Fiber artist Silke Cliatt creates richly detailed quilts using colorful textiles and “passionately executed embroidery and appliqué.” Visit her website to enjoy more of her work.
“12 x 12” Silk and Glass Beads, 12” x 12”
How exciting it is to learn something new!
“Going Places” Cotton, Felt and Embroidery Floss, 37” x 52”
For me, every quilt begins with either a technical or a design challenge.
“Garden” Silk, Cotton, Rayon Ribbon, Silk, Glass Beads and Embroidery Floss, 41” x 22”
I am with Picasso on this. He famously said, “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” So, I am not drawn to repetition. I am passionate about solving problems.
“Garden” (Detail)
I often feel I am not actually the doer, that in some mysterious way solutions appear that are not based on anything I consciously know. But I make the effort.
From Left to Right: “Guardian of the Forest,” “Guardian of the River” and “Guardian of Winter” (Inspired by Dianne Cevaal) Cotton, Embroidery Floss and Glass Beads, 10” x 13” Each
My ultimate goal is to create beauty with textiles, especially through the use of bold color. I want my work to be uplifting.
“Mother Love” Cotton, Machine Embroidery Appliqué, Glass Beads, Upcycled Crochet, Hand Embroidery and Floss, 31” x 39”
In my heart, I believe, I am an embellisher more than a quilter. My quilts are carriers for passionately executed embroidery and appliqué.
“Through the Garden Gate” Cotton, Cheesecloth and Embroidery Floss, 20” x 25”
I feel deeply connected to the humans who, perhaps twenty thousand years ago in the Neolithic period, first discovered how to make twine and needles for sewing and later weaving.
“How Does Your Garden Grow?” Cotton, 34” x 34”
While it is fun and enjoyable and efficient to put my foot on the pedal of my sewing machine and to listen to the hum as the needle races along the seams, it does not compare to the slow and hugely time-consuming up and down of the needle during hand stitching. There is something elemental about that dance and now, late in life, it takes me back to a childhood in Germany in the middle of the last century, without television and other such distractions when sewing and embroidery were our entertainment.
“Celebration” Silk, Embroidery Floss, Glass Beads, Woven Ribbon and Cotton, 32: x 28”
If I have a favorite among my quilts, it may well be my Red Elephant. The red silk, I ice-dyed; the commercial silk on the border came from India. I work exclusively with cottons and silks. Some of the glass beads are 24 carat gold plated.
“Celebration” (Detail)
I started embroidering this piece without a specific plan, letting it grow. Because I happened to start on a Monday morning and finished just the elephant two weeks later, I know I must have spent about a hundred hours totally immersed in embroidering the elephant alone. I never let how long something takes keep me from doing it.
Artist Silke Cliatt at work in her studio
After teaching young children to create art for thirty years, I am now free, in my retirement, to create beauty on my own terms, and I am loving it. As Picasso did, I thrive on the thought that “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Amazing work Silke! How can one person create so much diverse rich gorgeous beautiful beautiful artwork??? Your art uplift me, inspires me, delights me. I feel beast in beauty and creativity. Thank you for sharing your abundant gifts and your tangible love with the world❤️🌹🤔💕🥰🦋
Silke Cliatt is a great artist with the golden wisdom of a master and the creative spark of a wide-eyed child. Her gorgeous creations evoke joy and wonder and invite us to play in the realm of freedom.
Silke your creations are amazing! I love the colors and depth of beauty and nature in all these! Your garden and birds creations look so real and hand painted! I am amazed at creative abundance you possess and share with us all!
These are so beautiful! Silke, everything you touch turns to beauty. The textures, patterns, fabric selections, designs, etc. are exquisite. Your description of yourself as a relentless problem solver is my experience of you–you are undaunted in the face of challenge. Thank you for creating and sharing these!
These are breathtakingly beautiful, Silke. The designs are exquisite and your attention to detail is extraordinary. I particularly love the vibrant colors which are a reflection of what is in your heart. These manifestations are magnificent creations of your creative spirit. Your artwork has always been a sight to behold.
Dear Beth, thank you for taking the time to look at my feature. I feel that artsyshark has beautifully presented my work, and since we live a way apart now, this is a great way for you to see how I spend my days!
Dear Pam, your kind words mean a lot. Wish I had your gift with words!
Thank you for taking the time.
Dear Anita, since it has not worked out for you to come to my studio in the mountains, I am so happy that you got to see some of my work on this website. Thank you for taking the time to look at the feature and to write such a lovely comment.
And thank you, Leigh, for expressing so beautifully that my quilts have touched you. That is what I hope for during my endless hours at the sewing machine!
Marcia, my hope is always to uplift, and I believe that color can do that. It warms my heart to know that we have connected through your taking the time and looking at my feature.