Artist statement

Jill Kerttula’s fiber art is the culmination of her 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 specialized in printmaking; and she spent several years on the art fair circuit selling wearable art.
Jill Kerttula’s fiber art merges her love of photography, drawing, and stitching. She explores her love of texture using both conventional and unconventional quilting materials. Her work strives to bridge the craftsmanship and traditions of “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.
In 2018, Kerttula 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 had solo shows at the Rocky Mountain Museum of Quilts and at the Visions Museum of Textile Art. In 2019, and again for 2021, she was juried into the prestigious international Quilt National biennial show. In 2021 She won the Janome Award for "Innovation in Artistry" at the Houston International Quilt Show and the International Quilt Museum's "Award of Excellence" at the Quilt National biennial show. Her art was most recently shown in the Taiwan Quilt Art Society and Art Quilt Elements at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA.
Her exploration continues to evolve. Most recently she has started to work with ceramics and is exploring ways to combine fiber and ceramics as well as continuing to explore fiber, paint and photography.
Jill Kerttula’s fiber art merges her love of photography, drawing, and stitching. She explores her love of texture using both conventional and unconventional quilting materials. Her work strives to bridge the craftsmanship and traditions of “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.
In 2018, Kerttula 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 had solo shows at the Rocky Mountain Museum of Quilts and at the Visions Museum of Textile Art. In 2019, and again for 2021, she was juried into the prestigious international Quilt National biennial show. In 2021 She won the Janome Award for "Innovation in Artistry" at the Houston International Quilt Show and the International Quilt Museum's "Award of Excellence" at the Quilt National biennial show. Her art was most recently shown in the Taiwan Quilt Art Society and Art Quilt Elements at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA.
Her exploration continues to evolve. Most recently she has started to work with ceramics and is exploring ways to combine fiber and ceramics as well as continuing to explore fiber, paint and photography.