THE DAILY LEADER / RHONDA DUNAWAY / Fiber artist Martha Ginn displays a recent art-deco designed quilt at Monday’s meeting of the Piecemakers Quilters Guild in the Lincoln County Library. Ginn is responsible for establishing Pine Belt Quilters in 1984 and the Mississippi Quilt Association in 1991.

Internationally known fiber artist Martha Ginn creates art quilts and came to the Lincoln County Library Monday to talk to the Piecemakers Quilters Guild about making creative quilts.

Ginn explains that nature is her inspiration and joy and that quilt making for her is an art form.

“Nature furnishes constant inspiration. I love to interpret trees, leaves and landscapes in fabric. I often combine watercolor and pastel with stitches to create one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork,” Ginn said.

Ginn 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.

She began to be more bold and innovative with her craft and soon abandoned patterns and templates and started creating fiber art pieces, which are more decorative than functional. Ginn explained that 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 paint, dye and unexpected additions find their way into her art.

Ginn recently traveled to Beijing, China where they were displaying her work in an exhibit called “The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers in 21st Century America.” The exhibit was conceived by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and facilitated by South Arts, Arts Midwest and other arts organizations in the U.S.

Ginn established Pine Belt Quilters in 1984 and Mississippi Quilt Association in 1991 and has continued to be active in these organizations. She is a member of South Mississippi Art Association, Studio Quilt Associates, American Quilter’s Society, International Quilt Association and Gulf States Quilting.

To learn more about Ginn and fiber arts visit her website and blog at www.marthaginn.com and www.marthaginn.blogspot.com.