Carson Converse is an artist, designer and quilter who has been quilting more than 20 years. Currently working on her second collection with the luxury design house Hermes, her award-winning work has been shown at venues around the world.
Carson Converse is not a minimalist by nature, although she does value simplicity. She also loves doing intricate detail. She describes her process as reductive art because she often starts by throwing a lot of fabric and inspirational images on the wall and then expanding and contracting until the piece feels quiet and still. In her own words, “I want to give the viewer kind of a moment of stillness, maybe an opportunity to catch their breath.”
In her work, she likes to shine a light on the women creators who’ve gone before her. and she has studied their work for a long time, especially those who’ve created Amish quilts. She tries to shine a light on the amazing work that’s come before; work that was art even though it wasn’t considered such at the time. Seeing the Gee’s Bend quilts exhibited at the Whitney Museum shifted her perspective on quilts. She’d always been told that quilts could not be art, but the exhibit turned that belief on its head. (4:41- 11:09)
Carson graduated from the fine arts program at Boston University in 2000. While she had many wonderful professors and valued her time there, she also learned that there was a biased hierarchy in how art was viewed: oil is for serious painters, acrylic for hobbyists; watercolors are for old ladies, and anything functional isn’t art. She sensed this was wrong, and the show at Gee’s Bend in 2002 confirmed it. She also shares how, over the years, her attendance at QuiltCon helped her grow and expand and become part of a vital community.
As she continues to share her personal journey, we learn how her perspective on quilting has changed over the years. We also learn about the influence Mark Rothko and nature have on her work; how shifts in color push and pull you through a piece. Ultimately, Carson wants people to feel her work. According to her, one of the best comments she’s had regarding her work is when a woman told her that when she saw her work, she stopped and took a deep breath. (12:00-22:39)
She shares that her goal of working with Hermes goes back to her early career when she was working in New York and had transitioned from interior design to quilting. “Out of the blue, I get an email saying, “Are you interested in collaborating with Hermes on a quilt?”
To date, Carson has worked on two collections with Hermes. Both are based on designs and artwork by Gianpaolo Pagni. The first one is a series of three whole-cloth quilts, with gold stitching on creamy white cashmere. The most recent one is a more colorful pieced quilt.
Her evolution as a fabric artist is fascinating and inspirational, from her early interest in decorative arts and architecture to the world’s most influential design fair in Milan. Whatever she’s creating, Carson focuses on sustainability and works towards a zero-waste practice. (22:39 – 30:40)
You’ll love her story and her work. If you’d like to reach out to Carson, you can reach her via email, at Hello@CarsonConverse.com. You’ll find her amazing work at CarsonConverse.com and on Instagram at CarsonConverse.
If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to Meg@sewandsopodcast.com or complete the form on our website.