Karol Kusmaul (b. 1954, Bloomington, Illinois) recently received an M.A. in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2023). A retired art teacher of 32 years, and a longtime quilt maker, Kusmaul has practiced and taught both traditional quilting and fiber art, exhibiting in numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide. Specializing in collaged portraiture, Kusmaul also enjoys creating landscapes and still life work. She is the proud founder of an international group of fiber artists called Cloth in Common. Kusmaul currently lives and works in her studio in Inverness, Florida.
Fascinated by people, I am drawn to portraiture first. My work may show our world’s natural beauty, or ironic contrasts, or the joy of shapes and patterns. The portraits I create may depict strangers or those closest to me. Influenced by both my concerns and my daily joys, I notice and portray common, everyday (but magnificent) moments and events.
I draw with scissors. I paint with fabrics. Having worked in quilt making for more than 45 years, I transitioned gradually from traditional patchwork for bed quilts to art quilts for the wall. I appreciate the value and sparkle that patterned fabrics have to offer in a composition. I work with a huge palette of upcycled fabric from clothing. I focus on strong contrast, and often limit my color palette due to the abundance of pattern in my art pieces. To make something wonderful from scrap fabric is a delightful transformation. I believe that quilt making was attractive to me because it could be done with inexpensive materials, and yet the results are stunning.
I’ve been told I should not make my work so personal. “Make flowers – that’s what people want to buy.”, but I believe art should be very personal. I make what is in my soul and hope it touches the souls of others. It is often difficult for me to part with my finished artwork.
My process is most often raw edge collage and stitching by hand or machine. I’ve been influenced by various collage artists such as Romare Bearden, Pamela Allen and Edrica Huws. The work I create has been described as winsome (meaning: attractive, charming, and engaging). I’ll take that! My style is representational with unconventional mixes of patterns. You might see polka dot lips, plaid rivers, or birds in someone’s hair. There is a special look and feel to a ‘painting’ made with fabric and stitching. The texture is inviting to the eye, the mind and the hand.
I rarely sketch before beginning. I draw with my scissors. I spend a lot of time standing back and evaluating, reworking, and then finally attaching all the pieces to the batting. It is a time consuming process and perhaps that’s why I get so attached to the work by the time it is complete.
During my studies at Savannah College of Art and Design, I experimented with ways to merge quilting and painting. I’m excited at the possibilities of working with both media, and learning how each can support and enhance the other. I worked on a thesis project about violence – both gun violence in the USA and the war in Ukraine.
I enjoy learning from other artists and I am proud to have founded the international fiber artists group Cloth in Common in 2017. We maintain a website gallery and blog about our bimonthly art pieces which are created to a theme. It is fascinating to see the various interpretations from quilters of different locations and cultures. Our collection is extensive and organized by theme, and we welcome feedback about our work on the blog. Please visit and comment there. www.clothincommon.com
My own personal website is www.kquilt.com and shows my most recent work, a complete resume, and selected public relations notes and news. I can be reached by email at kusmaulk@gmail.com
