Barbara Danzi

"I love creating abstract colorful painterly art quilts for the wall. I cut expressive lines and shapes from fabric and stitch seam lines that look hand drawn. I love the warm texture I can create with fabric and textiles, and my improvisational design approach makes each piece unique."

Barbara incorporates memories of outdoor adventures and urban life into her art. Backpacking in the lush green forest in Maine, kayaking in California’s Channel Island caves, SoCal beaches, NY’s Hudson River all yield colorful memories of water and plant life. She also brings in shapes from city buildings, bridges, train tracks, gates, and archways. All these memories lead to dynamic art designs.

Barbara cuts expressive shapes and lines from cotton fabric, using a rotary cutter like a pencil, drawing the lines that will become stitched seams. She designs the composition by arranging the pieces on a 14’x8’ design wall, and rearranging until the design is compelling and will draw the art viewer in for a long look. Barbara then sews the pieces together, leveraging an engineering process.

Barbara has been sewing since her teen years. In 2012 she cast aside patterns and templates and started designing quilts improvisationally so they would show the “hand of the maker” and have a hand-drawn look. Since 2018 she has studied improvisational abstract quilting with master quilter Nancy Crow. Barbara’s engineering degree and cybersecurity career empower her to sew complex designs.