Nature's Studio, Joan Colvin

I just purchased this book, Nature's Studio by Joan Colvin. She is one of a handful of art quilters whose work I have been following for between 15 and 20 years. I could barely wait when I got the book a couple of days ago and sat down and read about half of it, stopping on every page to savor the illustrations which are her quilts, or details of them. It's beautiful, very intelligently written and thoughtful.

I have no hope of being a quilt artist, quilting will always be a hobby for me with writing my real "art". But quilting is so immediately satisfying and so diverse, I can explore all kinds of things without feeling the internalized pressure I would if I were intent on producing quilts that are art. This is what I know about myself. Also that I cannot get too much of looking at the art others produce. I marvel at the intricacy of Colvin's nature pieces. Her quilts with people bother me a little bit, they are as wonderfully made as the others but the people are too pretty for me -- but that's a matter of my taste, I suspect I'm very much in the minority.

This is a "how to" book in the broader sense, it begins with the inspiration and assurances that the reader's inspiration is exactly what s/he should be following. And then she discusses many ways that can be done. Having this book is a joy.