Awarding winning art quilter Gloria Loughman is a popular teacher from Victoria, Australia. She is the author of Luminous Landscapes and Quilted Symphony. Gloria returns to the Hudson River Valley Fiber Art Workshops October 25 to 31, 2015 to teach an innovative new Fiber Arts class, “Fabulous Facades”.
How long have you been teaching and what got you started teaching?
Seems like I have always been a teacher. I used to be a Special Ed teacher in the secondary setting for many years. I have been teaching quilting classes for almost 20 years.
What is your favorite part about teaching?
I love teaching. I love the anticipation and excitement of the students before a class begins. I love the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction as students realise they can achieve wonderful results when tasks are broken down to manageable steps.
What are you currently working on in your own art?
I am currently working on a series of quilts based on architecture. Taking an existing building and playing with the colours and textures to produce an image that is original and eye-catching. I am also still exploring landscapes with some degree of abstraction.
Where is your art currently being exhibited?
In a couple of months I have an exhibition of my recent work at the Festival of Quilts at Birmingham in the UK. This is indeed an honour and privilege to be invited to have a gallery at this event.
Describe your studio.
About 6 years ago, we built a new house near the beach. I thought I might teach some classes at home so the studio was designed to be large enough to accommodate a class. When we moved in, I spread out and now have no thoughts of teaching at home. My husband says our new home is actually a studio with a small house attached.
It is wonderful. I have a wet area for dyeing, a cosy area for reading, a number of large surfaces for cutting and designing, a large design wall, and a bathroom. The studio doubles as a dormitory for lots of grandchildren when they all decide to visit at the same time.
