Valerie Goodwin

"I am an architect and artist. I create fiber art inspired by realistic and abstract maps. As a child I loved maps, spending hours poring over them, intrigued by their beauty. Later, I noted how architects and other design professionals use "maps" to communicate information to contractors, clients, and the public. As a result my work shows my passion for the language of architecture and cartography."

Valerie Goodwin is a mixed-media fiber artist whose background as an architect plays a key role in her work. Overall, her art has moved through various stages, from traditional quilt design to abstract fiber art and, more recently, to work inspired by real and imaginary maps of landscapes and cities. Her compositions work on a number of levels, from close up and far away, as if an aerial view.

Goodwin combines traditional materials such as fabric and thread with sheers, paint, and digitally printed images. At the beginning of the process, she creates rich surfaces that are analogous to the ground plane upon which the map-like elements are layered on. Interesting surface detail is also created using hand and machine stitching.

The artist received a master's degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis after receiving her undergraduate degree from Yale University. Her interest in fiber art began as part of her involvement in teaching architectural design classes in Tallahassee, Florida. Goodwin began designing and making quilts in 1998, and it has become an important part of her life.