The LFQG were happy to welcome Reta Budd back as guest speaker, since her last visit in 2005. She still shines as one of Canada’s most prolific and amazing landscape quilt artists. Her background is in the arts, having taken as many art and artisan courses as possible. She’s dabbled in milnery, glove making, and of course oil painting; the only courses she hasn’t taken are anything to do with cooking or baking! She says “It’s still a problem!” Many of her quilts have won ribbons and viewer’s choice awards, but lately she has been framing some of her work and this alone can disqualify her from many juried shows, as they prefer soft mounts.
Her art is deeply spiritual and believes that God speaks to us through the beauty of the environment and through her art she listens, and passes that message on. She labels her quilts with poetic musings of her inspiration and observations.
She says she has “warm feelings for barns” and would rather clean her barn than her house! This is the view from her barn “Inside Looking Out”:
And this is one of my favourites! I just love the way she captured the reflection of the barn in the pond! Many of her barn pieces are strip pieces and she says it’s like building the barn one plank of wood at a time.
After her talk, we were able to get to look at her art up close as well as ask her questions.
What a remarkable lady! She too says you have to please yourself when creating your art, do what you like to do, she adds,”Don’t die with the music in you! Get it out!”
The London Friendship Quilters’ Guild would like to thank Reta Budd for sharing her amazing art with us once again!