Agusta Agustsson

Bio

Agusta began making quilts as a painting major at Massachusetts College of Art. Concurrently she created silkscreened posters which received local, national and international recognition at the Graphic Workshop. Many of her pastel landscapes are in numerous corporate collections. She worked as an art teacher for 22 years. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston acquired one of her quilts in 2017.

Artist Statement

In the summer of 2017, I reached a turning point in my textile work. For a number of years, I played with the nine-patch block, exploring the poetry of the square. For a while it was enough to evoke sensations through the interplay of color, value and pattern. Most of the creativity took place in the initial design stage. I wanted a way to use textiles more spontaneously, to experience surprise and wonder throughout a project. I experimented with ways to make the end result less predictable by printing on fabric, collaging the results and later drawing into the work with a sewing machine. It was time to take the risk of making an ugly work.

Working in a more spontaneous manner has allowed me to respond to events outside the studio. This past year climate change and pollution have been dominating my thoughts whether it is melting sea ice or seas filled with plastic. I don’t think in terms of narrative or illustration, but rather through the emotional impact of shape, color and texture. I hope people react to my quilts on a visceral level. With my new manner of working there are always surprises as the quilt top comes together.