This is my narrative, and like me, it is more visually oriented than prose or fact! If you are looking for a resume of facts and dates, please click here:
I am, at my very core, a maker. Making has been the thread throughout my lives: Educational (BS-art, MA-Art, AA-Graphic design) Avocational (Photography, Painting, Sketching, Sewing) and Vocational (Graphic Designer, Creative Director, Art Educator, Upcycled clothing maker ).
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I have made for fun, for profit, for communication and for myself. In the corporate world, I often made paper clip sculptures during meetings. In school I made elaborate doodles during lectures. Now, as a “retiree” I work full-time in my public studio at the local art center in Charlottesville, VA, USA. I am there (with my dog) about 10 each morning and work until about 5. I make; sometimes I make art, sometimes clothing, sometimes doodles of some ilk, but always something.
My favorite quote is from Chuck Close and is:”Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just get busy and go to work”. Pretty much what I do. I just get to it; whether it is “art or craft”, or “good or bad”, is for others to figure out. It is a visceral feeling when I make things. It is a time warp. It is an escape. It is a journey. It is torture. It is joy. For me it is just “necessary”. I came to fiber art late. But it is the media I was looking for; It is hands-on. It is non-toxic. It is textural. It is “women’s work”, It is intimate. It is infinitely possible |
My Studio is in this former elementary school, that is now an art center (my studio is the first floor behind the cardinal!
My Studio is in this former elementary school, that is now an art center (my studio is the first floor behind the cardinal!
The hallways and the main gallery in McGuffey Art Center are open for artists to show their work. There are about 40 in-house studios and another 150 artist members.
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My studio is the size of one half of a classroom and still has the original slate chalk boards on some of the walls. Our studios are open to the public, and we are required to do some community work as part of our contract with the city
My Formal Artist Statement |
This is Kettu (Finnish for "fox") my studiomate
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Jill Kerttula’s fiber art is the culmination of years of professional art experience, combined with her avocations of sewing and photography. Kerttula was a professional graphic designer and art director; she taught college level art and design classes; as an art major, she had specialized in printmaking; and she also spent several years on the art fair circuit selling wearable art.
The fiber works that Kerttula now creates, merge her photography, drawing, and stitching.
She puts it this way: “My photos and drawings are what I saw. My stitching changes it to how, as an artist, I see it.” The stitching allows her to celebrate and express textures in a way that the flat surface of photography or drawing does not. Her photography or drawings provide the underlying composition for her work.
In 2014, she retired from commercial design work, and moved to Virginia. It was then she started using larger scale digital printing printed on fabric, and working full-time as a fine artist. Her work has received many awards in international and national shows. In 2015, Kerttula spent a month as the Artist-in-Residence at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and her studio is in residence at the McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, VA. In 2018, was one of two international artists chosen to present a solo show as a ‘Rising Star’ at the International Quilt Festival in Houston Texas. She also had a solo show at the Rocky Mountain Museum of Quilts in 2018. In 2019, andnow again for 2021, she was juried into the prestigious international ‘Quilt National’ biennial show.
Her fiber based works include a range of subjects that Kerttula has explored photographically; including DC and Charlottesville urban life. They also explore her love of texture and use both conventional and unconventional quilting materials.
Through her work she strives to bridge the craftsmanship and traditions of fiber art “women’s work” with the strong concept and composition required in the fine arts of painting and photography, thus helping to expand the boundaries of both areas.
The fiber works that Kerttula now creates, merge her photography, drawing, and stitching.
She puts it this way: “My photos and drawings are what I saw. My stitching changes it to how, as an artist, I see it.” The stitching allows her to celebrate and express textures in a way that the flat surface of photography or drawing does not. Her photography or drawings provide the underlying composition for her work.
In 2014, she retired from commercial design work, and moved to Virginia. It was then she started using larger scale digital printing printed on fabric, and working full-time as a fine artist. Her work has received many awards in international and national shows. In 2015, Kerttula spent a month as the Artist-in-Residence at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and her studio is in residence at the McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, VA. In 2018, was one of two international artists chosen to present a solo show as a ‘Rising Star’ at the International Quilt Festival in Houston Texas. She also had a solo show at the Rocky Mountain Museum of Quilts in 2018. In 2019, andnow again for 2021, she was juried into the prestigious international ‘Quilt National’ biennial show.
Her fiber based works include a range of subjects that Kerttula has explored photographically; including DC and Charlottesville urban life. They also explore her love of texture and use both conventional and unconventional quilting materials.
Through her work she strives to bridge the craftsmanship and traditions of fiber art “women’s work” with the strong concept and composition required in the fine arts of painting and photography, thus helping to expand the boundaries of both areas.
