Blades exhibit. On the other side of the state, there is a fiber exhibit in Stuart. I was able to see a felted coat by Patti Barker, an artist that I plan on taking a class with soon. Most of the photos on my phone have been moved to my desktop, leaving plenty of space for next year’s memories! 

Felted coat by Patti Barker

You can view more of Ellen Nepustil’s work on her artist page.