Hi Friends! Let’s talk about art, inspiration, and where they’ve taken me lately—plus a few updates I'm eager to share.

 

A warm welcome to all the new subscribers since my last newsletter—I’m so glad you’re here. Each issue of Three Bits of Inspiration centers on a theme, where I share three inspiring things I’ve come across and how they might influence my work in the studio. After that, you’ll find updates on my artwork, upcoming workshops, and other creative discoveries. (Feel free to explore the newsletter archives if you’d like to catch up on past topics.)

 

This time, my inspiration comes from artist Suzanne Valadon. I spotted one of her paintings in my page-a-day art calendar—a family portrait where the figures felt oddly disconnected—and I was immediately intrigued. That led to a deep dive into her life and work, and I’m excited to share what I found.

 

You’ll also find news about recent exhibitions, new small works in my Upholding series, and a discount on the retreat in France where I’ll be teaching.

 

Cheers!

 

1. Portraits What draws me most to Suzanne Valadon is her portraiture. The painting above is the one from my calendar. There’s a major retrospective of her work at the Centre Pompidou in Paris right now, and this tour of the exhibition is worth a look. It seems to me that Valadon’s portraits tell stories others weren’t telling at the time—intimate, direct, and undeniably her own.

2. Rebel In 2021, there was an exhibition titled Model, Painter, Rebel—a neat summation, but it barely scratches the surface. Valadon wasn’t just bold; she was relentless. Born into poverty, self-taught, and carving a path through a male-dominated art world, she painted nudes of both men and women with frankness and power. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she didn’t soften or romanticize her subjects.

3. Green Striped Pants The Blue Room might be my favorite of her paintings. (See the whole painting here!) It’s often cited as a radical subversion of the female nude – especially since she's wearing clothes! The woman lounges amid lush textiles and books, completely at ease, utterly uninterested in being gazed upon. The green striped pants feel like the perfect expression of the whole mood.

I was honored to be invited by the Quilters Guild of Dallas to be one of the featured artists at the 2025 Dallas Quilt Show. For the exhibit, I selected 26 of my art quilt collages, created between 2012 and 2023. Together, they represent the evolution of my style—layering fabric, paint, and stitch with personal symbols and bold, contemporary compositions. 

Read more about the exhibition, see lots more photos and a short video walk-through in my blog post.

You'll never guess what I used to make these two tote bags! Check out my Instagram post for all the details and lots more images.

Spoiler: I cut up a  quilt!

French Textiles Retreat & Tour in September 🇫🇷

I'll be teaching a workshop as part of the Celebrate French Textiles Retreat and Tour from September 2 to 13, 2025 at Chateau Dumas! It's going to be just magical! 

Tour leader Linda Sweek and I recorded a chat all about the retreat and the workshop I'll be teaching. If you're thinking about joining us, I think you'll enjoy this conversation.

Linda is offering a great discount if you register with a friend – or a group of friends! 

My art quilt collage, Percolating, won an honorable mention at the Visual Arts League of Lewisville exhibition. The theme of the show is Abandoned – which fits this quilt and the idea of leaving behind the chaos for a quiet refuge. Juror Justin Burns said, “I love that this feels like an abstract painting but yet it is not. Each stitched area gives the right amount of texture, making space between smooth and not. I love seeing old chairs that have a memory of time and of things past. The stitched circles in the background are a nice pattern that guides the eye to try to understand the narrative of the other objects in the composition.” Local friends can see the exhibition through the end of May.

I've been making small works using this composition for a few years. I love making a few at a time and exploring different fabrics and color combinations. They are part of my Upholding series, where each piece explores the concept of support, resilience, and quiet strength.

Use the code VALADON15 for 15% off anything in my Etsy shop through June 1.

Were you familiar with Suzanne Valadon? Tell me where you learned about her and what you find inspiring about her work and life.

Some products listed here may be Amazon Associate links from which I earn a tiny commission.