About Lisa Kijak
My textile work primarily explores texture and its ability to illustrate the passage of time. I love how layered and stitched fabric mimics the peeling paint and chipped surfaces of items left to deteriorate. I find inspiration in the complex surfaces marked by time and feel compelled to capture my interpretation of them in fabric.
The starting point for each work is an original photograph. The work is constructed from many layers of commercial fabrics, carefully selected to show the shifting colors of those weathered surfaces. Occasionally, I will use my own hand dyed fabrics, but I prefer the experience of searching for the right fabric for each piece while sorting through the endless bolts of fabric in local shops. I use raw-edge appliqué to assemble the pieces, allowing for the possible creation of additional texture when the fabrics fray.
I have long been fascinated by old neon signs and have been photographing them for years. I have chosen to capture these signs unlit. While the magic of neon signs is often seen in their glow at night, I think there is something special in the moment just before they are turned on. By showing them unlit, I hope to both capture a little of that anticipation but also speak to the loss of signs as they fall in disrepair.
So many of the wonderful neon signs from the 1920-1960’s have been torn down—too expensive to maintain and not energy efficient enough to consider keeping. The artistry of those signs is being lost and it saddens me to see them disappear from our landscape. They should be preserved and restored. Art can serve as a record, a documentation of what the artist sees and I hope at the very least to keep the beauty of these signs alive in my work.
EDUCATION
BFA 1994 Visual Arts Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
MA 2009 Art Therapy Loyola Marymount University
EXHIBITIONS
2016
ArtQuilt Elements 2016, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
2015
Quilt National 2013, European Patchwork Festival, St. Marie-aux-Mines, France
2014
Quilt Visions 2014: The Sky's the Limit, Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, San Diego, CA, 2014
Quilt National 2013, Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH
Quilt National 2013, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
2013
Quilt National 2013, St. Louis University Museum of Art, St. Louis, MO
Quilt National 2013, Dairy Barn Art Center, Athens, OH, 2013. Touring exhibition.
Rituals, Dinner at Eight Artists, European Patchwork Festival, Maarheeze, The Netherlands
2012
Quilt Visions 2012: Brainstorms, Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, San Diego, CA, 2012
Rituals, Dinner at Eight Artists, International Quilt Festival, Long Beach CA
2011
Interpretations 2011, Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, San Diego, CA, 2011
Bridges, Quilts on The Wall Fiber Artists, touring exhibition, 2011
Awards
President's Award, Quilt Visions 2012: Brainstorms
GRANTS
Sustainable Arts Foundation, Promise Award, 2015
PUBLICATIONS
Quilt Visions 2014: The Sky’s the Limit, Exhibition catalog. Visions Art Museum, CA, 2014.
Seward, Linda. The Ultimate Guide to Art Quilting, Sixth&Spring Books, NY, 2014.
Quilt National 2013: Best of Contemporary Quilts, Exhibition catalog. Dragon Threads, OH, 2013.
Kinard, Lyric Montgomery. (2014, August). Artist Q&A; Lisa Kijak. Quilting Arts Magazine, 64, pp 5458.
Quilt Visions 2012: Brainstorms, Exhibition catalog. Visions Art Museum, CA, 2012.
Rituals, Exhibition catalog. Dinner at Eight Artists, CA, 2012.
The starting point for each work is an original photograph. The work is constructed from many layers of commercial fabrics, carefully selected to show the shifting colors of those weathered surfaces. Occasionally, I will use my own hand dyed fabrics, but I prefer the experience of searching for the right fabric for each piece while sorting through the endless bolts of fabric in local shops. I use raw-edge appliqué to assemble the pieces, allowing for the possible creation of additional texture when the fabrics fray.
I have long been fascinated by old neon signs and have been photographing them for years. I have chosen to capture these signs unlit. While the magic of neon signs is often seen in their glow at night, I think there is something special in the moment just before they are turned on. By showing them unlit, I hope to both capture a little of that anticipation but also speak to the loss of signs as they fall in disrepair.
So many of the wonderful neon signs from the 1920-1960’s have been torn down—too expensive to maintain and not energy efficient enough to consider keeping. The artistry of those signs is being lost and it saddens me to see them disappear from our landscape. They should be preserved and restored. Art can serve as a record, a documentation of what the artist sees and I hope at the very least to keep the beauty of these signs alive in my work.
EDUCATION
BFA 1994 Visual Arts Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
MA 2009 Art Therapy Loyola Marymount University
EXHIBITIONS
2016
ArtQuilt Elements 2016, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
2015
Quilt National 2013, European Patchwork Festival, St. Marie-aux-Mines, France
2014
Quilt Visions 2014: The Sky's the Limit, Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, San Diego, CA, 2014
Quilt National 2013, Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH
Quilt National 2013, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
2013
Quilt National 2013, St. Louis University Museum of Art, St. Louis, MO
Quilt National 2013, Dairy Barn Art Center, Athens, OH, 2013. Touring exhibition.
Rituals, Dinner at Eight Artists, European Patchwork Festival, Maarheeze, The Netherlands
2012
Quilt Visions 2012: Brainstorms, Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, San Diego, CA, 2012
Rituals, Dinner at Eight Artists, International Quilt Festival, Long Beach CA
2011
Interpretations 2011, Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, San Diego, CA, 2011
Bridges, Quilts on The Wall Fiber Artists, touring exhibition, 2011
Awards
President's Award, Quilt Visions 2012: Brainstorms
GRANTS
Sustainable Arts Foundation, Promise Award, 2015
PUBLICATIONS
Quilt Visions 2014: The Sky’s the Limit, Exhibition catalog. Visions Art Museum, CA, 2014.
Seward, Linda. The Ultimate Guide to Art Quilting, Sixth&Spring Books, NY, 2014.
Quilt National 2013: Best of Contemporary Quilts, Exhibition catalog. Dragon Threads, OH, 2013.
Kinard, Lyric Montgomery. (2014, August). Artist Q&A; Lisa Kijak. Quilting Arts Magazine, 64, pp 5458.
Quilt Visions 2012: Brainstorms, Exhibition catalog. Visions Art Museum, CA, 2012.
Rituals, Exhibition catalog. Dinner at Eight Artists, CA, 2012.