My creative process is about exploration. It is a deeply personal journey of exploring who I am, my experiences, emotions, beliefs, dreams, and my uniqueness. It is also an exploration of materials and techniques that inspire me and allow me to communicate visually.

My artwork embraces a dialog between artist and viewer. The dialog is about our shared experiences in life. Where does my life touch yours?

My chosen medium, art quilts, allows me to explore color, texture, and surface design. The language of fabric speaks of visual and tactile warmth, creating a deep felt comfort with my work.

Biography
Barbara Frey started working with textiles as a teenager, sewing and knitting, then moving on to crocheting and embroidering. She learned quilting while raising a family of three and juggling her nursing career.  She began making art quilts in 1997. Joining Front Range Contemporary Quilters opened up her world to other artists, exhibitions, and many talented teachers, well known in the art quilt world. “I am grateful to be a member of FRCQ, because of the fond friendships I have formed and the many wonderful teachers brought in for us to learn from.”

Creating art quilts has been a very satisfying way to combine things she loves. It encompasses her love of craft, “I love to put things together and see what they look like.”  It also has provided a way to express her love of nature, “I try to capture nature’s moods and colors, hoping to communicate that to the viewer.”  But the artistic journey has led her to examining deeper life lessons. “I’m learning so much about my need for personal expression; the importance of telling my story; the process of letting go and allowing the creative process to lead me; learning how to tell when I’ve done enough, and trusting the final outcome will be alright.”

She has explored several techniques, but is currently focused on dyeing and dye painting fabric, as well as hand painting fabrics for use in piecing her quilts. The addition of paints and heavy stitching, using a variety of beautiful threads, creates more layers to the rich surface. Alyson Stanfield, writing for the Ft. Collins Weekly, said of “Scattering Leaves I”, “The grid background spoke to nature’s order while the seemingly random pattern of leaves on the surface suggested its surprise and wonder.”

Barbara lives in Boulder, CO with her husband Don Frey, of Architectural Energy Corporation, and two cats—one named Max and the other Fiona Picasso, who is a constant source of humor.

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