Ann Harwell

"My father and grandfather were both Methodist ministers. Growing up in the North Carolina mountains, I sat through hundreds of sermons and looked at the world outside through a lot of stained glass. The messages in those sermons sometimes altered my thinking in the opposite direction. So here I am, making art that resembles the fractals of stained glass."

"Ann's incredible attention to detail is readily apparent. These quilts are very nearly three-dimensional, a cornucopia of dazzling images that fairly jumps off the cloth. They emote the power and savor of Cubist paintings."
Marsha Barber, Asheville Mountain Express

Each piece of cotton fabric is selected, individually precision cut, and sewn with a 1945 Singer sewing machine. Her quilts are constructed like fine garments, with great attention to detail—seams are strong and straight, corners are sharp, and points are precise. A surface design is added with a straight-stitch sewing machine. The quilts are hung by an aluminum bar inserted in a sleeve on the back.

Ann is a self-taught artist. Her formal education was in early-childhood education and she spent 10 years teaching preschool. She made a baby quilt for her first son in 1977 and has been making quilts ever since. In 1999, her work was juried into Artspace in Raleigh, NC, and she became a full-time professional artist in a studio open to the public.