Martha & Elizabeth
Photograph by Azuree Holloway, Quiltfolk Magazine, 2023.
Used with permission.
Biography
Martha Ginn, a Texas native whose home is Hattiesburg, Mississippi since 1971, began traditional quilting in about 1984 after a lifetime of sewing, embroidery, and counted cross-stitch. As her quilting skills grew, so did her interest in art and design, and she began to be more bold and innovative with her craft, soon abandoning patterns and templates for creating fiber art pieces which are more decorative than functional as bed coverings. She has a strong love and appreciation for the beauty of the natural world and often expresses inner joy through depicting or representing nature in her work. Her raw materials are fibers and threads instead of paint and canvas, though often paint and leaves and unexpected additions find their way into her art.
Her fiber art creations have been exhibited in national shows and published in books and magazines. She traveled and spoke in China through South Arts (Atlanta) and Arts Midwest (Minneapolis) for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and Dalian. She is a founding member of Pine Belt Quilters, Mississippi Quilt Association, and Southern Fiber Artists, and is active in Studio Art Quilt Associates, South Mississippi Art Association, and Meistersingers of Hattiesburg, Miss.
Artist Statement
I see beauty all around me in nature and architecture. I hear beauty in music and in quiet conversations. A lover of music, I often visualize music in color and movement, which later is translated into fiber art. Often while listening to an orchestra or string quartet or violin solo I see colors marching and swirling across the page of my mind. I have a desire to interpret what I see in fabric and thread. Leaves and trees are a favorite subject, and there is endless inspiration in studying the shapes and veins.
My quilts and fiber art are generally representational, but cutting and sewing bits of colorful fabric into a larger whole can be endlessly fascinating to me while inviting the viewer to explore for personal connections.
