Harrison Public Library Presents “In Nature’s Path” by Tamar Drucker

Tamar Drucker is a fiber artist born and educated in Israel and moved with her family to the United States in 1985.

After her introduction to traditional quilting in the United States, she began to create original work in fiber, fabric, and thread. Her art quilts incorporate oil paint, lettering, and “thread paint” on commercial and hand-dyed fabrics. She often works from photographs taken on her daily walks. Her art is inspired by nature, Japanese motifs, and her own family history.

Tamar’s quilts have earned local and international recognition and awards. She is a member of the Northern Star Quilt Guild, Studio Art Quilt Associates, Fiber Art North East, the Ossining Arts Council, the Israel Quilters Association, SDA, and TSGNY. She has exhibited abroad in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Taiwan, and Israel. In the United States, her work has been featured in exhibitions in Houston, TX; New Hope, PA; Des Moines, IA; the Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, MI; and in the Tri-state Region.Tamar

Today, Tamar is retired from teaching Hebrew and Judaic studies, devoting herself to her art. She lives with her family in Ossining, NY.

Artist’s Statement:

I am a self-taught artist.

The enjoyment of playing with different textures and colors, layering bits of fabric scraps, is like assembling a puzzle. Fabric and threads are my tools.

I often begin by taking photographs, intrigued, for example, by the way light falls on an object or how colors enliven a landscape. I then sketch or paint from these photographs and then begin the process of choosing fabrics which I pin to a design board until I have a satisfying image. I work with cotton, silk, organza, chiffon and at times tulle, lace or threads when I create open spaces in my quilts. Most of my work is quilted, using three layers.

A lot of thought goes into every aspect of my quilting process: what threads, colors and design will enhance the work. I enjoy this process, even though it may be slow at times. Sometimes combining commercial prints with fabric that I’ve dyed will create a surprising effect. I mostly sew by machine with free motion but there are times when the piece needs to be quilted by hand. My quilts often have a painterly quality and I may even add paint or thread painting.

My quilts are most often landscapes, though I enjoy portraiture as well. At times, I’m inspired by a word or an abstract idea that may generate a visual image. I may also include Hebrew text either as composition or as texture as a connection to my heritage. I am also drawn to Asian textiles and art.