WUGA kicked of the 2019 season of the Artist in Residence series at the home of Barbette Houser.
The SCAD graduate turned to textile arts after teaching and running her own business. She says she started quilting about five years ago.
“It was just a wonderful way to explore pattern, I’m OCD and I see pattern everywhere I go,” according to Houser. “I sometimes they kind of just haunt me and I try to translate them in some way on paper, fabric, so the quilting was perfect for that.”
Houser says she sees more than pattern in her work.
“Works of art can have implied movement in the way that things are arranged, so I like pieces that kind of shimmer.”
Houser says she opened her home to guests for several reasons.
“Alexia, I have to tell you that the Artists in Residence events are some of my very favorite events during the year. I learned about them writing about them for Flagpole, and I got hooked and I go whenever I can.”
She also believes it’s important to support her local community.
“I do think it’s important to support public radio and local public radio. I try to support my community in small ways.”
The next Artists in Residence event is Saturday, March 16th. The series takes place in the homes of various Athens artists. Fans of the work and supporters of WUGA attend for an afternoon of appetizers, art and wine, along with an expert discussion of the artist’s work. Fellow artist Didi Dunphy, with the Lyndon House Arts Center, was the speaker at the February artist event.