David Owen Hastings: Exploring Nature with Paper & Stitch

David Owen Hastings is a quilt designer and instructor, graphic designer, artist, and creative coach. He will share his journey from stitching paper to stitching fabric. He will start with a review of his stitched paper artwork, which he has been creating for over 20 years. He will give examples of where he gets inspiration and what his process is like. He first prints paper using a monotype technique then sews many layers of printed paper together with a sewing machine. He then shares how we can find inspiration in the world around us.

David lives in the Pacific Northwest, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. He has been knitting and sewing since he was a kid. He believes there's something magical in taking a length of yarn or a piece of fabric and turning it into something useful and beautiful with your own hands. He believes that crafts like knitting and quilting can be both an artistic expression as well as good for the soul. In recent years he has enjoyed creating his own textiles through dyeing and painting. He loves incorporating these fabrics into quilts and wall pieces with a modern twist. Since 1999, he has been a professional print and collage artist.  In his artwork he explores patterns, shapes, color and textures he finds in nature. Plants and leaves, microorganisms, and weathered surfaces are all inspiring to him. His paper-based artwork often incorporates monotype printing, sometimes mixed with photography and then stitched with a sewing machine. His finished artwork has rich layers and patterns with a very tactile quality.