The Creativity Project Week #25: Mel Beach

Mel Beach is a San Jose, CA based quilt artist, teacher and lecturer. She breaks away from tradition by adding her own modern, beautifully textured and colorful twists. Mel has completed over 60 quilt challenges at the local and international level, many of which have been exhibited locally, juried into national quilt shows and traveling exhibits, published in books/magazines, earned awards/ribbons, and selected as Finalists. Mel uses her quilts to express her voice and make political statements. More recently, she is exploring the idea of incorporating unconventional materials to add depth and dimension to her work.  She is an Aurifil Artisan and a Featured Artist on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. In addition, she teaches all over the country, including at Craft Napa, and was this week’s featured guest on the Modern Quilt Guild’s creative webinar, Road Map for Teaching. Welcome, Mel!

How would you describe your quilting style/aesthetic?

Mel: When I first began quilting, I made mostly traditional quilt patterns: rail fences and log cabins in traditional grid layouts. I rarely, if ever, followed a quilt pattern from start to finish. At some point I would deviate in fabric choices, layout or border treatments. Now I routinely break away from tradition by adding my own modern, beautifully textured and bright vibrant colorful twists along with incorporating unconventional materials and techniques. Many of my quilts are made as part of a quilt challenge featuring a challenge fabric, theme and/or set of rules, prompting a wide range of quilt finishes.

How would you describe the creative environment in your home as a child?

Mel: I am so glad I was a child of the late 70s and 80s—pre-internet and cell phones. My family voted to disconnect our TV, so my two younger brothers and I spent much of our childhood playing outdoors, playing board games/puzzles and inventing games of our own, attending summer camp, getting involved with 4-H, Scouting and Odyssey of the Mind. We frequently visited the public library where I discovered new worlds and characters, including myfavorite: Anne of Green Gables. In school, I embraced the Arts through chorus, band, ceramics, calligraphy, drawing and visiting the nearby outdoor sculpture park-Storm King Art Center. I loved arts and crafts and cherish the many wonderful memories learning needlepoint and cross-stitch from my grandmothers.

What artists and makers do you most admire or have an influence on your work?

Mel: I draw inspiration from so many artists and quilters!! In school, I loved studying different artists of all styles. Keith Haring continues to be my all-time favorite artist as I just love his bold style, color and symbolism.

In the quilting world, when I first started quilting, I watched many Simply Quilts episodes and learned so much from Alex Anderson and her guest artists. I learned a lot about color theory and using fabric to create special effects from Christine Barnes, a talented quilt artist/author. Taking classes with Leah Day, Angela Walters, Christina Cameli and Cindy Needham helped me to gain confidence in free motion quilting.

Last, but not least, is Mother Nature, who provides a bounty of inspiration with exciting color combinations, textures, line, pattern and shape. If you are ever in need of inspiration, go for a walk and bring your camera!

Do you consider yourself a “quilter”, an artist, or some combination of both?

Mel: Up until this past year, I referred to myself as a quilt artist as most of my quilts are original designs and tell a story. This past year, I started incorporating unconventional materials into my quilts: dollar bills, UNO cards, office supplies, recycled computer parts, paracord and plastic recyclables. “Fiber Artist” may better reflect this new direction of my work.

How would you define “making with intention”?

Mel: For me, making with intention is having some kind of game plan or purpose in mind as I create. This does not mean that I have every detail locked in from the start as I am always open to new possibilities. Each project must serve a purpose and involve one or more goals. If I am exploring a new technique or product, I may be conducting little experiments to ask “What If?” And “Why Not?”. When I work on fabric challenges, I must consider how I can best highlight the challenge fabrics in my design. If it is a political quilt, I want to make sure my message is clearly communicated in a way that others are invited into the conversation. Some quilts may lead to a new workshop, so I may be making notes to create a supply list, handouts, step-outs, and samples.

As I wrap up each project, I take time to document the process in a blog post. Here, I include photographs taken along the way that show my materials, construction, and/or design decisions. This is a critical part of my creative process as it allows me to reflect on each quilt and consider: What do I like about this quilt? What is important about this piece? What would I do differently? What is next?

Do you think that having a craft makes us more compassionate? If so, then how?

Mel: Absolutely! Many of my quilts were made as an act of compassion. Most of my earlier quilts were made as gifts for family and friends. I would reflect on the individual’s life and our relationship to personalize a quilt made to celebrate special milestones in their lives: birthdays, holidays, marriage, retirement or the birth of a child. I have made a number of blocks and quilts for charity. While these quilts went on to provide warmth and comfort to others, the act of creating them gave me time to examine the circumstances necessitating quilts: disasters that displace families, young adults graduating out of the foster care system, children born premature, honoring military personnel for their service, providing comfort for patients undergoing treatment for Cancer, Autism, Alzheimer’s and other debilitating diseases. Last, but not least, is the recent surge in Craftivism, in which quilt artists are creating quilts to raise awareness about social injustice, commemorate lives lost/impacted, and/or in protest of politicians, government policies and/or proposed legislation. Creating political quilts provides quilters with a voice while the soft tactile medium tends to invite others into dialogue.

How does creating feed your soul/spiritual purpose?

Mel: For me quilting feeds my soul in several different ways. First it provides me with a medium to express myself creatively through fabric or color choices, construction, composition and all the special details that may communicate my message. As I immerse myself with a new project, all my worries seem to melt away. I thrive on the problem solving that is involved to create an original design, adapt to new materials, or figure out the logistics to put it all together. Yes, it may be stressful at times but what a feeling of accomplishment when you figure it out and the finished quilt matches the vision in your head! I also appreciate the meditative nature of pressing, chain piecing and quilting. These quiet moments allow me to clear my head and reflect on life, the process and/or the recipient.

Are there any rituals that you perform to prepare/ground yourself in your work?

Mel: There are several practices that I use in my work:

• Morning Walks with my dogs. The morning quiet allows me to reflect and mentally prepare for creative tasks ahead. There are endless sources of inspiration for color combinations, textures, lines, pattern to be discovered on my walks. I take lots of pictures using my phone.
• Brainstorming. Most projects begin with a brainstorm of ideas where I will write down anything that comes to mind. Oftentimes I will discard the first idea or two and try to move from Point A to B to C and beyond. Brainstorming with others (especially my mother and brother) will help trigger new ideas and design possibilities that I had not considered before.
• Researching. Some of my work involves researching a particular topic or theme with information gathered via the internet (videos, Pinterest) and the local library.
• Doodling/sketching. Sketching ideas and images onto scratch paper, graph paper or in my sketchbook helps me to work out design ideas.  Sometimes I will use Electric Quilt design software to figure out blocks, size, fabric, color and value. Using a dry erase marker and drawing on clear plastic templates helps me to audition quilting motifs and figure out travel plans.
• Playing with Fabric. Many of my quilts are made for fabric challenges. So new ideas often start to flow once I start playing with the fabric. Maybe it is during a fabric pull and grouping it with different fabrics or colors. Sometimes I will meditate on ideas as I iron the fabric. When all else fails—I start cutting up the fabric to explore new design possibilities.
• Asking What If? and Why Not? These two powerful questions help me to go beyond traditional quilt making to consider new techniques, designs and materials.
• Making Lists. Each night I make a list of appointments, tasks, errands, phone calls in preparation for the next day. This allows me to clear my brain, get a good night’s rest and to hit the ground running in the morning. For each project I may make a list and include deadlines to keep me on track for completion. Master lists for each month help me to identify the large projects, teaching engagements and tasks that are approaching so I can take advantage of any downtime and not get caught off guard by a deadline. Can you tell that I love making lists and crossing off items as I complete them!?!
• Comedy Improv Classes. For the past 2 years, I have been taking comedy improv classes. These classes help me to think quickly on my feet, adapt to new ideas and celebrate mistakes.

What is the support system you have in place for creating your work?

Mel: I am incredibly thankful to be surrounded by family, friends and fellow quilters who support my work. First up is my family, starting with my partner, Doug, who is 100% supportive of me as an artist. His handiwork and technical skills have come in very handy with setting up my studio and working out complicated quilt math, plus I know I can count on him to take care of meals, dogs, etc., while I am away teaching or working to meet rapidly approaching deadlines. My mother is incredibly creative and is my go to for brainstorming, as well as helping to edit my artist statements, applications and newsletters. My brother, Mark, is very supportive and creative. He has been nudging me for years to turn quilting into my day job and he recently took up quilting. I have two rescue pups, Panda and Susie Q, who are constant studio companions, quilt models, and walking partners.

Living in Northern California, I am surrounded by so many talented quilters that inspire my work. When I first moved to San Jose, I joined a large traditional guild and have volunteered in several different roles over the years. I leave each guild meeting energized by presentations delivered by nationally recognized visiting quilt artists and seeing our talented membership participate in Show and Tell. My fellow guild members have witnessed my progression as a quilter and are among my biggest supporters as I join the teaching circuit. I am part of a small quilt group that meets weekly. I cherish my time together with these amazing women where we are comfortable to present our works (in progress and/or or finished), ask for feedback, engage in lively discussions about our community and politics, and celebrate with each other.

Over the years I have been thankful to have several mentors and teachers who have generously shared their time and expertise, especially as I was first starting out as a quilter and traveling teacher. I have learned so much from each of them and do my best to pay it forward by sharing my time and talents with others.

I am honored to be invited to teach/lecture at quilt guilds, where I enjoy meeting quilters from all over. My students inspire me to keep creating, sharing my work and developing new workshops/lectures.

Last, but not least, is the internet which allows me to connect with quilters all over the world. I love staying connected with quilters through my blog, newsletter, Facebook and Instagram. A friend and I use Facebook Messenger to provide each other with virtual art critiques and suggestions on our in-progress projects. I love the vibrant online community of quilters who participate in quilt challenges through the Challenge Quilts Facebook Group. We frequently share new challenge opportunities and cheer on each other’s participation. I am constantly in awe at everyone’s amazing designs and interpretations for each challenge.

How do you deal with comparison to / envy of others? Can you describe a time when you used comparison/envy/admiration to push yourself in your own work and self-discovery?

Mel: Living in New York, I attended a number of local guild quilt shows where I recognized the various quilt patterns and/or construction techniques used. When I moved to San Jose in 2010, a friend suggested I attend Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF). This was my first experience at a large national show and I was stunned by the quilts on display. I went home almost in tears as the quilts were so spectacular and I could not figure out how they were created. Soon thereafter, I joined the local quilt guild and started enrolling in quilt workshops, determined to learn new techniques to add to my quilt making tool box. In addition to classes, each January I assign myself five quilt-related New Year’s Resolutions, which are way more fun than losing weight, working out or eating healthy. Over the years, these resolutions have motivated me to learn free motion quilting, fabric dyeing, enter my quilts into quilt shows and challenges, and start teaching. In 2014 (four years after my first PIQF), I was honored to have two of my quilts juried into PIQF and a couple years later, I earned my first PIQF ribbon.

Instead of comparing myself to other quilters and feeling disappointed, I choose to compare myself to where I was 6 months ago, 1 year ago, 5 years ago and celebrate my progress.

What was the most challenging thing you ever made?

Mel: Creating political quilts are the most challenging in terms of the emotional energy required to create them and finding the courage to share them with others.

In the wake of the 2016 Presidential Election, I was saddened by how we were left with a fractured nation in which respectful dialogue had been replaced with fear, hatred and violence. I decided to create my first political quilt as a way of channeling my fears and frustrations into something positive. Initial designs were rather dark and depressing with lots of dark and grey fabrics. As I started cutting up fabrics, I began to reflect on the world and my own perspective. Rather than get sucked into the negative energy, I chose to celebrate the positive aspects of our world and community by celebrating peace, love, compassion and hope. I pulled out a collection of 5” charms exchanged with quilters all over the country to create a large improv pieced Peace sign. As my quilt top was coming together, I reached out to my family & friends via facebook and asked them for words of love, inspiration and hope for a more peaceful and compassionate world. Messages of love and hope poured in and renewed my outlook on America. I meditated on each of these words as I free-motion quilted them into the background of my quilt, along with 30+ translations of the world peace. Creating this quilt was both therapeutic and provided me with a voice for a more hopeful world…hence the quilt title: Peace of Mind.

Since then I have created two more political quilts—each with their own sets of challenges. In RE$I$TAN¢E, I had to work out the logistics of incorporating 52 $1 US Dollar Bills to communicate my message without violating US Treasury Department regulations and laws. In the 5 days it took me to create Body Count as a way of raising awareness about mass shootings in the United States, 5 mass shootings took place with one occurring less than 50 miles away in San Francisco, CA.

While I am incredibly proud of these quilts, I was nervous about how each quilt would be received by others who may or may not agree with my stance.  Thankfully the reception has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. I especially enjoyed attending the “Threads of Resistance” exhibit on display at PIQF and seeing first-hand the impact of the exhibit on attendees.

What does it mean to you to work in a traditionally domestic medium that historically has been regarded as predominately female (aka “women’s work”)?

Mel: I love being part of the quilting tradition — connecting with other quilters through quilt guilds and small quilt groups, passing it onto future generations, and making gifts for others.

I also love that the quilting industry provides different avenues for Quilt Artists (many of which are female) to support ourselves financially through teaching, writing patterns/books, designing fabric, etc. I am most appreciative of the extensive network of craft professionals who support one another’s work, share experiences/resources and advocate that we are compensated for our time and talents.

How do you see your current work in the context of quilting history?

Mel: As an artist and a teacher, I hope my work will inspire other quilters to:

• Take risks and try something new and different that is outside of their comfort zone
• Ask “What If?” and “Why Not?”
• Add their own unique voice and style
• Create quilts that tell a story
• Document and share their work with others whether it is through blogging, posting to social media, participating in quilt challenges, entering their quilts into a show or exhibit or teaching.

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Thank you, Mel!  You are an inspiration! To learn more about Mel, visit her website, Piece, Love & Happiness, or connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and sign up for her newsletter. In addition, you can check out the Challenge Quilts Facebook Group here.

Would you like to be featured in The Creativity Project? Reach out! I’d love to hear from you! Contact me.

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