Jo Diggs with “Many Winters”
Jo Diggs has always cut, stitched and loved fabric. She is best known for landscapes of great depth, distance and light that express feelings of quiet and serenity.
Jo’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally since the 1960s, and was featured at the Vermont Quilt Festival in June 2013 in an exhibit of 50+ works titled “Life’s Work: The Quilts of Jo Diggs”.
The wool quilt Snowscape (1984) is in the collection of the National Quilt Museum (USA). Other notable works include a quilt series of the Four Seasons, an Audubon donation quilt and in 2011, A Full Tank, a large, crowded, exciting fish quilt. Over the years she has been published in many books and magazines including Quilters Newsletter and American Quilter Magazine. Two of her landscapes appear in Valerie Hearder‘s book, Points of View: Landscape Quilts to Stitch and Embellish, C&T, 2007.
Jo has a BA in Art History and an MA in Teaching but has discovered over a long career that practice is the deciding influence in her art. Through her teaching, Jo is dedicated to helping other stitchers achieve success and pleasure in their own work.
The majority of Jo’s current production is matted and framed appliqué landscapes; all of her appliqué is beautifully hand-stitched (students are encouraged to try Jo’s method for hand stitching landscapes, but she is glad to have students use fusing and other aids). The landscapes rely heavily on hand-dyed fabrics, which Jo collects from many fabric artists including her favorite artist Mickey Lawler of Skydyes.
Jo’s work is available to view at her studio by appointment and at Markings Gallery, 50 Front Street, Bath, ME 04530. (207) 443-1499